A change in management is coming to WFSU Public Media.
Kim Kelling, our longtime Director of Content & Community Partnerships, is retiring. She’s worked at WFSU for close to 25 years, which is an impressive run with any employer. What kept this New Jersey native here for so long? "I was really fortunate that opportunities, new challenges kept arising as I was here," Kelling says.
Kelling has become the unofficial ambassador for WFSU. "What makes us unique is that we serve our community...and the content we create should be reflective of that community," she says.
Kelling was part of Leadership Tallahassee Class 28 and the Tallahassee Democrat’s 25 Women You Need to Know. She served on what was then the TCC foundation board and is a founding trustee of Tallahassee Collegiate Academy. She is president of the Capital Women’s Network and has served with the Early Learning Coalition and the United Way of the Big Bend boards. Kelling also co-founded the ASPIRE initiative to connect youth with career and education opportunities.
In regards to her community involvement, Kelling says, "I feel proud that WFSU is so respected in the community." She says there's been a change in mind set under her watch that has WFSU listening to our audiences and getting feedback about what they want from us.
Under Kelling's leadership, WFSU has won regional and national awards for news and educational content. We’ve been awarded many grants that have enabled us to produce award-winning work. In particular, WFSU has been the recipient of a federal Ready to Learn grant for two decades, and the education department in this building is one of the most respected in the country.
"I've learned a lot from Kim," says WFSU General Manager David Mullins. "It's not been a relationship of a general manager and a senior staff member. She has been just a partner all along."
Kelling's plans after retirement include continued community involvement. "In the times that we're in right now, I really have a focus on reaching out to people and finding ways that we can counter misinformation, disinformation, so that people can make their decisions based on truth. So that's really important to me," Kelling says.
After a massive search, Kelling's position has been filled internally by WFSU News Director Lynn Hatter. "I'm excited for Lynn, I'm excited for the station," Kelling says.
On Speaking Of, we hear more from Kim Kelling as well as Lynn Hatter. Click LISTEN to hear the entire segment.
