Public media organization PRX has announced that its Chief Operations Officer will succeed its current President and Chief Executive Officer, starting October 15. It puts the leadership of the public radio distributor, podcast publisher and noncommercial educational content creator in the hands of an individual who joined PRX in 2019.
Succeeding current leader Kerri Hoffman is Jason Saldanha, whose past experience includes serving as a Senior Producer for WBEZ-FM in Chicago from October 2005-October 2015. He joined PRX in August 2019 as Director of Content, rising one year later to Chief of Business Development. He earned the COO role in January 2024.
While Hoffman is shedding her leadership role, PRX says she will remain “strategically involved” with the organization. She commented, “As I look ahead, I believe that how a leader plans for the future matters. One of my most important responsibilities now is to hand the baton to our talented COO Jason Saldanha, who represents the ideal leader for public media both today and tomorrow. I have complete confidence that PRX and our meaningful work will continue to grow.”
Saldanha added, “I’ve had the privilege of a front-row seat to what Kerri has built at PRX, and I’m grateful for her trust in handing me the baton so thoughtfully. In this pivotal moment for all of us — public media and the communities we reach — we’re committed to difference-making content, technology innovation to grow our service, and shared purpose with extraordinary partners. I’m excited by the opportunity ahead and am honored to lead PRX’s next chapter alongside a remarkable team.”
Hoffman joined PRX in 2003 and served on the leadership team for more than two decades, including as CEO beginning in 2016. She played key leadership roles in the debut of such public radio shows as “The Moth Radio Hour.”
Most notably, Hoffman led PRX’s 2018 with Public Radio International (PRI). She currently serves on the board of Public Media Infrastructure, a nonprofit co-founded by PRX to forge public radio’s next era of infrastructure.
“Kerri has served as a transformational leader not only for PRX, but public radio,” said Ashton Peery, chair of PRX’s board of directors. “We have full confidence that with Jason’s leadership, PRX will continue to drive innovation in public media and impact among stations, producers, and listeners everywhere.”
