The parent organization of the PBS and NPR Member stations serving Florida’s First Coast and Brunswick, Ga., to its north, has selected its next President/CEO. She’ll begin her new role on August 31 and is an “accomplished leader with deep ties” to WJCT-TV and WJCT-FM in Jacksonville.
Earning the role at WJCT Public Media is Karen Feagins.
She’s deeply familiar with the organization, and held leadership positions with increasing responsibilities between 2005 and 2018. Feagins began at WJCT as a daily news reporter and host for the FM’s station’s local “Morning Edition” segments. She ultimately rose to COO before leaving to become the first Client and Community Relations Director for North Florida at PNC Bank.
Even in that role, Feagins retained ties to WJCT Public Media, serving for seven years on the Board of Trustees while volunteering during on-air pledge drives.
Upon Feagins’ return, Geri Cirillo — who has served WJCT as Interim President and CEO since April 2026 — will resume her previous responsibilities as Sr. VP/Chief Operating Officer.
“Karen represents exactly what we were looking for as the next leader for WJCT Public Media,” said Bill Hendrich, Chair of the WJCT Public Media Board of Trustees and chair of WJCT’s executive search committee. “She is a talented executive who has a passion for public media and serving the community in which she lives. Her career path provides great insight into the needs of all the communities that make up WJCT’s service area. I am excited to welcome her back as our new President and CEO.”
Feagins’ resume also includes stops at KOMU-TV in Columbia, Mo.; WZVN-TV in Fort Myers-Naples; and WJXT “News4Jax” in Jacksonville.
She commented, “Public media provides a vital service to this community, and my goal is to build on WJCT’s incredible momentum so more people can experience the value of public media in their daily lives. I have always been inspired by the passion and dedication of the people at WJCT and their commitment to serving our community. The perspective I’ve gained from the private sector will help us continue to innovate to best serve our audiences, while remaining rooted in the principles of public media. I’m overjoyed to return to WJCT, an organization that shaped my personal and professional life in countless ways.”
