NEW YORK — The President/CEO of the newly opened Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library in Medora, N.D., has been selected by the Board of Trustees of WNET to succeed Neal Shapiro at the entity that oversees key PBS and NPR homes in the New York Tri-State Area.
He’ll take the role on September 21, with Shapiro readying for retirement at year’s end.
Earning the President/CEO role at The WNET Group, comprised of heritage PBS Brand “THIRTEEN,” WLIW-TV on Long Island, and sibling WLIW-FM 88.3 in Suffolk County, N.Y. Shapiro will become President Emeritus.
Before joining the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library as founding CEO, O’Keefe spent more than 20 years in broadcast and digital media leadership at such organizations as ABC News and CNN.
He is also the author of “The Loves of Theodore Roosevelt: The Women in the Arena,” published in 2024 by Simon & Schuster.
“Ed O’Keefe is the right leader for WNET due to his exceptional combination of nonprofit leadership, editorial excellence, digital innovation, and operational expertise,” said James Attwood, Chairman of the WNET Board of Trustees. “He is uniquely qualified to lead our organization at a pivotal moment for public media. Ed brings the vision, energy, and strategic leadership needed to build on WNET’s extraordinary legacy while positioning the organization for the future.”
O’Keefe said, “Returning to my roots to lead an institution as vital as WNET is a profound honor. Independent public media is uniquely insulated from the commercial pressures squeezing legacy media and streaming, giving us a rare opportunity to innovate and meet audiences wherever they are. Our mission is to tell the stories that need and deserve to be told. Neal Shapiro has built an extraordinary legacy, and I look forward to working closely with him for a smooth and successful transition.”
A former entrepreneurship fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School, O’Keefe graduated with honors from Georgetown University. A native of North Dakota, he lives in New York with his wife, their two children, and a Bernese Mountain dog.
