In November, we reported on Depelsha McGruder’s new position as chief operating officer at New York Public Radio.
“With a background in strategy, programming, audience development and organizational culture and change, Depelsha possesses extraordinary breadth, versatility and experience,” NYPR President and CEO Laura Walker said at the time. “At a moment when audio is exploding, local news is shrinking, audiences are fracturing and digital platforms are shifting rapidly, she is the right person to smartly guide our strategic plans and strengthen our internal culture while fulfilling our mission of producing trusted journalism, serving a broad audience, amplifying new voices, and creating a best in class workplace. I’m thrilled to welcome Depelsha to New York Public Radio.”
Now, McGruder’s been named interim CEO.
“Depelsha joined as COO in late October, and the Board has been impressed by how quickly she hit the ground running,” May Stuntz, chair of the board of trustees, said in a note to staff with the news. “We appreciate her stepping up to lead our organization over the coming months.”
Prior to joining NYPR, she worked for Viacom for 17 years, and held leadership roles at both MTV and BET. She launched the video-on-demand, broadband and mobile businesses for MTV. She also led the launch of two Viacom cable TV networks designed to superserve diverse audiences — MTV Tr3s for US Latino youth and Centric for African-American adults — creating the branding, programming, distribution, sales and partnership strategies.
A 2011 Network Journal 40 Under Forty honoree, McGruder holds a B.A. from Howard University and an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School. She is the founder and president of Moms of Black Boys United, Inc.
