Henry Becton, Jr. Director

Vice Chair, Board of Trustees, WGBH Educational Foundation
Boston, MA

Mr. Becton joined WGBH in 1970 as a producer. In 1974 he became Program Manager for Cultural Affairs, and in 1978 he was appointed Vice President and General Manager. He was elected President in 1984. Under his leadership, WGBH became PBS' single most important source of prime-time programming, children's and lifestyle programs, and Web content; a key supplier of programs heard on public radio stations across the country; and a pioneer in media access for people with disabilities. Programs developed or produced during Mr. Becton's tenure at WGBH include American Experience, Antiques Roadshow, Arthur, Between the Lions, Curious George, Fetch! with Ruff Ruffman, Greater Boston, Masterpiece Theatre, Frontline, Mystery!, This Old House, The New Yankee Workshop, Nova, The Victory Garden, and Simply Ming, as well as radio's The World and Sound & Spirit.

A former member of the PBS Board of Directors and a founding director of American Documentary, Inc. (the independent production company that produces the PBS series POV), Mr. Becton is a Director of the Association of Public Television Stations (APTS), Public Radio International (PRI), the Public Radio Exchange (PRX), and the PBS Foundation, and a former member of the Board of Governors of the Banff International Television Foundation. He is a Trustee of the Boston Museum of Science, a Director of the North Bennet Street School, and an Overseer of the New England Aquarium.