ARLINGTON, VA; June 10, 2025 — Today, PBS President and CEO Paula Kerger announced that Susan Goldberg, President and CEO of GBH, and Bob Culkeen, President and CEO of WTCI, were elected to serve as Professional Directors on the PBS Board, filling two vacancies.
“The PBS Board of Directors is critical to helping PBS provide essential programming and service to the American people,” said Kerger. “We welcome these new directors to the board who will bring their range of experiences to assist PBS in supporting stations as they meet the needs of communities across the country.”
The 27-person PBS Board includes both Professional Directors, who are station leaders, and General Directors, who serve as lay members of the Board. PBS member stations elect Professional Directors. The General Directors are elected by the entire Board, as are the PBS President and the Board officers.
Biographical Information
Susan Goldberg
Susan Goldberg is President and Chief Executive Officer of GBH, the public media organization based in Boston that is the largest producer of multiplatform content for PBS, and partner to NPR and PRX.
Prior to assuming that role in 2022, she was Editor in Chief and Editorial Director of National Geographic, where she led the magazine to 11 National Magazine Awards, among other honors, over eight years. She was the Editor of The (Cleveland) Plain Dealer, the Executive Editor of the San Jose Mercury News, and has held editorial positions at Bloomberg News, USA Today, the Detroit Free Press and the Seattle Post Intelligencer. She was among the leaders of reporting honored with the 1990 Pulitzer Prize for General News Reporting at the Mercury News, and has led work that was a finalist for the Pulitzer seven other times.
A six-time juror for the Pulitzer Prize, Goldberg is board president of the National Museum of Women in the Arts and a board member of the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press. Goldberg holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Michigan State University.
Bob Culkeen
Bob Culkeen is President and CEO of WTCI, the Greater Chattanooga Public Television Station (TN). Prior to his role at WTCI, he served as the General Manager and Executive Director of the WSRE-TV Foundation, the Pensacola, Florida PBS Member Station licensed to Pensacola State College. Culkeen’s career in public media also includes positions at Illinois Public Media in Champaign, IL; WJCT in Jacksonville, FL; and WUFT in Gainesville, FL.
In addition to his work in public television, Culkeen also held positions of Assistant Director of Video Service and Distance Learning at Westfield State University (MA), adjunct professor at Florida State College Jacksonville (FL), and visiting instructor at American International College in Springfield (MA).
Bob’s commitment to the public media industry is further demonstrated by his service as Vice Chair of the PBS Small Station Association, and he also serves on the PBS Affinity Group Coalition. Among other past board roles, Bob served as an Executive Board member of The Programming Service, Executive Board member of the Florida Public Media, Executive Board Member of the Illinois Public Broadcast Council, and served on the Board of the University Station Alliance. Bob was a founding member of the Digital Convergence Alliance (FL).
Culkeen is active in the Chattanooga Rotary Club, Chattanooga Chamber of Commerce, and serves on the Bessie Smith Cultural Center and Museum Board of Directors. Bob has been civically involved in the communities where he has lived.
Culkeen holds an M.Ed. from Westfield State University (MA), a B.S. from Fitchburg State University (MA), and an A.S. from Grahm Junior College (MA).
About PBS
PBS, with more than 330 member stations, offers all Americans the opportunity to explore new ideas and new worlds through television and digital content. Each month, PBS reaches over 36 million adults on linear primetime television, more than 16 million users on PBS-owned streaming platforms, 53 million viewers on YouTube, and 60 million people view PBS content on social media, inviting them to experience the worlds of science, history, nature, and public affairs and to take front-row seats to world-class drama and performances. PBS’s broad array of programs has been consistently honored by the industry’s most coveted award competitions. Teachers of children from pre-K through 12th grade turn to PBS LearningMedia for digital content and services that help bring classroom lessons to life. As he number one educational media brand, PBS KIDS helps children 2-8 build critical skills, enabling them to find success in school and life. Delivered through member stations, PBS KIDS offers high-quality content on TV — including a PBS KIDS channel — and streaming free on pbskids.organd the PBS KIDS Video app, games on the PBS KIDS Games app, and in communities across America. More information about PBS is available at PBS.org, one of the leading dot-org websites on the internet, Facebook, Instagram, or through our apps for mobile and connected devices. Specific program information and updates for press are available at pbs.org/pressroom or by following PBS Communications on X.