ARLINGTON, VA; May 12, 2021 – The Daniel K. Miller Award recognizes managers in the public media system whose leadership, vision, courage and commitment to the mission of public media have inspired their colleagues and created a lasting impact in their communities. PBS President and CEO Paula Kerger presented the award virtually today at the organization’s annual gathering of member stations. Recipients include:
Jim Pagliarini, Twin Cities Public Television President and CEO, retired (2020 recipient)
Tom Axtell, Vegas PBS General Manager, retired (2021 recipient)
Don Boswell, Buffalo Toronto Public Media President and CEO (2021 recipient)
“We are thrilled to honor Jim Pagliarini, Tom Axtell and Don Boswell for their extraordinary contributions to public television,” said Kerger. “Jim, Tom and Don have each shared a bold vision, a deep commitment to illuminating important issues, and a passion for community engagement that will serve as a lasting legacy within the public media system.”
The Daniel K. Miller Station Leadership Award is named in honor of Dan Miller, a longtime executive director and general manager of Iowa Public Television who passed away in February 2018. Receiving the inaugural PBS Station Leadership Award in 2016, Miller was recognized for his outstanding contributions to public media as a leader at the local level as well as across the system as a whole. Previous honorees include former executive director of Arkansas Educational Television Network Allen Weatherly (2017), Wisconsin Public Media director Malcom Brett (2018) and former President and Chief Executive Officer of Nine Network of Public Media Jack Galmiche (2019).
About Jim Pagliarini
Throughout his nearly 40 years in public media, Pagliarini has been a leading voice in the areas of innovation, strategic planning and local service. At TPT, he led the development of Next Avenue, digital platform for content focused on adults ages 50 or older; Rewire, the companion digital journalism effort for millennials; and The Minnesota Channel, which serves as a treasured statewide asset for local viewpoints and storytelling. In 2019, under Pagliarini’s leadership, TPT completed a $40 million capital campaign for new programs and services, which included a full renovation of TPT’s offices into a modern model for community-based gathering.
Pagliarini has served two terms on the PBS Board of Directors, where he chaired the Station Services Committee and the Strategic Planning Advisory Group. He has also contributed to numerous national task forces that explored, refined and redefined the business of public television. He served on the Corporation for Public Broadcasting's (CPB) Television Policy Committee and on CPB's Digital Funding and Digital Rights Task Force. Pagliarini is a past Chairman of the Pacific Mountain Network's Board of Directors, past President of the Nevada Broadcasters Association, and served a two-year term as the National Coordinator of public television's Small Station Association.
About Tom Axtell
Axtell has worked in public broadcasting for over four decades in Minneapolis/St Paul, Fargo, Spokane, Milwaukee, and Las Vegas. From 1994-2020, he served as General Manager of Vegas PBS and led the station to focus extensively on K-12 educational services and workforce training to meet the needs of rapid population and business growth in Las Vegas. He expanded local production with weekly series like Outdoor Nevada and Nevada Week, as well as statewide election debates, legislative coverage, and historical documentaries. Axtell sought to engage Vegas PBS as a key communications and information partner for many Southern Nevada nonprofit, education, public safety, veterans, and economic development organizations through shared community engagement events linked to television programming.
Axtell led a $71 million capital campaign to construct the Vegas PBS Educational Technology Campus and acquire high-definition television production and transmission equipment. The building was the first LEED Gold broadcast facility in North America, first broadcast facility to incorporate the FCC’s post 9-11 Media Security and Reliability recommendations, and first Las Vegas educational facility to meet the EPA indoor Clean Air Act standards for children. He also partnered with PBS and over 70 private companies to showcase innovative uses of digital spectrum during the Consumer Electronics Show, National Association of Broadcasters and other conventions leading to the development of entrepreneurial revenue streams for the industry.
Axtell was elected to serve on the national PBS Board of Directors for 12 years and co-chaired task forces or committees that helped revise PBS approaches to K-12 education services, Board Governance, Funding the Future, and interconnection infrastructure. He is a past president of the Las Vegas Rotary Club and has served on numerous local nonprofit boards. He received the Pillar of Public Broadcasting Award from America’s Public Television’s Stations in 2019 for the station’s work in education, public safety and civic leadership.
About Don Boswell
Boswell has been working in public broadcasting for 53 years, having held positions with WQED in Pittsburgh; North Texas Public Broadcasting Inc. in Dallas; KCTS in Seattle; and WVIA-TV/FM in Pittston, Pennsylvania prior to joining Buffalo Toronto Public Media in January of 1998 as President and CEO.
In his tenure at Buffalo Toronto Public Media, which includes three television stations (WNED PBS, WNED Create and WNED PBS KIDS) and three radio stations (WBFO Buffalo’s NPR station, WNED Classical and WBFO JazzWorks), Boswell has raised the organization’s presence in Canada, enhanced its financial stability with the establishment of a $27 million endowment, as well as created the Buffalo/Niagara Guitar Festival and the JoAnn Falletta International Guitar Concerto Competition.
Under his leadership, the organization has grown its partnerships with other area cultural institutions, such as the Chautauqua Institution, Shaw Festival, Mirvish Productions, Toronto International Film Festival and the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra. Boswell also raised the station’s national profile with major primetime documentary and historical programs, including The Warrior Tradition, Understanding the Opioid Epidemic, Frederick Law Olmsted: Designing America, The War of 1812, Underground Railroad and Klondike Gold Rush.
The Pittsburgh native is the recipient of numerous PBS professional awards and five national program Emmy Awards. Boswell has held several leadership roles within public broadcasting organizations, including as Vice Chair of the PBS Board and Chair of American Public Television (APT). He has also served on the PBS Foundation Board and Foundation Endowment Fund Committee.
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 120 million people through television and 26 million people online, inviting them to experience the worlds of science, history, nature and public affairs; to hear diverse viewpoints; and to take front row seats to world-class drama and performances. PBS’ 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 for digital content and services that help bring classroom lessons to life. Decades of research confirms that PBS’ premier children’s media service, PBS KIDS, helps children build critical literacy, math and social-emotional skills, enabling them to find success in school and life. Delivered through member stations, PBS KIDS offers high-quality educational content on TV – including a 24/7 channel, online at pbskids.org, via an array of mobile apps and in communities across America. More information about PBS is available at www.pbs.org, one of the leading dot-org websites on the internet, or by following PBS on Twitter, Facebook 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 Twitter.
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