ARLINGTON, VA; AUGUST 10, 2021— PBS announced today that Cecilia Loving will join the organization as the Senior Vice President of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI). Reporting directly to President and CEO Paula Kerger, Loving will develop organizational strategy, provide ongoing advice and counsel, and cultivate future partnerships for PBS.
As an integral member of PBS’s senior leadership team, Loving will identify opportunities to build on PBS’s internal commitment to DEI and collaborate across departments to evaluate current business practices. She will also work with the public television system to support stations’ ongoing efforts around DEI.
“Cecilia is an accomplished leader who has extensive experience driving inclusive and equitable strategies,” said Kerger. “As a system that serves every person in every community, reflecting the full range of the American experience is central to the mission of public television, and Cecilia will play an integral role in deepening our longstanding commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion.”
Loving comes to PBS from the New York City Fire Department (FDNY), where she served as Deputy Commissioner, Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer for the FDNY’s more than 17,000 members. She previously worked as a Law Enforcement Bureau Attorney and EEO Counselor for NYC’s Commission on Human Rights, as well as a litigator at Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler LLP, Kramer Levin, and the Legal Aid Society. Loving chaired the Board of Directors for the Practicing Attorneys for Law Students, Inc., one of the first diversity and inclusion organization in the legal profession. She was also co-founder and Chair of the NYC Bar Association’s first Committee on Mindfulness and Well-Being in the Law.
"PBS is one of the most trusted institutions in America, impacting people of all ethnicities, ages, and other demographics. My goal is to build upon PBS’s strong foundation through transparency, trust, and ongoing collaboration with employees and key stakeholders across the public media system,” said Loving.
In addition to obtaining her JD from NYU School of Law, Cecilia obtained her BFA from Howard University, MFA from UCLA and MDiv from NY Theological Seminary. She is certified in Diversity and Inclusion by Yale and Cornell Universities, Restorative Circle Keeping by Planning Change, Walking in Balance with a Racial Justice Lens by Strong Oak Lefebvre, and Courageous Conversations by the Winters Group.
She is a winner of the National Diversity Council’s 2021 Top 100 Diversity Officers Award; the New York City Department of Citywide Administrative Services’ 2021 Innovation Award for FDNY’s Inclusive Culture Strategy; Lawline’s Top Women Faculty of 2020 Award; the City Bar Association’s 2020 Diversity and Inclusion Champion Award; and ABC News’ First Responder Friday Award. She is author of several books, including The Power of Inclusion; Good Medicine; Unbroken Circles; God is a Brown Girl Too; Prayers for Those Standing on the Edge of Greatness; and Ten Laws of Unlimited Success.
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’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 for digital content and services that help bring classroom lessons to life. Decades of research confirms that PBS’s 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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