Presenter: Paula Kerger

Paula Kerger

Paula A. Kerger is president and chief executive officer of PBS, the nation’s largest non-commercial media organization with nearly 350 member stations throughout the country. Having joined PBS in March 2006, Kerger is the longest serving president and CEO in PBS history. Under Kerger’s leadership, PBS has grown its audiences across genres and platforms. PBS has moved from the 15th most-watched network in America to number six in the past decade. Since Kerger’s arrival, PBS has consistently presented high-quality, groundbreaking content that delivers on the founding mission of public television — to educate, inspire and entertain the American people. Among her accomplishments are the pop culture phenomenon Downton Abbey on Masterpiece, Ken Burns’s and Lynn Novick’s critically acclaimed The Vietnam War, the documentary Hamilton’s America about the Broadway smash hit musical, Freedom Riders on American Experience, and award-winning children’s programs such as Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood. In the past year, PBS and its producing partners have been recognized with prestigious honors, including four Peabody Awards, two Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Awards, seven Daytime Emmy Awards and 12 News & Documentary Emmy Awards — more than any other organization.