The WFAE Board of Directors announced Tuesday that Ju-Don E. Marshall has been named the organization’s new president and chief executive officer. A six-year veteran at WFAE, Marshall was most recently its executive vice president and chief content officer.
Marshall brings a rare depth and breadth of experience in journalism and organizational leadership to her new role, having held editorial and executive positions across a wide range of national and local media platforms. She is a recipient of Harvard University’s prestigious Nieman Fellowship and formerly held several roles with The Washington Post, most recently as Managing Editor of Washington Post Digital.
At WFAE, Marshall helped lead ongoing innovation and expansion of the newsroom and editorial content. This includes the introduction of added on-air and online award-winning coverage, highly successful podcasts, and topic-focused newsletters. These additions have helped transform WFAE, the region’s leading National Public Radio (NPR) affiliate, into a trusted, multi-media source for local, national and international news and commentary.
“The Board of Directors voted unanimously to elevate Ju-Don to CEO based on her performance to date at WFAE, her vision for its future and her national reputation,” said WFAE Board Chair Chris Cicoletti.
“WFAE and our community are extraordinarily fortunate to have a leader like Ju-Don, who is so deeply committed to telling the stories that need to be told,” he said. “Ju-Don is nationally recognized and highly sought after for her excellence, vision and passion. Given the growing portfolio of program offerings from NPR and other national platforms, the Board is delighted about what’s ahead for WFAE and its role in our region.”
Marshall, the first person of color to lead WFAE, succeeds former CEO Joe O’Connor, who stepped down earlier this spring after leading the station through seven years of ongoing improvements and innovation. Together, Marshall and O’Connor broadened the organization’s revenue base and value to its underwriters.
“Ju-Don is a journalist’s journalist, but she is also a strategic thinker who has successfully led the business side of various news organizations, from start-ups to turnarounds to mature platforms needing fresh ideas,” said Search Committee Chair Kris Shepard. “She is a mission-driven leader whom we’re eager for more of our supporters, community leaders, news sources and everyday listeners to get to know.”
Industry leaders applauded news of Marshall’s promotion.
“She was made for a leadership role like this,’’ said Jim Brady, vice president of journalism at the Knight Foundation, one of the nation’s largest nonprofits that supports local media ventures. “I’m thrilled that Charlotte will continue to benefit from her smarts, leadership and wisdom.”
Charles Thomas, director of the Knight Foundation’s Charlotte office, agreed. “Ju-Don is a demonstrated leader in both the business and newsrooms of journalism,’’ he said. “She's been an amazing asset to Charlotte's local news ecosystem providing both internal and external leadership at WFAE and in the Charlotte community. We at the Knight Foundation are thrilled by her selection and advancement in senior leadership at WFAE.’’
After concentrating most of her recent energy on news, Marshall said she looks forward to continuing to coach and develop WFAE staffers across functions and at every level of the organization.
“I believe in setting people up for success,” she said. “I think of WFAE as small but mighty. As our country experiences ongoing decline in local news outlets and coverage, I am proud of how we are helping our listeners and readers get the information they need to be better citizens. That is the role of public media — to pull more people in rather than push them out. The stronger WFAE is as a trusted news platform, the better our city and region will be.”
Marshall’s efforts, including her development of an innovative “Race and Equity Desk’’ of community-based reporters, have drawn plaudits from media watchers across the country.
“Ju-Don Marshall has long been a leader and innovator in journalism,’’ said Jeff Jarvis, professor at CUNY's Newmark School of Journalism and author of The Gutenberg Parenthesis. “It is hard to imagine a better candidate to lead the important work at the station.’’
Steven Waldman, co-founder of Report for America and CEO and founder of Rebuild Local News, echoed those sentiments.
“There are few leaders who are more respected in the field of local news more than Ju-Don Marshall,’’ he said. “She’s got a rare combination of creative vision and practical management skills — appreciation for traditional values and also a love of innovation.’’
A native of Hollywood, South Carolina, and a former copy editor at The Charlotte Observer, Marshall graduated from Howard University in Washington D.C.
Her most recent honors include being named to the 2023 “Great 28” list of Black Charlotteans shaping Charlotte and the 2022 Business North Carolina Power List of “Most Influential.” Her work as executive editor of Beliefnet/News Corporation helped earn a 2010 Webby Award for Best Religion Website. She helped lead The Washington Post’s Pulitzer Prize-winning coverage of the Virginia Tech shootings and won other awards for coverage, including for the Washington-area sniper attacks and the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Marshall serves on several boards of nonprofit organizations supporting the advancement of local news.
Elizabeth Hansen Shapiro and Marc Hand of the National Trust for Local News said:
“Ju-Don is an exceptional leader not just in public media but in the wider field of local journalism. Her wisdom, vision, and commitment to community and public service will ensure WFAE becomes an even more vital part of the local news ecosystem in Charlotte and beyond.”
ABOUT WFAE
WFAE is one of the most trusted sources for award-winning local journalism for the Charlotte region. WFAE reaches more than 500,000 listeners and users each month and offers award-winning local, regional, national and international news from WFAE's newsroom, NPR, the BBC and others. WFAE produces a weekday signature talk show, "Charlotte Talks," hosted by radio veteran Mike Collins as well as podcasts such as SouthBound, hosted by Tommy Tomlinson. WFAE is an independent, nonprofit organization, licensed to the University Radio Foundation Inc., with a growing digital audience at www.wfae.org as well as frequencies in Charlotte (90.7 FM), Hickory (90.3 FM), Laurinburg (106.1 FM) and Southern Pines (93.7 FM).