Boston public media producer WGBH President Jonathan Abbott announced the appointment of public relations and strategic marketing executive Tina Cassidy to serve as the Boston public media producer’s Chief Marketing Officer. Cassidy comes to WGBH with more than two decades of experience in communications, including a decade as a journalist at the Boston Globe.
“This an exciting time in the media industry as audiences change how they view and listen to content. I’m confident that Tina’s experience as a journalist, public relations thought leader and executive in an entrepreneurial environment will help drive greater innovation in creating awareness and strengthening engagement with the vital work we do at WGBH,” said Abbott.
Cassidy will lead WGBH’s marketing, communications and public relations efforts, which includes responsibility for local and national marketing, institutional branding, events strategy, creative and design services, station relations and audience and media research.
“I am a native New Englander who grew up with WGBH. Its educational programming helped shape who I am and instilled a love for this brand, which I am so honored to now be a part of,” Cassidy said. “The way we tell stories and connect with audiences is evolving rapidly with new technology, shifting demographics and consumer preferences, all of which creates new opportunities for extending the reach of this organization at a time when trusted content has never been more important.”
Before joining WGBH, Cassidy was the executive vice president and chief content officer at InkHouse, where she helped grow the innovative bi-coastal integrated digital marketing and public relations agency through new geographical markets, sectors and service offerings while supporting an inclusive work environment and award-winning client campaigns. Cassidy was also a journalist with a wide-range of experience as a reporter and editor, primarily at the Boston Globe. She is the author of several nonfiction books that focus on women and culture. Her latest is Mr. President How Long Must We Wait?: Alice Paul, Woodrow Wilson and the Fight for the Right to Vote.
In addition, Ann M. Fudge, the former chair and CEO of global marketing communications companies Young & Rubicam Brands, has been elected Chair of the Board of Trustees for WGBH. At the March 6 meeting, the board also elected Marcia Blenko, Mohamad Ali and Carmichael Roberts as trustees.
Fudge succeeds Rick Burnes, who is stepping down after nine years of service on the board, the past five as chair. He will become Chair Emeritus.
“We are extremely fortunate to have this extraordinary group of civic and business leaders join with WGBH to advance our educational public media mission,” said Abbott. “Ann Fudge is a widely respected leader whose depth of experience across corporate and creative organizations makes her ideally suited to help WGBH navigate the opportunities in the changing future of media.”
Fudge joined the WGBH Board of Trustees in 2015 and was elected Vice Chair in 2018. In addition to her executive roles at Young & Rubicam, she has led divisions at Kraft Foods and General Mills. She serves on the boards of Novartis and Northrop Grumman, chairs the U.S. Programs Advisory Board of the Gates Foundation, is Senior Trustee of the Brookings Institution, and past trustee at Morehouse College.
“I am honored to take on this role and to build on the work of Rick Burnes to further the mission and vision of WGBH,” said Fudge. “WGBH is truly the gold standard of public broadcasting — a beacon of outstanding creativity and innovative technology, a media organization uniquely committed to serving its audiences. I am excited to help contribute to its continued success and look forward to working with the tremendous talent that makes WGBH so special.”
Marcia Blenko served as chair of the WGBH Board of Overseers and in that capacity has been an ex officio member of the WGBH Board of Trustees since 2016. She is an Advisory Partner at Bain & Company, where she co-founded and led the firm’s global organization practice and co-authored the book Decide & Deliver: Five Steps to Breakthrough Performance in your Organization. She also serves on the boards of Education Resource Strategies and The World Wide Web Foundation.
Mohamad Ali is the CEO and President of Carbonite, a leading data protection company. He previously served as Chief Strategy Officer at Hewlett-Packard, and Vice President at IBM. He serves on the boards of Oxfam America and iRobot Corporation.
Carmichael Roberts is the founding partner of Material Impact, a General Partner at North Bridge Venture Partners and a senior member of Breakthrough Energy Ventures. He previously worked in business development at GelTex Pharmaceuticals and at Sentry Products, a life science venture wholly owned by Union Carbide Corporation. He is a trustee of Duke University.
