Black women are continuing to make waves in the realm of media. Just weeks after it was announced that Lindsay Peoples Wagner was named the new editor in chief of Teen Vogue, another African American woman has landed a major role at a top media company. Depelsha McGruder has been appointed Chief Operating Officer of New York Public Radio.
In her new position, McGruder will be responsible for leading the internal culture at NYPR. She will oversee the human resources, legal and IT departments and will also be instrumental in strategic planning and establishing the direction for the company’s digital platforms. Prior to taking on this new role, McGruder spent nearly two decades at Viacom where she worked for both MTV and BET. During her tenure at Viacom, she led the launch of both the MTV Tres and Centric networks and oversaw several departments including digital and social media, strategy and operations, programming, finance, legal, human resources and others.
Outside of her work in media McGruder—who is a Howard University alumna—has led several philanthropic efforts. She founded the organizations Moms of Black Boys United, Inc. and M.O.B.B. United for Social Change, Inc. to spread awareness about police brutality and overcome the negative perceptions about Black men and boys.
Leaders at New York Public Radio are excited to bring McGruder on board. “With a background in strategy, programming, audience development and organizational culture and change, Depelsha possesses extraordinary breadth, versatility and experience,” Laura Walker, CEO and President, NYPR, said in a statement. “At a moment when audio is exploding, local news is shrinking, audiences are fracturing and digital platforms are shifting rapidly, she is the right person to smartly guide our strategic plans and strengthen our internal culture while fulfilling our mission of producing trusted journalism, serving a broad audience, amplifying new voices, and creating a best in class workplace.”
McGruder says working at NYPR will be a full-circle experience for her. “I began my professional career as a local broadcast journalist, so joining NYPR feels like coming home. I am in awe of the stellar content the team produces, and look forward to finding ways to amplify the impact of this great institution,” she said.
McGruder is slated to start her role on October 29.
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#BlackExcellence: Media Executive Depelsha McGruder Named Chief Operating Officer Of New York Public Radio was originally published on newsone.com
