WASHINGTON – January 5, 2011 – The Association of Public Television Stations (APTS) announced today the promotion of Lonna Thompson to Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer.
Since April 1, 2010, Lonna was serving in the role of Interim President and CEO of APTS. In her expanded role as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, Lonna will oversee the day-to-day management of the Association’s operational functions and the corporate activities of APTS and APTS Action, Inc. She will also continue in her role as General Counsel, managing the legal affairs of the organization. Her new position is effective immediately.
“Lonna’s extensive experience has been an invaluable asset to APTS and public television stations for the past 16 years,” said APTS President and CEO Patrick Butler. “We are delighted that she will continue to advance the mission of public television in this expanded role.”
Thompson has also been instrumental in negotiating several national carriage agreements with satellite companies, cable companies and telecommunications carriers. She has also managed local public television stations’ national portfolio of issues before the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) and other federal agencies.
“Our stations provide critical life-long learning opportunities and unique educational and cultural content and services,” said Thompson. “I am proud to be a part of this community.”
In addition to her work with APTS, Thompson serves on the Federal Communications Commission’s Communications Security, Reliability and Interoperability Council, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting’s (CPB) Community Service Grant Review Committee, the CPB Digital Funding Advisory Committee and the PBS Interconnection Committee.
Lonna holds a J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center, an M.A. in Communications Studies from the University of Massachusetts in Amherst and a B.A in English from Lebanon Valley College in Pennsylvania.
About APTS
The Association of Public Television Stations (APTS) is a nonprofit membership organization established in 1979. The mission of APTS is to conduct – in concert with member stations – advocacy, planning, research and communications activities in order to achieve strong and financially sound noncommercial television and advanced digital services for the American people. APTS provides consistent leadership and information that helps our members better accomplish their own missions and goals. APTS promotes the legislative and regulatory interests of noncommercial television stations at the national level through direct advocacy, and grasstops and grassroots campaigns designed to garner congressional support. For more information, visit www.apts.org.
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