Linda Larson elected as first female chair of Public Radio International® Board of Directors

Public Radio International (PRI) announces that Linda R. Larson begins a two-year term as newly elected chair of the PRI Board of Directors. Ms. Larson, a partner in the Seattle-based firm of Marten Law Group PLLC, has been a director on the PRI Board since 2001. She supported numerous PRI innovations and groundbreaking partnerships, the most recent being its editorial collaboration with BBC World Service, the "New York Times" and WGBH Radio Boston on "The Takeaway," a pioneering morning-drive news show co-produced by PRI and WNYC Radio.

PRI President and CEO Alisa Miller says, "I'm delighted to be working with Linda. As the first woman to chair our Board, she is part of a major shift in public media leadership. To share the privilege of taking PRI into the future with so insightful and visionary a partner as Linda is an honor."

Of serving as chair, Larson says, "In this time of rapid  systemic change in journalism,  public media is more important than ever to our communities.  It's a privilege to work with PRI as it continues to serve local public radio stations with high quality, distinctive cultural and news programming. The PRI Board and I look forward to helping  PRI and its partners continue to respond creatively and cost-effectively across existing and emerging platforms to the challenges of the digital age." 

Linda Larson is a partner at Marten Law Group with over 25 years of experience in environmental law and land use. Previously, she was a partner with Heller Ehrman in Seattle where she chaired the firm's Northwest environmental practice, managing environmental attorneys in Washington, Oregon and Alaska.

Larson received her J.D. from University of Washington Law School in 1978 and her B.A., magna cum laude, from University of Washington in 1975. After graduating, she served as staff counsel and aide to Sen. Warren Magnuson on the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee. She also served as an attorney with, and special assistant to the deputy administrator of, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

About Public Radio International®
Celebrated as a driver of innovation in public media, PRI was founded in 1983 to diversify and expand the content available on public platforms, enabling U.S. listeners to "hear a different voice™" and to connect with one another and the larger world.

PRI leads by identifying critical but unmet content needs and partnering with producers, stations, digital networks and funders to develop multi-platform resources to meet those needs. By creating an environment in which innovation can thrive, PRI supports the creation and distribution of content that would otherwise be unavailable and that brings new voices, global journalism and cultural perspectives to the American public. PRI content is available on pri.org and via podcasts, and is broadcast on over 824 public radio stations. More than 13 million people access PRI content each week through these sources.

PRI's newest production is "The Takeaway," a groundbreaking morning-drive news show co-produced with WNYC Radio. Its best known programming includes "This American Life," produced by Chicago Public Radio; PRI's "The World," a co-production of BBC World Service, PRI and WGBH Radio Boston; "Living on Earth," produced by World Media Foundation Inc.; "Michael Feldman's Whad'Ya Know?," produced by Wisconsin Public Radio; "The Tavis Smiley Show," produced by Smiley Radio Properties Inc.; and "Studio 360 from PRI and WNYC®," produced by PRI and WNYC; as well as 24-hour program services — "Classical 24®," produced by American Public Media; and BBC World Service, produced by the British Broadcasting Corporation. For more information, visit www.pri.org.

CONTACT: Julia Yager, PRI, 612.330.9231, jyager@pri.org