A day after Gary Knell was named CEO of NPR the Board of Trustees of Sesame Workshop named H. Melvin Ming as his successor there. Ming will move up from COO to President and CEO of Sesame Workshop effective October 10th.
As it happens, Ming was once VP of finance and administration at NPR, but since then he has been CFO of Thirteen/WNET New York, COO of WQED Pittsburgh and, immediately before joining Sesame Workshop, CFO of the Museum of Television and Radio in New York.
Ming joined the Workshop in 1999 as Chief Financial Officer and was named Chief Operating Officer in 2002. With his promotion to CEO “Ming will lead the nonprofit educational organization in its mission to create innovative, engaging content that maximizes the educational power of media to help children reach their highest potential,” the announcement stated.
“Mel is a tireless champion of our work here and around the world and he will continue to bring his passion and leadership to his new role,” said Vincent Mai, Chairman of the Board of Trustees. “Over the past twelve years, Mel has been a great partner to Gary Knell and we are fortunate to have him step into the role of CEO.”
“I’m humbled and honored to take over the reins of this organization that I am so proud to be a part of. We are in great shape, and I look forward to continuing our mission driven work,” said Ming.
While Ming’s career has been focused on educational broadcasting, he is involved in commercial radio as well, serving on the board of directors at Westwood One. He is also a director of First Children’s Finance.
