Kerry Swanson hired as KUOW’s first Chief Operating Officer

December 23, 2022

Seattle, WA -- KUOW is excited to announce that Kerry Swanson will be the station's first Chief Operating Officer (COO). Swanson began work with KUOW in January 2022 on a year-long project appointment to assist General Manager Caryn Mathes with the research and creation of a COO position. He will officially begin his duties as COO on January 3, 2023.

Swanson brings to KUOW extensive experience as a leader in public media. Most recently, he served as Station Manager at Northwest Public Broadcasting. His station credits also include WABE in Atlanta and KPLU (now KNKX), and he served for six years on NPR’s board of directors.

In his role as COO, Swanson will take over management of KUOW departments overseeing finance administration, administrative operations, broadcast operations, and IT systems.

“Kerry is a deeply experienced media professional and leader, with a 38-year background that runs the gamut of on-air talent, production, traffic and operations management, director of new media trailblazing monetized streaming services, director of development, a COO and a GM multiple times,” said Mathes. “Kerry’s references all spoke highly of his strategic sensibilities, his dedication to DEIA work, and his ability to “figure it all out” even when the challenge or opportunity is amorphous or novel.”

Please join us in congratulating Kerry on his new role at KUOW.

CONTACT

Michaela Gianotti Boyle // michaela@kuow.org

ABOUT KUOW

KUOW Puget Sound Public Radio is Seattle’s NPR news station. We are an independent, nonprofit news organization that produces award-winning journalism, innovative podcasts, engaging community events and more.

Our work is about truth. We were founded with the idea that everyone should have free access to honest, fact-checked information — as well as stories that broaden conversations and deepen understanding of the world around us. We work every day in service of our mission to create and serve a more informed public, because we believe an informed public is essential to a thriving community, a vibrant democracy, and a better future.