APTS Appoints Lonna Thompson as Interim President and CEO
WASHINGTON — April 1, 2010 — The Association of Public Television Stations (APTS) Board of Trustees has appointed Lonna Thompson as their Interim President and CEO, effective April 1, 2010. In her role as Interim President and CEO, Thompson will be responsible for overseeing the legislative, regulatory and communication functions of the Association.
Prior to being appointed Interim President and CEO, Thompson served as Executive Vice President and General Counsel for APTS. Thompson will continue in this role, overseeing the operational and legal affairs of the Association, as well as representing member stations' interests in regulatory proceedings. Thompson, who has been with APTS for 16 years, also serves as liaison to the APTS Board of Trustees. Thompson currently serves on the Federal Communications Commission's Communications Security, Reliability and Interoperability Council, the National Communications Sector Coordinating Council, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting's (CPB) Community Service Grant Review Committee, the CPB Digital Funding Advisory Committee, the PBS Interconnection Committee, and the Open Mobile Video Coalition; and represents APTS in the Public Television Affinity Group Coalition.
Before joining APTS, Thompson was a communications lawyer in private practice for 10 years. While in private practice, she represented broadcast and public safety clients. Thompson received her JD degree from the Georgetown University Law Center. She also received a master's degree in Communications Studies from the University of Massachusetts in Amherst and a bachelor's degree in English from Lebanon Valley College in Pennsylvania.
Patrick Butler, a member of the APTS Board of Trustees, will provide counsel to the Association on the National Broadband Plan, regulatory issues and other work with the Federal Communications Commission. Butler also serves as Chairman of the Maryland Public Television Foundation and is a consultant to The Washington Post Company where he previously served as Senior Vice President.
The APTS Board of Trustees plans to engage in a consulting agreement with John Lawson, through his newly re-launched firm Convergence Services. In his consulting role, Lawson will advise APTS on legislative issues, including appropriations and education. Lawson served as President and CEO of APTS for seven years from 2001-2008, before joining ION MEDIA Networks as Executive Vice President of Policy and Strategic Initiatives.
Rod Bates, Chairman of the APTS Board of Trustees said, "I am pleased that Lonna has agreed to serve as our interim President and CEO. She is uniquely qualified, has years of experience with the Association, and enjoys the trust of the staff and our members. Adding John Lawson to support our legislative issues and Pat Butler to support our regulatory matters will strengthen APTS during this important transitional period."
Thompson said, "I am honored to serve as the interim leader of APTS during this important time in public broadcasting. I look forward to continuing to work with our dedicated staff, committed Board, member stations and the other national organizations to collectively address the critical issues facing the public broadcasting community."
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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