Who We Are
TPT IS YOUR LOCAL PBS STATION
TPT is one of the preeminent PBS affiliate stations in the country, producing and broadcasting public media programming in the Twin Cities and its surrounding areas.
TPT believes that media is profoundly powerful – shaping how people and communities understand themselves, each other and the world in which we live.
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1955What is now Twin Cities PBS is incorporated as Twin City Area Educational Television -
September 16, 1957KTCA (channel 2) begins broadcasting as the first non-commercial public television station in Minnesota from a WWII-era wooden structure on the University of Minnesota Agricultural Campus -
May 5, 1965A second station, KTCI (channel 17), is launched -
1967KTCA becomes the first educational station in the nation to broadcast in color -
1970Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) founded; KTCA becomes a member station -
1984“Almanac” premieres on KTCA -
1989KTCA moves to Lowertown, St. Paul and into the building that we now occupy -
1994Iconic documentary, “Hoop Dreams” is produced by KTCA -
2000KTCA officially becomes Twin Cities Public Television (TPT) -
2003TPT becomes the first broadcaster in Minnesota (commercial or public) to launch a television channel (TPT HD) fully devoted to high-definition programming -
2005TPT launches the statewide MN Channel public television service -
2010TPT begins capital campaign for strategic station initiatives and building remodel -
2012TPT launches national website, Next Avenue, “where grown-ups keep growing” -
2015TPT’s Lowertown studios undergo a major renovation and Twin Cities Public Television becomes Twin Cities PBS (TPT)
Sylvia Strobel – President & CEO
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Sylvia joined Twin Cities PBS in February of 2020. As the CEO of one of our nation’s foremost PBS stations, she is leading the organization into an exciting new future: expanding TPT’s content, distribution, and funding strategies to take full advantage of 21st century tools, technologies, and consumer interests.
Before joining TPT, Sylvia worked for more than 25 years in the public media industry as an executive and attorney, with positions at ideastream, American Public Media Group, Pennsylvania Public Television Network and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. She began her career in public media in TPT’s legal department. Sylvia has served on numerous national boards and commissions, including the board of NPR, the Alliance for Women in Media, the Association of Junior Leagues International and the FCC’s Advisory Committee for Diversity in the Digital Age. She currently serves on the boards of the Minnesota Humanities Commission and Latino Public Broadcasting. Sylvia received her undergraduate degree in biology from St. Olaf College, a juris doctor from Mitchell|Hamline College of Law and a master’s in business administration from the University of Minnesota Carlson School of Business.
dean orton – senior vice president & chief operating officer
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Dean joined Twin Cities PBS in October of 2016. In his role, Dean oversees the station’s content, marketing, events, corporate and foundation fundraising departments.
Most recently, Dean was Chief Operating Officer at Connecticut Public Broadcasting Network (CPBN). Dean has over twenty years of management experience in public media. At CPBN, he oversaw the branding, engagement, content, technology and education departments. During his tenure, Dean helped rebuild CPBN’s station facilities during the transition to digital broadcasting and expanded its educational mission through the creation of the Learning Lab.
Dean’s previous roles include President and CEO of the Princeton Center for Arts and Education and American Boyschool Choir in Princeton, New Jersey, and Senior Vice President of Development and Media Services at CPBN. Dean was raised in Appleton, Minnesota and is a graduate of Buena Vista University in Iowa.
Jenny Masters-Wolfe – Senior Vice President of Human Resources & Organizational Effectiveness
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Jenny leads the Human Resources Department and all of the employment practice functions within the organization. Prior to TPT, Jenny lived in the Pacific Northwest where she was formerly the Vice President of Human Resources for Restaurants Unlimited. She has worked in numerous business sectors in senior management positions. Her primary focus at TPT is to direct and support the strategic objectives of “creating a great place to work,” by aligning HR strategy and organizational development to our strategic plan. She attended Eastern Washington University where she majored in Science and Psychology.
Jennifer (Jenn) Schmidt – Senior Vice President of Finance & Business Administration
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Jenn oversees Finance, Accounting and Building Services at TPT. Her focus, in addition to providing financial leadership to the management team, is to design and deliver efficient processes related to high quality financial information and TPT’s physical environment. Prior to joining TPT, Jenn held leadership positions in Finance at several Minnesota organizations including Archway Marketing Services, Pearson, Ameriprise, US Bank, and Pillsbury. She earned her degree in Business Administration/Accounting from Augsburg College and is a Certified Management Accountant (CMA).
MELISSA WRIGHT – Senior Vice President & General Counsel
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Melissa leads the Legal, Government Relations, and Compliance responsibilities at TPT. In addition, she serves as TPT’s Corporate Secretary and Executive-in-Charge of TPT’s 2015-2020 Ready to Learn project, funded by the U.S. Department of Education. Through her various roles at TPT, Melissa provides creative solutions and direction on TPT’s initiatives that align with TPT’s mission and strategic plan. Melissa’s prior experience includes, working in experiential learning as the Externship Director at William Mitchell College of Law, Senior Counsel at Wells Fargo Corporation, and Assistant Attorney General at the Minnesota State Attorney General’s Office. She currently is on the Board of Directors of the Schubert Club and is a contributor to the Korean Quarterly. Melissa received her law degree from William Mitchell College of Law and her Bachelor of Arts from St. Olaf College.
Colleen Wilson – Vice President OF DIGITAL PUBLISHING
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Colleen Wilson joined TPT in September 2018 as Vice President of Digital Publishing. Colleen works closely with senior leaders, editorial, business and technology stakeholders, and end users to shape and lead the definition, development, and deployment of TPT products across all digital media platforms. A key focus is TPT’s national digital brands, Next Avenue and Rewire.
Prior to joining TPT, Wilson spent 18 years at PBS and NPR affiliate KQED in San Francisco, where she oversaw strategy, user experience, distribution, KPIs, and revenue chains for KQED’s web properties including blogs, podcasts, mobile applications, and national sites.
In 2015, Wilson co-founded KQED’s innovation lab which, using a design thinking approach, incubates new products and revenue opportunities across emerging platforms. Past ventures include 360 video, digital audience segmentation models, new approaches to membership levels, and the organization’s first Standards and Practices presence directly addressing the decline in trust in news media.
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