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2015: Women in Public Media


Politics and Media

Women in Public Media

February 9 – 10, 2015
Trone Student Center, Furman University

To listen to Highlights from "Women in Public Media," click here.

Women in Public Media was presented by the Riley Institute at Furman, the Furman Department of Political Science, and South Carolina ETV.

The two-day symposium and campus activities featured the honorable Patricia S. Harrison, president and CEO of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB); Paula Kerger, president and CEO of Public Broadcasting Service (PBS); Jennifer Lawson, senior vice president for Television and Digital Video Content, CPB; and Linda O'Bryon, president and CEO of South Carolina ETV. To view all participant biographies, click here.

To view Day Two of the symposium, click on the video below. 

Photo Gallery: 

Highlights of their visit to Furman

All participants enjoyed:

  • Lunch hosted by the ETV Endowment
  • Dinner with Secretary Riley and the Hollingsworth and Townes scholars, where they shared experiences and ideas with the scholars.
  • Hollingsworth and Townes Scholars' perspective of the dinner shared with speakers: 

I had the honor of sitting with Secretary Riley, so I was pretty much star struck the entire time.
He is so kind and so humble, especially considering everything he has accomplished.
Nicole Hyman

I had a great time at the dinner! As a young women interested in the cross sector of media and politics,
it was an honor to spend time speaking with such accomplished women. I was so impressed at how interested they were in hearing about us and asking us questions... you would think that at a dinner like
it, it would be completely centered on them. I left feeling inspired and confident about my future!
Amanda Gonzalez

  • Enjoyed "Pizza and Media" lunch and conversation with Furman students

Individually, participants enjoyed additional interactions with students and faculty:

  • Paula Kerger spoke to business majors about careers in the non-profit business world
  • Linda O'Bryon, Jennifer Lawson, and Paula Kerger spoke to communications classes
  • Patricia Harrison, Paula Kerger, and Jennifer Lawson spoke to political science students

The symposium hosted by Dr. Brent Nelsen, Furman professor of political science, board member, CPB, and chair, SCETV Commission, focused on how these women are responding to the challenges and opportunities of the digital era and how their leadership is shaping the future of public media.

To read about this event through Storify, click here.
To view the program, click here.

Monday, February 9th

7 p.m.  Public Media in a Post-Television Era

Remarks 

Patricia S. Harrison, President and CEO, Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB)
Paula Kerger, President and CEO, Public Broadcasting Service (PBS)

A Conversation with Patricia S. Harrison and Paula Kerger

Hosted by Linda O’Bryon, President and CEO of South Carolina ETV; Board Member, PBS

Tuesday, February 10th

7 p.m.  Women at the Top: Shaping the Future of Public Media

Panel Discussion

Moderated by Mark Quinn, Director of Member and Public Relations, Electric Cooperatives of South Carolina, and former host of SCETV's Big Picture

Patricia S. Harrison, President and CEO, Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB)
Paula Kerger, President and CEO, Public Broadcasting Service (PBS)
Jennifer Lawson, Senior Vice President for Television and Digital Video Content, CPB
Linda O’Bryon. President and CEO of South Carolina ETV; Board Member PBS


Press Coverage

To read a Greenville Journal article penned by a Riley Advance Team member Donny Santacaterina, click here.