WETA Welcomes Denise R. Freeman as Senior Vice President  and Chief Human Resources Officer   

Arlington, Virginia—WETA President and Chief Executive Officer Sharon Percy Rockefeller today named Denise R. Freeman as WETA Senior Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer, effective June 1, 2023. Reporting to WETA Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Jason R. Daisey, Freeman will work closely with the executive management team to develop human resource strategies that champion a culture of innovation and inclusion.    

"Denise brings excellent skills and deep experience in service and non-profit sectors to this critical role at WETA,” said Daisey. “Her commitment to fostering a creative and productive workplace will support the outstanding work of our dedicated staff. We look forward to welcoming Denise to the senior leadership team.”  

WETA is a complex and ambitious public media company with over 400 employees.  Freeman will be responsible for all human resource matters, including staffing, employee relations, benefits, performance management, compensation, labor relations, compliance and professional development. In addition to developing systems that enhance the operations of the human resources department, Freeman will work closely with the Chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer and the DEI Advisory Committee to continue WETA’s commitment to building a fair and equitable workplace for all.   

“I am incredibly honored to be joining an organization as storied as WETA,” said Freeman. “I am also excited about partnering with leadership to build upon WETA’s rich history and to develop people-centric, progressive strategies that prioritize its people first.”  

Freeman has over 20 years of experience in leadership-level human resource and diversity management, with a strong track record of driving improved organizational performance and integrating talent management initiatives within the overall business strategy. Most recently, she held the Executive Director, Human Resource & Diversity position at JASA in New York. She has also worked with U.S. and global organizations including Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP, Weil Gotshal & Manges LLP, Outten & Golden LLC and Crowell & Moring LLP. Freeman recently completed a Chief Human Resources Officer Executive Education Program at the Wharton School of Business of the University of Pennsylvania.  She has an M.S. in Human Resources Management with a certificate in Organizational Development from New School University in NY and a B.S. in Business Management and Information Systems from Bloomfield College in NJ.    

ABOUT WETA  

WETA, the flagship public media station in the national capital area, is the second-largest producer of new content for public television in the United States. The WETA production portfolio includes news and public affairs programs PBS NewsHour, PBS News Weekend and Washington Week; films by Ken Burns and Florentine Films including The U.S. and the Holocaust and the upcoming The American Buffalo; series and documentaries by Dr. Henry Louis Gates, Jr., including Finding Your Roots with Henry Louis Gates, Jr. and Making Black America: Through the Grapevine; and performance specials including National Memorial Day Concert, A Capitol Fourth, and the Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song.   

WETA serves the District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia with content that educates and inspires on five television channels: WETA PBS, WETA UK, WETA Metro, WETA World, and WETA PBS Kids; on the station’s website, weta.org; and on WETA Classical 90.9 FM and wetaclassical.org. Local programming and digital content created by WETA celebrates the people and history of the region through series including If You Lived Here, Signature Dish, WETA Arts, It’s Academic and the new travel series Get Out of Town; and the Classical Breakdown and Telly Visions podcasts. The organization’s public-service websites ReadingRockets.org, ColorinColorado.org, LDOnLine.org, AdLit.org, StartWithABook.org and BrainLine.org provide resources surrounding child development, literacy, education and the brain. More information on WETA programs and services is available at weta.org. Visit facebook.com/wetatvfm on Facebook or follow @WETAtvfm on Instagram. 

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