TPT announces Melissa Wright as its newly created Chief Content Officer
SAINT PAUL, MINN. (October 6, 2020) – Melissa Wright has been named Chief Content Officer, a newly created position at Twin Cities PBS (TPT). She will be coming from her current position as Senior Vice President & General Counsel at TPT where she led legal, government relations, and compliance responsibilities as well as the STEM, Ready to Learn and Education departments. She began her new position September 13, 2020.
In her new position as Chief Content Officer, Wright drives the strategy, vision and execution of all TPT multi-platform content, including local and national broadcast and digital programming, publications, educational curriculum, websites, marketing and communications.
“Melissa’s breadth of experience, community relationships, portfolio of national PBS Kids programs and keen business insights are ideally aligned to this key strategic position. I’m excited to continue working with her in this new role,” said TPT President and CEO Sylvia Strobel.
Joining the TPT team in 2014, Wright served as its General Counsel and later added national PBS Kids content to her portfolio, including popular nationally distributed shows Hero Elementary and SciGirls. In addition, she has served as the 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, Wright has provided creative solutions and direction on TPT’s initiatives that align with the organization’s mission and strategic plan.
“To have the ability to lead the content strategy at Twin Cities PBS is truly an honor for me. I look forward to working side by side with our talented employees to engage with our existing audience in new and better ways and earn the trust of communities that may not have felt welcome in the public media space,” says Melissa Wright. “We have a lot of work ahead, but I know we are up to the challenge. Public media has a role in connecting our communities. What an honor it is, that we get to wake up every day with this sense of purpose.”
Wright received her B.A from St. Olaf College and her law degree from William Mitchell School of Law. Her prior experience includes working at William Mitchell College of Law as the Externship Director, as Senior Counsel at Wells Fargo Corporation, and as Assistant Attorney General at the Minnesota State Attorney General’s Office. She is currently on the Board of Directors of the Schubert Club and Mitchell Hamline Law School of Law, and on St. Olaf’s Equity and Inclusion Council.