Donald K. Boswell, WNED President and CEO, announced the appointment of John D. Craig, Ph.D., as Director of Education and Outreach as of September 8.

In this newly created position, Craig will oversee the public broadcasting station’s learning services, which include outreach programs tied to WNED and PBS television programming. WNED joins with PBS, local education and health care networks, for example, to provide information, educational resources and training for children, teachers and the general public. Craig will be involved with upcoming initiatives on topics ranging from Kindergarten readiness and financial literacy to health care management and the War of 1812.

“John will be a wonderful addition to our staff,” said Pamela Johnson, Ph.D., WNED Vice President for Education & Outreach. “As WNED reaches out to both the education and broader communities, he will be able to lend his considerable experience with building private/public partnerships and fostering learning with the latest technology.”

The Lockport native’s career has encompassed grant writing, teaching, project administration and community outreach in diverse educational settings. He previously directed Niagara County’s state-funded Career Pathways/Tech-Prep Education project, linking high school students to college-level learning and career opportunities in high-demand fields.

In his new role, Craig will “reach out to the same people in a different way,” offering a different set of services, he said. “It’s an exciting, opportunistic time” to be part of public broadcasting, he added. “I’ve been involved in giving opportunities to people. That’s a big part of what I want to continue to foster. There are many creative ways to bridge the gap in achievement and success for all individuals.”

In his hometown of Lockport, Craig helped develop and now chairs Lockport Community Services, Inc., a nonprofit organization that has revitalized and created public recreation facilities, including a pool and skateboard park.

He holds a doctorate in higher education administration from the University at Buffalo. Both his master’s degree (in business education) and bachelor’s degree (in marketing/commerce) are from Niagara University. He has served on the faculties of several local colleges.

Through WNED-TV, ThinkBright TV, Classical 94.5/WNED-FM and WNED-AM 970 The Information Station, the member-supported Western New York Public Broadcasting Association provides high quality programming and services that enlighten, inspire, entertain and educate our communities. Additional information about WNED can be found at www.wned.org.

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Please contact Jaime Mahoney at 716-845-7000, ext. 352 or jmahoneyATwnedDOTorg