Emails Show Role Gov. Kemp’s Office Played in GPB CEO Selection
The Thursday before the April meeting of the Georgia Public Telecommunications Commission, the state body that governs Georgia Public Broadcasting, Gov. Brian Kemp’s Chief Operating Officer and Executive Counsel Kristyn Long emailed Commission Chair Brian Dill:
“In anticipation of upcoming leadership changes at Georgia Public Broadcasting, we would like to make a recommendation to the Board that Bert Wesley Huffman serve as interim CEO upon Teya’s departure to ensure a smooth transition.”
Dill replied that he’d put the recommendation in front of the Board during the Executive Session at the meeting April 26th.
Those and other emails in a newly returned Open Records Request from Gov. Kemp’s office fill in some details on the leadership changes at GPB, including longtime CEO Teya Ryan’s absence from her final board meeting as CEO and the names of other applicants.
Huffman had been serving as President of GPB since 2021 when Ryan relinquished that title.
His appointment first as interim leader in the spring and then as permanent CEO in August wasn’t a surprise but the records show the extent to which GPB’s board conferred with, and deferred to, the Gov.’s office.
In March GPB saw a dramatic cut to its state funding in the legislative session.
A previous records request turned up an email from Ryan to the board dated March 30th that suggested she planned to attend the April meeting. She thanked board members Dill and Cecil Staton “for being a sounding board for me during these last few stressful weeks.”
Staton was a former State Senator and past owner of Macon-area talk radio stations and other media outlets. He was appointed to the Commission by Gov. Kemp in the fall of 2022.
The new ORR reveals he was one of the applicants to be CEO.
“The initial cut was quite a shock,” Ryan’s March 30th email said, “and it took a great deal of effort to come to a more acceptable place.”
“At the April board meeting, we will discuss what these changes mean for GPB.”
“Thank you all for your support of GPB. Onward!”
The quarterly meeting had long been scheduled for April 12th but when I emailed on Monday the 10th to confirm its location, I was informed it was being postponed due to scheduling conflicts.
Instead, on the 12th Huffman emailed the Gov.’s office for a conversation at the suggestion of Ryan.
On Friday April 21st Ryan emailed a resignation letter to Dill and Long at the Gov.’s office which Dill then forwarded to Huffman with instructions about the meeting.
Ryan wanted to attend but was denied by Dill:
“She pressed me again this morning on our call to attend and I denied that request. She’s worried about perception and rightfully so, but we will stand on the attached as the only thing circulated in response to a media request or otherwise.
“Please be prepared to message appropriately when asked from staff, donors or the general public.
“We appreciate Teya’s tenure at GPB and wish her the best in retirement.”
The following Monday, before the Wed. meeting, news of Ryan’s retirement was first reported by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s Greg Bluestein.
Bluestein had become a regular presence on GPB during Ryan’s tenure.
No media attended the eventual April 26th meeting apart from this blog.
The search begins.
Ryan’s official retirement date was May 15th. A Hiring Committee of Chair Dill, Vice Chair Jerald Mitchell and Commissioner Mark Parkman relied on GPB’s Vice President of Human Resources to draft and post the job listing and field initial applications.
No outside search firm was used. The listing was posted to various job sites soon after Ryan’s official May 15th retirement with a closing date of June 9th.
A total of 29 people applied.
As applications came in Dill would forward them to Long at the Gov.’s office.
On June 11th, VP of Human Resources Veronica Pemberton-Daniels sent a suggested timeline and list of 17 pre-screened applicants to the search committee.
On June 12th Dill replied with notes from the Governor’s office adding and removing names from the pre-screen list.
Among those Kemp’s office gave input on were veteran Atlanta news and sports broadcaster Jeff Hullinger, “add to pre-screening list,” and Shawn McGinnis “worth a second look but no directive.”
That name appears in a different spelling as Sean McGinnis who is the publisher of Atlanta Magazine.
Other noteworthy applicants include Staton and WABE’s former Chief Content Officer Scott Woelfel. Woelfel served as interim CEO at WABE before Jennifer Dorian’s appointment in December of 2021. Dorian eliminated his position this past May in a restructuring.
Finalists and Announcement
As previously reported, three finalists were named: Huffman, former CNN executive Roger Clark, and Allyson Meyers.
Staton was not a finalist nor were any of those added to the prescreen list by the Gov.’s office.
After Huffman’s selection, the announcement came from the Gov.’s office who sent a draft quote for Dill’s approval:
“The Commission is proud to appoint Bert to this important position,” said Brian Dill, Chairman of the Georgia Public Telecommunications Commission. “His record of dedicated service helped to set him apart throughout the process of finding the agency’s next leader, and we know he will help guide GPB in fulfilling its mission across its television, radio, and educational services throughout the State.”
The August 4th announcement included a quote from Kemp:
“I want to congratulate Bert as he steps into this role and continues his service at GPB,” said Governor Brian Kemp. “I know he will help ensure the agency remains a valued part of the lives of Georgians through informative content.”
The announcement stated the Commission had voted unanimously that morning. Staton resigned his seat on the Commission at some point, something not publicly known until Gov. Kemp appointed a new Commissioner August 31st.
A separate records request for Staton’s resignation letter is outstanding.
Days after the GPB CEO selection was final, the AJC and WABE would announce their partnership involving former GPB radio host Bill Nigut.
