Chad Johnston named SPNN Executive Director

ST. PAUL (Jan. 22, 2013) — Following an extensive nationwide hiring process, the St. Paul Neighborhood Network (SPNN) has named Chad Johnston from The People’s Channel in Durham, NC as the organization’s new Executive Director.

“I can’t express enough how excited we are to have Chad join SPNN as our Executive Director,” stated Board President Cody Fleischfresser. “Chad brings an energy and passion to his work, along with the idea that media can be a transformative force in the community.”

As Executive Director of The People’s Channel since 2004, Johnston has worked tirelessly to promote community media. A graduate of Antioch College, he brings with him a wealth of community media experience, including time spent in Argentina as an independent journalist, three years as a Board Member for the Alliance for Community Media, and many other accomplishments.

“I have a deep commitment to community media, and I have seen the power it has to amplify voice, create positive social change, and promote local economic development,” Johnston says. “The board of SPNN is very excited for the future of the organization, but is not looking to make any strategic realignments or dramatic changes to current programs.”

Mike Wassenaar served as the Executive Director of SPNN for 13 years, and announced his resignation this past fall. Under his leadership, the organization experienced tremendous growth and stability.

In keeping the longevity of SPNN in mind, Fleischfresser says that minimizing disruption to the organization was one of the most important priorities in the Executive Director search process. Currently, Operations and Production Manager Steve Brunsberg is serving as the Interim Executive Director until March 25, when Johnston steps into his new role.

“St. Paul has a reputation of being very open, friendly and committed to having a healthy community,” Johnston says. “I am tremendously excited to learn about all the wonderful people and organizations that make St. Paul such a great place to live.”

SPNN is a 501(c)(3) non-profit community media center serving St. Paul, MN and the Twin Cities metro area. The organization’s mission is to empower people to use media and communications to better lives, use authentic voice and build common understanding. SPNN operates five channels on the Comcast cable system, which reach 52,000 cable households in St. Paul. www.SPNN.org