Jon Abbott

Jon Abbott is a nationally recognized public media leader who has transformed the way WGBH creates and distributes educationally rich content to millions of Americans throughout New England and across the nation. He has expanded WGBH’s media services, impact, and reach locally and nationally. He has championed WGBH’s early adoption of digital technologies, new content creation models and best practices that are furthering WGBH’s capacity to produce programming and content in the public interest, supported by the public WGBH serves. In partnership with PBS, he led the launch of PBS LearningMedia, a free national online service pioneered by WGBH that offers classroom-ready digital resources and lesson plans tied to state and national standards; that service is now utilized by nearly 2 million educators in 50 states. Under Abbott’s leadership, WGBH has invested in promising R&D projects to further public media’s mission and serve the New England region through 10 public TV and three public radio services. Abbott joined WGBH as Vice President and General Manager in 1998 and was named President and CEO in 2007. Prior to coming to WGBH, he served six years as Senior Vice President for Development and Corporate Relations at PBS and five years in senior management with San Francisco public station KQED. He chairs the board of the Public Television Major Market Group, is a member of the boards of PRI (Public Radio International), National Public Media, American Documentary/POV, MassChallenge, and Project Healthy Children and is an elected member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He holds a BA from Columbia University and an MBA from Stanford University.

Music, family, learning new things (especially thanks to others), opportunity through education, public service media, porches (preferably facing lakes).