The WPSU Board of Representatives is an advisory board of community members that gather on a regular basis to advise the station on programming and other activities. In our new blog post series, WPSU Board Member Spotlight, we sit down with these individuals and discuss their love of public broadcasting and its impact in the communities throughout the viewing area.
Melinda Stearns is originally from Ebensburg, PA, and is a graduate of Penn State. She had a corporate marketing career in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Boston before returning to State College, PA. She spent 25 years in Penn State Outreach and Online Education, cultivating national and international relationship-building. Melinda has been a board member at WPSU for the past six years.
What inspired you to begin volunteering at WPSU?
Upon retirement, I looked at what was important to me and where I could give back to the community. I have been a public broadcasting listener and viewer for more years than I can remember. When I travelled a lot for my work, I loved the new knowledge that public broadcasting provided me. My two boys, now grown with children of their own, were avid Sesame Street and Mr. Rogers watchers!
What WPSU programming do you connect with the most?
My love is public radio, which I listen to online and on the radio, especially Morning Edition and All Things Considered. I enjoy PBS NewsHour, the excellent specials such as Ken Burns, and all the great Sunday night programming.
How do you see WPSU positively impacting the communities throughout Central Pennsylvania?
I love seeing the impact that WPSU is making on communities, especially around education and children’s outreach. I now love taking my granddaughters to events such as the Multicultural Children’s Festival at the station. They loved it and learned so much.
As the Connoisseur’s Dinner Auction Co-Chair, what would you like to share about this event with the public?
This year’s Connoisseur’s Dinner is going to be so delicious and so much fun! Chef Matt Migliore has such a great history as a Culinary Institute of America graduate who has worked in top restaurants, and as a winner of several TV contests. He was even featured on Today! The Peruvian choices for the menu this year are outstanding! Attending the event and bidding on the great auctions items helps with the budget for WPSU. As we know, we are not a commercial station and events like this are very important to our continued programming.
What do you wish more people knew about WPSU?
WPSU has the most talented and caring people working in this industry. I have known many of the employees for 20 years, and I have never seen a harder working, more talented, and more giving team. They go above and beyond to help all our communities learn and grow, with news and information that helps us all be better parents, better citizens, better people, and better community members in all our counties.