WETA Names Non-Profit Leader Richard Bland Vice President, Foundation and Government Development

December 28, 2020 – Arlington, VA—WETA President and CEO Sharon Percy Rockefeller today named non-profit leader Richard Bland to the post of Vice President for Foundation and Government Development, effective January 4, 2021. Reporting to WETA Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Jason R. Daisey, Bland will be responsible for securing unrestricted revenue in support of WETA’s general operations and restricted revenue in support of the organization’s local and national projects.

“I am very happy and proud to welcome Rich to WETA,” Rockefeller noted. “Rich is deeply intellectual and equally devoted to public service, as well as being a collaborative leader. He is the ideal development partner for PBS NewsHour, Ken Burns and Dr. Henry Louis Gates, Jr. Rich’s extensive expertise in fundraising for non-profit organizations and working with the federal government will further advance WETA’s trusted mission locally and nationally.”

“As a lifelong Washingtonian, I have been formed in no small part by WETA,” Bland shared. “I look forward to advancing WETA’s mission of public service, particularly now, when journalism of integrity, documentaries delving into our cultural history, and accessible educational programming for all children are more important than ever.”

In his new position, Bland will team with fundraising colleagues in major giving, corporate underwriting, and membership fields to shape the vision for WETA’s funding strategies. He will also lead a team of six staff members who are responsible for all aspects of foundation grant solicitation, development, and reporting. In 2020, WETA received more than $34 million from national and local foundations and from governmental organizations to support a broad portfolio of content and services.

Bland joins WETA with a distinguished record of executive non-profit management and advocacy. Most recently, Bland served as Chief Operating Officer of the Washington National Cathedral, leading the senior management team of the world’s sixth largest gothic cathedral and an $18 million budget. He previously oversaw public and private fundraising as Chief Operating Officer of The Faith and Politics Institute and as National Director of Policy, Advocacy and Development for Save the Children’s United States programs. He formerly served as Director of Federal Government Relations at the YMCA of the USA and as Deputy Chief of Staff for United States Senator Patrick Moynihan. Bland earned a Bachelor of Arts from Bowdoin College, a Juris Doctor from the University of Virginia, and a Masters in Theological Studies from Harvard Divinity School.

For more information, please visit weta.org. Press materials and photography can be found at weta.org/press.

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About WETA

WETA is the flagship public media station in the nation’s capital. For fiscal year 2020, the company had an operating budget of $120 million, more than 300 employees, and over 133,000 contributing members. WETA is the second largest producing station of new content for public television in the United States and home to news and public affairs programs including PBS NewsHour and Washington Week; films by production partners Ken Burns and Dr. Henry Louis Gates, Jr.; and performance specials from venues such as the U.S. Capitol and the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. WETA serves the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia with content that educates and inspires on WETA television channels WETA PBS, WETA Metro, WETA PBS Kids, WETA UK, and WETA World and on Classical WETA 90.9 FM. Local programming and digital content created by WETA celebrate the people and history of the region through series including WETA Arts and WETA Around Town; documentaries such as Washington in the 2000s, Bygone DC, and Neighborhood Eats; and Classical Breakdown and Telly Visions podcasts. WETA creates leading public-service websites ReadingRockets.org, LDOnline.org, ColorinColorado.org, and BrainLine.org and has recently launched Well Beings, a multi-platform, multi-year campaign from public media to address critical health needs in America. The station develops community outreach programs to engage people of all ages in the joy of lifelong learning. More information on WETA programs and services is available at weta.org. Visit facebook.com/wetatvfm on Facebook or follow @WETAtvfm on Twitter.