Ryan Merkley to Oversee NPR’s AI and Network Strategy as COO

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NPR has announced Ryan Merkley as its new Chief Operating Officer. Merkley will oversee Member Partnership, Network Growth, Technology Operations and Distribution, Product and Audience Technology, and NPR’s AI strategy teams.

Merkley brings an extensive background in technology and public service. He most recently served as CEO of Conscience, a biotech nonprofit utilizing AI for collaborative drug development. Before that, he was Senior Technology Fellow at the Aspen Institute, focused on AI, intellectual property, and information integrity.

He has previously worked side by side with NPR CEO Katherine Maher at Wikimedia Foundation as Chief of Staff and CEO of Creative Commons, where he launched CC Search, a catalog of over 300 million works from renowned institutions like the Smithsonian and Rijksmuseum.

Merkley was also Chief Operating Officer at Mozilla and leadership positions for the 2010 Vancouver Winter Games and the City of Toronto.

Merkley remarked, “I believe deeply in collaboration – especially things we can only do together – and I’ve spent my career in organizations that do just that. Public media is a collective effort, beginning with communities and local stations across the country, and connecting across the network. Public media and its unique mission of service is essential to give people the information and context they need to make choices about their lives and their families, and to understand each other at home and around the world. We need that connection and understanding more than ever, and I’m so inspired by this team and our mission to ensure we protect and grow it.”

Maher stated, “Throughout his career, Ryan has demonstrated a commitment to the public trust, leading organizations that prioritize universal access to the common good. He has a proven track record in helping companies with ambitious missions achieve high-performance outcomes, and his success working with complex distributed network organizations and fluency in product and emerging technologies make him an ideal COO for NPR at this moment in time.”

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