CDP to Expand Board of Directors
As part of its strategic growth plan, Contributor Development Partnership (CDP) recently announced the expansion of its Board of Directors.
After an effort led by CDP Board Chair Jonathan Abbott to determine a successor after stepping down from the role he’s held since 2018, current CDP Board member Ron Hetrick has been named as incoming Board Chair. Hetrick is the President and CEO of Pennon, a Central Pennsylvania-based non-profit focused on education, local journalism and local public media, which includes WITF, a public media organization based in Harrisburg, PA. Abbott will remain on the Board as an independent director.
“In my time as a CDP Board member under Jon Abbott’s leadership, I’ve been immersed in the culture of CDP and experienced the team’s deep commitment to local public media. Jon was instrumental in shaping CDP in its formative years and I’m honored to expand my role and excited to work with the Board to tackle the most pressing issues facing public media today.” said Hetrick.
In addition, CDP has announced the addition of Will Lee and Shane Miner to its Board of Directors.
Will Lee is the CEO of Adweek, a leading source of news and insight serving the brand marketing ecosystem, overseeing all aspects of Adweek’s management, strategy and operations. He previously served as Chief Operating Officer at NPR where his responsibilities included oversight of NPR’s Audience Technology, Data Strategy and Change Management & Transformation teams.
“When I was at NPR, I witnessed the positive impact CDP has on the financial health of local public media organizations,” said Lee. “The longstanding challenge for public media has been a fractured approach to data that results in a limited view of constituents at a time when those insights are becoming increasingly important to engage audiences. CDP recognizes the importance of developing a shared data infrastructure that provides a full view of the audience relationship. I’m excited to share my experience with, and passion for, this type of work as part of the CDP Board.”
Shane Miner is the Chief Operating Officer at GBH, a public media organization based in Boston, MA where he oversees technology, HR, Finance, Legal and Sponsorship. Miner previously held roles of Chief Technology Officer at GBH and IT Manager at Nebraska Public Media.
“GBH served as the original incubator for CDP and has had a longstanding relationship with what I consider to be one of the most important organizations serving public media today,” says Miner, “CDP’s dedication to ensuring a vibrant, thriving local public media ecosystem aligns with GBH’s priorities and I look forward to working alongside Will Lee and the entire CDP Board in 2025 and beyond.”
Of the changes, CDP President & CEO Michal Heiplik says they signal a new phase of growth for CDP: “We’re deepening our service to, and trust with, public media. Growing the community of learning, we also aim to grow our insights to include other leading social enterprise/non-profit organizations, identifying opportunities where shared learning, data driven decision-making and cross-sector economies of scale can broaden CDP’s impact in the non-profit world.”
He continued, “The addition of Will Lee and Shane Miner to the CDP Board reflects CDP’s commitment to creating a forward-looking community that leverages the best thinking across non-profits and includes the development of a best-in-class digital engagement ecosystem to provide audience, prospect and donor engagement to better serve their constituents. With Ron Hetrick stepping into the role of Chair, we’re confident his orientation to innovation and experience shaping local news will provide critical leadership and real-world insights during a transformational time for public media.”
With the arrival of Miner and Lee and the transition of Jon Abbott to an independent director, the CDP board now consists of 10 directors.