OPB and KMHD are welcoming two new executive leaders next month – Jason Potts will serve as OPB’s next senior vice president and chief content officer, and Stacy Tumarkin as senior vice president and chief operating officer.

OPB’s President and CEO Rachel Smolkin partnered with URL Media Recruiting & Talent Development on this extensive executive search.

“This is an important day for public media, with the House of Representatives set to vote on whether to zero out federal funding Congress previously approved,” said Smolkin. “At OPB and KMHD, we know this is a defining moment, and we need outstanding leaders to navigate these times.”

As OPB’s first Black chief content leader, Potts is passionate about reaching underserved audiences and is eager to immerse himself in the diverse communities that make up our region. As a lifelong public radio listener, Tumarkin is excited for the opportunity to join a purpose-driven organization that provides essential public services. The OPB mission resonates deeply with her.

Potts is a media executive and multiplatform content strategist with two decades of experience at Scripps, ABC and Hearst. He was most recently in charge of business development and content strategy at Scripps News, driving audience growth and engagement. He conceived the popular Scripps News Viewer Hotline and Viewer Spotlight segments and led production teams to create award-winning news and documentary programming.

Prior to Scripps, Potts managed experimental partnerships and internal innovations at the Disney-ABC Owned Television Stations group. His responsibilities there included oversight of a year-long, data-driven content initiative on racial inequity funded by the Google News Initiative, which was honored by Fast Company magazine as a “World Changing Idea” finalist, and development of the first editorial policy manual for the station group’s 1,600-person staff.

He has received multiple accolades for his work, including a New England Emmy, National Headliner Award and a GLAAD Award.

Potts received a BA in English from Yale University, an MBA from the UCLA Anderson School of Management and a certificate in generative AI from the University of Chicago.

Tumarkin joins OPB with more than a decade of hands-on experience in executive roles spanning both the nonprofit and corporate sectors, including a diverse range of operational and financial leadership positions.

She most recently served as COO and CFO at Kubecost, an infrastructure technology startup that was acquired by IBM in 2024. She served as the liaison for that merger, steering operational and cultural change. She was also previously Head of People Operations for Bonusly, an HR software company in Colorado. Prior to joining Bonusly, she spent nearly two years running digital content at The Himalayan Institute, an international humanitarian nonprofit focused on promoting holistic healing and yoga.

Tumarkin holds an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, and a BA in Economics from UC Santa Barbara.

Both Potts and Tumarkin will begin work at OPB on July 14.