Madison, Wis. Wisconsin Public Radio has named Kealey Bultena associate director. In this role, Bultena oversees WPR operations, including human resources, finance, digital services, broadcast operations, and engineering. She joins WPR’s senior leadership team and serves as deputy to WPR Director Sarah Ashworth.
In a message announcing Bultena’s appointment to WPR staff, Ashworth said: “Since joining WPR in 2017, Kealey has repeatedly demonstrated her commitment to her colleagues, our mission, and our audience. She has been a thoughtful, collaborative manager, and I’m very pleased she will be taking on this critical leadership role for WPR.”
Bultena has served in a variety of positions with WPR’s content team, including executive producer, rotating substitute host, and, most recently, interim program director of the WPR News network. She holds a bachelor’s degree in contemporary media and journalism from the University of South Dakota and a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Sioux Falls. Bultena has participated in leadership academies at both the Poynter Institute for Media Studies and Loyola University Chicago.
Before coming to WPR, Bultena worked for South Dakota Public Broadcasting in radio and television. While there, her reporting received eight Regional Edward R. Murrow Awards for excellence in broadcast and digital journalism, and she was part of a team awarded a National Murrow Award as well.
“We have a really dedicated team here at WPR, and I’m so proud to be a part of it,” said Bultena. “Wisconsin Public Radio has an impressive legacy. I’m excited about what we’re doing now and what we’ll achieve in the future.”
WPR is a partnership of Wisconsin Public Media at the University of Wisconsin–Madison and the Educational Communications Board, the state agency that distributes public broadcasting in Wisconsin.
