EDUCATIONAL COMMUNICATIONS BOARD QUARTERLY MEETING MINUTES

ECB Board Room

3319 West Beltline Highway

Madison, WI

Remote attendance by Microsoft Teams or phone

April 17, 2026

1:30 p.m.

 

Board Chair Paul Hammer called the meeting to order at 1:30 p.m. Roll call was conducted.

Board members present:

Paul Hammer
Alyssa Kenney
Anne Hanson
Lucas Munz
Leah Lechleiter-Luke
Eric Fulcomer
Rep. Patrick Snyder
Rep. Ryan Clancy
Roy Christianson
Janet Botz
Deborah Hamlett

Board members absent:

Chris Patton
Sen. Romaine Quinn
Sen. Chris Larson
Amy Traynor

Agenda Item 1.     Approval of January 16, 2026 minutes:

Roy Christianson moved to approve the January 16, 2026 minutes. Lucas Munz seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously.

Agenda Item 2. Report of the Board Chair – Paul Hammer

Paul Hammer made the following notes regarding the 2026 ECB Employee Engagement Survey results, noting that overall scores are outstanding given the many challenges and uncertainty faced by the agency last year:

  • Retention in ECB remains high and recruitment efforts following the engineering restructure within the partnership are being filled with quality candidates.
  • Morale in the agency has remained steady and has even increased by a fraction.
  • Agency staff trust their supervisors and leadership.
  • The general perception of the agency is rated 9 out of 10.
  • Overall satisfaction with ECB as an employer is 4.7 out of 5.

Paul Hammer then discussed the need to conduct a review of current board policies. Given the recent loss of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), and large-scale partnership initiatives it is time to conduct a review of board policies and bylaws. The last complete policy review was conducted in 2013. An ad hoc committee has been appointed under the auspices of ECB Bylaw Article III, Section 3, and includes Paul Hammer (Chairperson), Alyssa Kenney, Eric Fulcomer, and Roy Christianson.

Agenda Item 3. Report of the Executive Director – Marta Bechtol

Marta Bechtol discussed Direction II, Action 1 of the 2024-2027 Strategic Directions which calls to support the staff by prioritizing their ongoing professional development; advocating for appropriate compensation; and fostering a culture of belonging in the organization. She noted the agency’s high retention rate and positive morale despite the financial challenges of the last year, and credited the agency’s leaders and managers for engendering the trust of the staff.

Marta Bechtol then asked Jennifer Dargan, Deputy Director, to share new agency goals based on the survey data:

  • A new recruitment goal targeted at increasing outreach efforts to schools and colleges.
  • A retention goal aimed at improving onboarding using automated systems and processes that increase transparency while streamlining communication.
  • Continuing quarterly training and conversations to increase skills and to improve relationships among staff spread around the state.

Janet Botz shared how impressed she was with the thoughtful comments submitted by staff within the survey, which speaks well to the agency’s leadership.

Marta Bechtol noted that some staff were wary of pursuing professional development because of budget constraints but reinforced that agency leaders have budgeted for and are committed to supporting staff professional development goals.

Marta Bechtol then discussed Direction II, Action 2 of the 2024-2027 Strategic Directions which calls to strengthen coordination of cross-organizational strategy with our partners at UW-Madison to make most effective use of resources and talent. She credited the fundraising efforts of The Friends of PBS Wisconsin and the Wisconsin Public Radio Association in covering for the loss of CPB funds. Only time will tell how much of these gifts and new membership are sustainable or were simply a reaction to crisis. The WPM and ECB partnership will take a cautious approach to budgeting until stable numbers are better understood.

Anne Hanson asked if Marta Bechtol planned on submitting additional funding requests to the state in the future. Marta Bechtol explained that we are in the process of identifying non-programming-related spending that could reasonably be asked of the state. Lucas Munz asked if this dollar amount could be assessed before the next board meeting; Marta Bechtol stated that she would be prepared to present findings in July. Lastly, Roy Christianson praised the monthly legislative mail out efforts led by Erik Ernst.

Marta Bechtol concluded her report by congratulating Jordan Siegler on his appointment as permanent WPM Executive Director.

Agenda Item 4. Information: One Team plan @UW – Jordan Siegler, Executive Director WPM

Jordan Siegler provided a courtesy update of his plans to update WPM’s structure into a platform-agnostic “One Team” structure that better reflects the modern media landscape and creates business efficiencies. A new organization chart has been presented to the UW Provost and is awaiting approval. It is expected to be shared with the WPM staff in the next month.

Lucas Munz asked how long it would take to implement the One Team restructure. Jordan Siegler estimated that full implementation would occur between 12 – 24 months. “One Team” is an internal project and will not affect the public facing brands. Lucas Munz then asked if this restructuring will aim to fill vacancies at WPM. Jordan Siegler clarified that the restructuring and new organizational chart is not a budget reduction exercise; it is instead a realignment of resources and staff.

Anne Hanson asked how Jordan Siegler planned to mitigate change management issues. Jordan Siegler stated that this new organizational chart is the biggest change since the 1980’s. This is a culturally significant change where emphasis and focus on transparency is important. He pointed to the internal One Team website where he regularly provides updates to staff, while concurrently communicating through change leaders who help disseminate accurate messaging to staff.

Agenda Item 5. Information: Q3 financial report – Aimee Wright

Aimee Wright presented the Q3 financial report and stated that the agency is tracking revenue and expenses as predicted at this point in the fiscal year.

Lucas Munz asked if ECB staff positions were funded by General Purpose Revenue (GPR), and if we would have any challenges in navigating general wage adjustments in the next budget cycle. Aimee Wright confirmed that half of ECB staff are paid using GPR and that general wage adjustments are consistently accounted for in the agency budget.

Agenda Item 6. Evaluation of the Executive Director

Pursuant to s. 19.85(1)(c) and (e) Wis. Stats., the Educational Communications Board will convene in closed session for the annual performance evaluation of the Executive Director. Following the closed session, the Board will reconvene in open session.

Roy Christianson moved to convene in closed session to discuss the performance of the ECB Executive Director. Lucas Munz seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously at 2:17 p.m. Following the closed session, Alyssa Kenney moved to reconvene in open session. Janet Botz seconded the motion. By unanimous vote, the motion passed and the Board reconvened in open session at 2:38 p.m.

Agenda Item 7. Adjournment

Roy Christianson moved to adjourn the meeting, seconded by Anne Hanson. The meeting adjourned at 2:40 p.m.