EDUCATIONAL COMMUNICATIONS BOARD QUARTERLY MEETING MINUTES

ECB Board Room

3319 West Beltline Highway

Madison, WI

Remote attendance via Microsoft Teams

July 17, 2026

9:30 a.m.

Board Chair Paul Hammer called the meeting to order at 9:30 a.m. Roll call was conducted.

Board members present:

Paul Hammer
Alyssa Kenney
Anne Hanson
Lucas Munz
Chris Patton
Eric Fulcomer
Sen. Chris Larson
Rep. Patrick Snyder
Rep. Ryan Clancy
Linda Terwilliger
Roy Christianson
Jan Botz

Board members absent:

Sen. Romaine Quinn (technical difficulties)
Leah Lechleiter-Luke
Deborah Hamlett

Agenda Item 1. Approval of April 17, 2026 minutes

Eric Fulcomer moved to approve the April 17, 2026 minutes. Alyssa Kenney seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously.

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

Paul Hammer deferred his report, asking Marta Bechtol to report first. After the report of the Executive Director was completed, Paul Hammer proceeded with the report of the Chair.

Paul Hammer congratulated Marta on a wonderful career in public service and informed the Board that preplanning with the Division of Personnel Management in conjunction with legal counsel has been completed. Thorough communication and thought will go into the Executive Director recruitment process. Paul Hammer informed the Board that a rating panel and an interview panel will be assembled to facilitate the recruitment process.

  • The rating panel will consist of two people and will be separate from the interview panel.
  • The Interview panel will be comprised of four Board members, of which the Chair and Vice Chair will assume two positions. The interview panel will also include three additional individuals representing Wisconsin Public Media (WPM), Wisconsin Public Radio Association (WPRA), and Friends of PBS Wisconsin.

Paul Hammer noted that FCC regulations require recruitments to be competitive. A recruitment update will be presented during the October 16, 2026 meeting. Paul Hammer noted that although Marta Bechtol’s retirement will be a huge loss, she has placed the agency in a good position for the future. He ended his report by reminding members of the Board to respond to the required FCC adverse adjudication inquiry and welcomed new Board member Linda Terwilliger, who sits for the UW Board of Regents.

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

Marta Bechtol began with a remembrance of Jon Miskowski, Director of Television, who passed away in early May. She then spoke about the organizational movements within the ECB/WPM partnership that have occurred over the past year. She noted that the unified One Team restructure is creating new organizational efficiencies and includes two modifications in the reporting structure to the Executive Directors of ECB and WPM. First, she introduced Eric Greiling, current head of Development overseeing both radio and TV fundraising teams in coordination with the Friends of PBS Wisconsin and the WPRA. Board members may have noticed Eric’s first report in the packet for this meeting. Next, she announced the upcoming recruitment for the Executive General Manager that will also be a joint report. This position replaces the service-specific director positions currently held by Sarah Ashworth (WPR) and Kathy Bissen (acting director of PBS Wisconsin). Redefining these positions eliminates duplication of efforts and moves fundraising and content development into a multi-platform future.

Marta Bechtol discussed Direction I of the 2024-2027 strategic plan that directs the agency to strengthen the impact, reach and performance of the ECB to better serve all of the residents and unique communities of Wisconsin. She addressed:

  • Action 2, highlighting ECB’s expanding reach through the agency’s FCC application for a new transmitter in Brule, WI.
  • Action 3, by meeting with members of the Joint Committee on Finance in advance of the hectic budget cycle to provide clarity on how state funding supports technology and infrastructure.
  • Action 4, by highlighting collaborations that maximize our expertise and broaden our public service, noting that today’s meeting presentations all respond to our statewide service.

Marta Bechtol concluded her report by announcing her retirement with an end date of December 11, 2026.

Agenda Item 4. Information Item: Biennial Budget Request – Marta Bechtol

Marta Bechtol reviewed key bullet points from the Governor’s Budget Letter that was issued on July 10, 2026. She called out the FCC’s recently mandated cybersecurity requirements as well as new mandates from the Wisconsin Division of Enterprise Technology, noting their human and financial costs. ECB will work with its designated budget analyst to prepare the biennial request that is due on September 15.

Agenda Item 5. Information Item: Board Policies Review – Marta Bechtol

Marta Bechtol thanked the ad hoc committee for its efforts in reviewing the board policies. This process aimed to: eliminate references to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting; align the policies with the current business practices and structure of the Partnership; modernize outdated language and terminology; and change the formatting for ADA accessibility compliance.

Paul Hammer also thanked the ad hoc committee and asked the board to review the drafts so that the updated policies may be presented for approval on October 16, 2026. Jan Botz asked if an established policy review schedule within the policies currently existed. Marta Bechtol informed all members that 5-year language currently exists in the policy. Anne Hanson followed by asking if the current policy mentioned anything that could conflict with the plans for the recruitment of the next executive director. Paul Hammer and Marta Bechtol replied that it does not.

Agenda Item 6. Information Item: Content and Outreach presentations – Sarah Ashworth, WPR & Kathy Bissen, PBS Wisconsin joined by: Lisa Nalbandian, Noah Ovshinsky, Amber Samdahl, Christine Sloan-Miller, Dulce Vlisides, and Jason Aaron Smith

Sarah Ashworth stated that this will be the first time both WPR and PBS Wisconsin are presenting as a combined team, reflecting the One Team restructuring. Kathy Bissen thanked all who attended memorial services remembering Jon Miskowski. She also provided an update regarding reduced HVAC services on campus, noting that WPR and PBS Wisconsin are treated by campus as essential services.

Christine Sloan-Miller and Noah Ovshinsky discussed the unified news service highlighting the Rural Reporting Project and Inside Wisconsin Politics.

Lisa Nalbandian covered recent retirement events for long-time hosts Larry Meiller and Norman Gilliland as well as Classical Music Day.

Dulce Vlisides and Jason Aaron Smith summarized the goals and key outcomes of the America@250 initiative. This project leverages the power of public media to strengthen the civic fabric of Wisconsin.

Kathy Bissen announced recent awards for WPR and PBS Wisconsin, then introduced Amber Samdahl who previewed Powwow Bound: A Menominee Homecoming. This online game was built in collaboration with the Menominee community and was recently nominated in the Best in Community Empowerment category of the Games for Change Awards.

Agenda Item 7. Information Item: Q4 financial report – Aimee Wright

Aimee Wright presented the Q4 financial report, noting received revenues above 100% and total expenses under 95%, although the year has not yet been formally closed. Eric Fulcomer praised this. Aimee Wright informed the Board that a final FY 26 wrap up would be presented at the October ECB Board of Directors meeting. Paul Hammer asked if any risks were currently projected for the new fiscal year. Marta Bechtol mentioned unknowns associated with the NPR and PBS dues models.

Agenda Item 8. Adjournment

Eric Fulcomer moved to adjourn the meeting, seconded by Alyssa Kenney. The meeting adjourned at 11:12 a.m.