Pacifica Foundation is pleased to welcome Stephanie D. Wells as its new Executive Director. Wells, who lives in Los Angeles, stepped into her role as Executive Director on January 17, 2022.

Wells was selected after an extensive review of candidates for the Executive Director position.

She has over 35 years of executive experience in the non-profit, for-profit, and entertainment industries and has given her development expertise to educational, recreational, medical, and cultural organizations throughout the United States.

Prior to working in the non-profit sector, she was a producer and writer for mainstream cable and network television. She has an excellent reputation of leadership, including fundraising, publicity, board-building, policy-building and strategic planning, and staff management.

“I am excited to be a part of the dynamic Pacifica Network and am eager to continue building on the success of our stations and extensive archive library, always with the primary goal of meeting the needs of our listeners and our communities,” said Wells.

Pacifica’s Board of Directors’ Chair Alex Steinberg said, "I want to welcome Stephanie D. Wells, our new Executive Director, to the Pacifica Foundation. Stephanie impressed the Pacifica National Board not only with her years of solid experience in executive management and fund-raising, she also struck us with her no-nonsense approach to complex issues.

“Ms. Wells' appointment marks the end of one stage in the history of Pacifica and the beginning of a new one. Specifically, it occurs at the end of a period of transition that began with the unauthorized shutdown of WBAI in October 2019. It was a period distinguished by unprecedented turmoil, featuring legal and political battles and two very contentious referenda on our bylaws within a one year period.

“Despite this turmoil, significant progress was made in Pacifica's financial situation in the past two years thanks to the steady hand of the Pacifica National Board and our outgoing interim Executive Director, Lydia Brazon, our legal counsel Arthur Schwartz, our CFO Anita Sims and the team at our accounting firm NETA.

“While we still face challenges, we are now caught up on all our audits, have succeeded in obtaining federal relief money to help corporations during the pandemic, to the tune of $4 million, have paid back a substantial portion of the FJC loan ($510,000) with more in the works, and, most promising of all, we've seen a substantial rise in many of our Nielsen ratings.

"I personally wish Stephanie all the best and I will do whatever I can to support her."