VP Upgrade For NPR’s Sangweni
• NPR announced the promotion of Yolanda Sangweni to Vice President of Programming and New Content Development. In her newly enhanced VP position, Sangweni will continue to lead and build out a growing portfolio of culture-focused programming and podcasts while also overseeing NPR’s content development process to surface great ideas and innovative programming that supports NPR’s mission.
The news of Sangweni’s elevation was delivered by Anya Grundmann, NPR’s SVP for Programming and Audience Development, who noted, “Yolanda is a caring, dynamic content leader who has already moved NPR forward in so many ways. She has overseen award-winning work, built high-functioning teams, and crafted initiatives that will be transformational in our efforts to make NPR relevant to new audiences traditionally under-served by public media. I’m thrilled that she will be positioned to have even greater impact in her new role.”
Since joining NPR in 2020, Sangweni has overseen the launch of The Limits with Jay Williams, the evolution of It’s Been a Minute, and the creation of a new radio show for NPR’s history podcast Throughline, which just won a Peabody Award. She also sponsored the organization-wide NPR Oye initiative, which is systematically advancing NPR’s service to Hispanic audiences and engagement with Latinx creators, and the re-imagining of our content development and pitch processes.
“I am so excited to take on this new role,” Sangweni said. “It’s such an incredible opportunity to bring more stories and voices to NPR. I hope to expand NPR’s programming in a way that is rich in nuance, culturally-resonant, with a high standard of excellence. And I get to do it with the best of the best — the content development team and journalists behind shows like Throughline, Code Switch and It’s Been a Minute, who are truly world-class.”
Sangweni came to NPR in 2020 from Luminary, where she served as Director of Programming and Editorial. She previously spent nine years with Essence, rising to Digital Content Director. Sangweni is also the founder of African Women Create, a collective for African women in the creative arts. [Photo credit: Laylah Amatullah Barrayn / NPR]
