Mario Vecchi Appointed PBS’ Chief Technology Officer

ARLINGTON, VA, December 13, 2013 - Paula Kerger, President and CEO of PBS, today announced that following a nationwide search, Dr. Mario Vecchi has been named PBS Chief Technology Officer. Dr. Vecchi will report directly to PBS Chief Operating Officer Michael Jones and serve as a member of PBS’ senior leadership team. A world-class technologist with a successful track record of innovation, integration and building reliable systems across many different media platforms, Dr. Vecchi holds a PhD, as well as Electrical Engineering and Master of Science degrees from MIT, and has successfully led many ground-breaking technology projects across the globe. His tenure will begin on January 27, 2014.

“As America’s largest public service media enterprise and a national membership organization for independent public television stations around the country, it is critically important that PBS technology teams achieve the highest level of member station satisfaction, while fostering innovation, cost effectiveness and accountability,” said Ms. Kerger. “Dr. Vecchi brings a wealth of skill and experience to the role of leading an organization of talented and dedicated individuals in order to maximize PBS’ technology systems by ensuring reliability and responding strategically to the rapidly changing and increasingly complex media landscape.”

“PBS is a leading organization in the media world. It has made pivotal contributions over the years, including technology,” said Dr. Vecchi. “The rapidly changing landscape of both consumer habits and technology create great opportunities to innovate. I am honored to be able to work with Paula and Michael in leading a first-class technology team towards an exciting and productive future for PBS.”

In his new role, Dr. Vecchi will oversee 120 full-time staff members in distribution operations and engineering, media management, interconnection engineering, information technology, web and new media applications/systems, as well as technology strategy and planning. Dr. Vecchi will ensure that daily operational requirements are fulfilled and that the build out and delivery of the public television interconnection system currently in development meets local stations’ needs and is innovative, industry leading and efficient. He will also collaborate with PBS Digital to guarantee that PBS’ enterprise-wide technology platforms support mobile TV, the Web and digital platforms.

Dr. Vecchi is currently President of P&A Development, Inc., a development and consulting firm for new products and new businesses. From 2007-2011, he served as President of Apex Technologies, a company he created within the Grupo Ferre Rangel consortium that integrated IT operations and product development. GFR, a family-owned media, marketing, printing and real estate conglomerate, is the largest communications and media group in Puerto Rico.

Prior to GFR, Dr. Vecchi spent nearly a decade at AOL, ultimately earning the title of Senior Vice President, AOL Global Technologies, a position he held from 2003-2007. He was Senior Vice President, AOL Services Development from 2001-2003 and Vice President, AOL Consumer Electronics/Broadband Development from 1998-2001.

During his tenure at Time Warner Cable, Dr. Vecchi co-founded Road Runner, the company’s pioneering cable modem online service, as Senior Vice President/Chief Technical Officer, Road Runner Group, from 1994-1998. He began his work at Time Warner in 1994 as Vice President, Network Engineering. Earlier in his career, Dr. Vecchi served as Director, Applied Research at Bell Communications Research, Founder of Xynertek CA, one of the first worldwide companies to design and manufacture IBM PC compatible microcomputers, and Head of the Semiconductors Laboratory at the Instituto Venezolano de Investigaciones Cientificas, and as Chairman of the Electrical Engineering Department at the Universidad Metropolitana in Caracas. He was also the co-inventor of the simulated annealing algorithm at the IBM Watson Research Center.

With more than 70 publications and technical presentation to his credit, he holds four International and U.S. patents. He is a senior member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) and a member of the Society of Cable Telecommunications Engineers (SCTE).

About PBS
PBS, with its over 350 member stations, offers all Americans the opportunity to explore new ideas and new worlds through television and online content. Each month, PBS reaches nearly 120 million people through television and over 29 million people online, inviting them to experience the worlds of science, history, nature and public affairs; to hear diverse viewpoints; and to take front row seats to world-class drama and performances. PBS’ broad array of programs has been consistently honored by the industry’s most coveted award competitions. Teachers of children from pre-K through 12th grade turn to PBS for digital content and services that help bring classroom lessons to life. PBS’ premier children’s TV programming and its website, pbskids.org, are parents’ and teachers’ most trusted partners in inspiring and nurturing curiosity and love of learning in children. More information about PBS is available at www.pbs.org, one of the leading dot-org websites on the Internet, or by following PBS on Twitter, Facebook or through our apps for mobile devices. Specific program information and updates for press are available at pbs.org/pressroom or by following PBS Pressroom on Twitter.


CONTACT:

Anne Bentley
703-739-5021
awbentley@pbs.org