Larry Ceisler Named Chair of WXPN Policy Board

WXPN, the member-supported, public radio service of the University of Pennsylvania, announced today that media strategist Larry Ceisler has been named Chair of the WXPN Policy Board. Ceisler will serve as Chair for a term of three years. The Policy Board advises the university president and administration, including the WXPN general manager, on broad policies and plans pertaining to the overall management and direction of the station. The Chair and members are appointed by the President of the University of Pennsylvania. The 23-member board focuses on issues including WXPN’s mission, long-range goals and objectives, fundraising, budget and finance, as well as university and community service.

While serving as a WXPN Policy Board member, Ceisler was co-chair of WXPN’s World Cafe Next campaign, which raised more than $1 million for the program’s future investment. 

“Larry has been an active and insightful board member,” said WXPN General Manager Roger LaMay. “He brings decades of media experience to his new role on the board.”

Ceisler is a national leader in strategic communications, with more than 25 years of experience executing public affairs strategies, grassroots efforts and issue campaigns. As principal of Ceisler Media, he closely manages the activities of the firm, serving clients ranging from Fortune 50 companies to regional businesses and non-profits. These include Comcast Corporation, Independence Blue Cross, AmeriHealth Caritas, Housing Alliance of Pennsylvania and the Pennsylvania Coalition of Nurse Practitioners.  Ceisler is also a respected analyst of politics and government, having worked on the campaign and administration of Mayor W. Wilson Goode.

This new appointment is especially fitting, as Ceisler has close ties to the University of Pennsylvania community. His wife, Dr. Lina Hartocollis, is Dean of Students and Director of the Doctorate in Clinical Social Work Program at the university’s School of Social Policy and Practice. His daughter Hannah is a senior majoring in English and creative writing. Ceisler also attended the University Of Pennsylvania School Of Law.

“I believe WXPN is a true cultural treasure of our city, and I am profoundly honored to be named Chair,” said Ceisler. “Thanks to the University of Pennsylvania, I will work with my board members and the university to ensure that WXPN remains a leader in providing quality programming, and that its music continues to impact its listeners.”

Ceisler also serves as a board member for MANNA, a non-profit organization that delivers nutritious, medically appropriate meals and provides nutrition counseling to patients across the Delaware Valley and South Jersey who are battling life-threatening illnesses like cancer and HIV/AIDS. A native of Washington, Pennsylvania, Ceisler is a graduate of American University and Duquesne University School of Law.

More about WXPN can be found at www.xpn.org. Current WXPN Policy Board members can be found here.