Wisconsin Public Radio (WPR) Southeast Regional Manager Lisa Nalbandian is being promoted to the role of senior regional manager. Nalbandian joined WPR in 2002, most recently holding the dual positions of southeast regional manager and director of major and planned giving based in WPR’s downtown Milwaukee studios.
“Lisa’s educational background, public media experience and strong management skills make her an excellent pick for this position,” said WPR Interim Director Tom Luljak. “Lisa’s passion for public radio and WPR’s mission is evident in her work. She is a thoughtful manager who focuses her energy on supporting her team and pursuing the station’s goals.”
As senior regional manager, Nalbandian’s role will be to create and execute an integrated strategy for community engagement across Wisconsin. To that end, Nalbandian will oversee a team of managers and outreach professionals based in WPR’s regional studios in Madison, Milwaukee, Green Bay, Wausau, La Crosse, Eau Claire and Superior. With an emphasis on diversity, equity and inclusion, this work plays a large part in WPR’s long-time mission to inform, entertain, engage and inspire the people of Wisconsin.
“I’m excited to explore new ideas and find more ways to connect WPR to communities around the state,” Nalbandian said.
Racine native and long-time Wauwatosa resident, Nalbandian began her career in radio at UW-Parkside where she helped found the university’s student station WIPZ. She later received a Master of Arts in Mass Communications from UW-Milwaukee where she wrote her thesis on pirate radio. Since joining WPR, she has filled many roles including marketing and promotions coordinator, northeast regional manager, and ultimately the role of southeast regional manager in Milwaukee. In 2018 Nalbandian took on the duties of director of major and planned giving in addition to her work as southeast regional manager. She held that expanded position until accepting the job of senior regional manager this spring.
Her first official day in the new role was April 4.
