The University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Director of Student Radio, Kelsey Brannan, is the WBA Young Professional of the Year.
Brannan was selected by a subcommittee of the WBA Board of Directors from a pool of nine YP of the Month honorees highlighted since July 2024, who were recognized for making a significant impact on their stations and communities.
Brannan returned to her alma mater in 2021 to oversee WSUM, the campus station that prepared her for a career in public radio. She held programming and leadership roles at KEXP in Seattle and Minnesota Public Radio’s KCMP in St. Paul before coming back to UW.
She was nominated by UW-Madison James E. Burgess Chair in Journalism Ethics, Katy Culver, who wrote, “In her first three years, Kelsey has skillfully negotiated many hurdles: remodeling the station, establishing a new studio transmitter link, and securing the budgetary independence. She was instrumental in hiring a new professional station engineer, after managing WSUM’s engineering needs herself for five months.”
Brannan is responsible for the station’s recruitment, training, facility maintenance, events and promotions, budget, vendor relations, and stewardship of the broadcast license.
Culver said that Brannan has enhanced the station’s educational mission.
“She excels in the recruitment, training and supervision of 20 paid student employees and hundreds of station volunteers engaged in a wide variety of programming activities including the music, public affairs, sports, live-streaming and podcasting. She maintains an inclusive community that provides students with a multitude of skills following high professional standards.”
Brannan also serves as a guest lecturer on campus, providing insights on topics like interviewing, media production, and the broadcasting industry. She also inspires high school students by providing tours and also hosting prospective UW students at the station.
“Kelsey’s stewardship at WSUM epitomizes excellence in leadership, task effectiveness and relational skills,” Culver wrote. “Her exceptional organizational skills and work ethic navigated WSUM through difficult circumstances, producing a string of impressive accomplishments. She is a dedicated mentor along WSUM students’ pathways through the UW and out into the professional world.”
Brannan describes her role at WSUM as her “best one yet” and she’s proud to have come full circle back to the station where she started.
“I love being in an exciting college radio environment and I feel fortunate to be surrounded by students who are so passionate about their work.”
She said successful future broadcasters are the ones who will embrace change.
“I feel energized when I can connect and collaborate with other young professionals who share my passion for being a force for good and growth within the broadcasting industry.”
Brannan said the power of broadcasting is in community.
“Broadcasters need to prioritize amplifying voices, experiences, and stories from every corner of their community and create opportunities to showcase such content on a variety of platforms.”
Brannan will be recognized at the 2025 Awards Gala on May 3 at the Madison Marriott West.
YP of the Month honorees and YP of the Year nominees included:
Genesis Lois, Seehafer Broadcasting
Eric Bauer, Seehafer Broadcasting
Emily Freitag, Seehafer Broadcasting
If you’d like to nominate a young professional for this recognition, you can do that here:
