Public Media Executive Debbi Hinton Joins Sunnylands Leadership Team

RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif., Jan. 31, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Debbi Hinton, the highly regarded executive vice president and chief financial officer for Los Angeles public television station KCET, has joined the leadership team of the Annenberg Foundation Trust at Sunnylands as Chief Financial and Administrative Officer.

"As we begin to build The Annenberg Retreat at Sunnylands into an institution of international significance, we are very fortunate to have Debbi Hinton in this important leadership role," said Sunnylands Trust president Geoffrey Cowan. "She has demonstrated exceptional skills as one of the region's top nonprofit organization executives. In addition, her experience building and running KCET Desert Cities underscores her keen understanding and commitment to this vibrant community."

"The Annenbergs left an extraordinary gift to our nation and our community when they created The Annenberg Retreat at Sunnylands," said Hinton. "I am very excited to be able to play a part in fulfilling their amazing vision and honored to have this opportunity to work with Geoff Cowan and the Sunnylands trustees and staff to build an organization that will help a new generation of international leaders advance global understanding."

For the last decade, Hinton oversaw daily operations for KCET and was responsible for its budget and finances. In addition, she directed KCET's business development efforts and was general manager of KCET Desert Cities, KCET's regional service in the Coachella Valley. Before joining KCET, Hinton spent 16 years at Oregon Public Broadcasting, including two years as Executive Vice President, where she had oversight of content development for all media, as well as for content distribution and business development.

Hinton joins a Sunnylands leadership team that includes:

• Kathleen Hall Jamieson, director of programs. Jamieson is the Walter and Leonore Annenberg Director of the Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania. An award-winning teacher and scholar, she is the author or co-author of 16 books, most recently The Obama Victory: How Media, Money, and Messages Shaped the 2008 Election. She previously served as dean of the University of Pennsylvania's Annenberg School for Communication.
• Cinny Kennard, senior adviser to the president for strategic planning. An award-winning journalist and media executive, Kennard is also a special advisor to the Federal Communications Commission. She is the former managing director of NPR West and previously worked at CBS News as an international correspondent and bureau chief in London, Moscow and the Persian Gulf. Kennard will be based in Sunnylands' Los Angeles office.
• Robin Kramer, senior adviser to the president for operations. Kramer is former chief of staff to Los Angeles Mayors Antonio Villaraigosa and Richard Riordan. She has held leadership roles with several nonprofit organizations, including the Coro Foundation and the Broad Foundation. She chairs the Pitzer College board of trustees and serves on the board of the Los Angeles Harbor Commission. Kramer will be based in Sunnylands' Los Angeles office.
• Janice Lyle, director of the Sunnylands Museum and Desert Gardens. A respected museum and nonprofit organization leader with more than 25 years experience, Lyle served as executive director of the Palm Springs Art Museum from 1994-2007. She has been Center Director at Sunnylands since 2008.

In addition, Cowan has recruited Derek Shearer and Geoffrey Baum to serve as senior consultants. Shearer is a former U.S. Ambassador who now serves as a professor and director of global affairs for Occidental College. He will consult on retreat development. Baum is managing director at the Center on Communication Leadership & Policy at the USC Annenberg School for Communication & Journalism. He is a former assistant vice president for public relations at Claremont McKenna College and a former executive producer for C-SPAN. Baum will consult on communications and public affairs.

The Annenberg Foundation Trust at Sunnylands, which operates The Annenberg Retreat at Sunnylands, is an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit operating entity established by the Annenberg Foundation to hold high level retreats that address serious issues facing the nation and the world community and to educate the public on the historical significance of Sunnylands. More information may be found online at www.sunnylands.org.

CONTACT: Geoffrey Baum, +1-213-821-0061, or Mary Perry, +1-760-328-2829

SOURCE The Annenberg Foundation Trust at Sunnylands