ARLINGTON, Va.—Larry Irving, president and CEO of the Irving Group, a consulting firm providing strategic advice and assistance to international telecommunications and information technology companies, foundations and nonprofits, has been elected to chair the PBS Board of Directors.
In a press statement, PBS President and CEO Paula Kerger said, “Larry Irving is a highly accomplished leader who comes into this role with extensive business experience, strategic savvy and a demonstrated commitment to public television. We are grateful to Larry for devoting his energy and passion to PBS and our member stations, as we carry forward our essential mission of service to the American people.”
In addition to leading the Irving Group, Irving currently serves as an operating partner and Chief Public Policy, ESG and DEI advisor to ZMC, a private equity investment firm. Irving previously served on the PBS Board of Directors from 2009–2019 and has played an instrumental role in guiding PBS through its ongoing digital transformation.
Irving was named Vice President for Global Government Affairs for the Hewlett-Packard Company, the world’s largest technology company. Prior to that, Irving served for almost seven years as assistant secretary of commerce for communications and information and administrator of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), where he was a principal advisor to the President, Vice President and Secretary of Commerce on domestic and international telecommunications and information technology issues.
During his time in the Clinton Administration, Irving was one of the principal architects and advocates of the nation’s telecommunications and internet policies and was a point person in the successful efforts to reform the United States’ telecommunications laws. Those efforts resulted in passage of the Telecommunications Act of 1996. Irving was also the senior counsel for the U.S. House of Representatives subcommittee on telecommunications and finance, where he helped draft and negotiate the Cable Television Consumer Protection Act, the Children’s Television Act, and Television Decoder Circuitry Act.
"It's a great honor to work with PBS and the Board to carry forward the incredible legacy of public television," said Irving. "PBS and its member stations have had an extraordinary impact on American culture and life, and I'm excited to join such an esteemed group of leaders in shaping and securing the future of this treasured institution."
The 27-person PBS Board includes both Professional Directors, who are station leaders, and General Directors, who serve as lay members of the Board, as well as the PBS President. The PBS Board of Directors is responsible for governing and setting policy for PBS. General and Professional Directors of the PBS Board are elected to three-year terms and serve without pay.
PBS member stations elect the Professional Directors. The General Directors are elected by the entire Board, as are the PBS President and the Board officers.
