Holly Kernan

Reviewer
DISC Type : Ci

President and CEO at Nashville Public Radio

Oakland, California, United States

Overview

Holly Kernan is the President and CEO of Nashville Public Radio, bringing over two decades of experience in public media leadership. A graduate of NYU and UC Santa Barbara, she previously served as Chief Content Officer at KQED. Colleagues often describe her as a visionary, an excellent leader, and a nurturer of talent.

Since moving to Nashville, Holly has been embracing her new city, from experiencing major weather events to enjoying performances at the Grand Ole Opry. Her focus remains on community service through storytelling. Her husband is the executive editor of Soccer America.

Interesting fact: She was named "Journalist of the Year" in 2009 by the Northern California Society of Professional Journalists for her work at KALW.

Personality Overview

Informal Yet Blunt

Late Adopter

Challenger

They can sound friendly and charming but can quickly change gears to become inquisitive and probing.  They often ask many questions and rely heavily on information and documentation. They are generally good communicators and can be hard to convince.

Topics They Care About

Public Service Journalism
Her entire career is dedicated to public media, focusing on community engagement, solutions, and fundraising to support public interest reporting.
Community Storytelling
She emphasizes centering inclusion and community representation across all content, a theme evident in her work at both KQED and Nashville Public Radio.
Media Fundraising
Highlights the challenge of losing federal financial support for public broadcasting, positioning it as a catalyst for new funding strategies.

Media Appearances

Nashville Public Radio names Holly Kernan of KQED as President and CEO. Featured in WPLN (Nashville Public Radio)

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Nashville Public Radio hires Holly Kernan as CEO - Current.org. Featured in Current.org

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Behind the Scenes: With Holly Kernan of Nashville Public Radio. Featured in NFocus Magazine

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Work History

7-2025
President and CEO at Nashville Public Radio
10-2018 - 7-2025
Chief Content Officer at KQED
9-2014 - 9-2018
VP, News at KQED
7-2004 - 9-2014
News Director at KALW public radio

Education

1988 - 1990
Master's degree from New York University
1984 - 1988
Bachelor's degree from University of California, Santa Barbara

More Information

Social Presence :

Prographics :

Exp : 21 Location : Oakland, California, United States Job Level : Leadership Designation : President and CEO at Nashville Public Radio
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Insights For Selling To Holly

During A Call Or A Meeting

DO's

  • Ask them questions to understand their needs better while staying affable
  • Help them realize that there is no personal risk in making this decision
  • Help them understand the risk aspect fully while inspiring confidence

DONT's

  • Don’t try to rush them into a decision, provide all necessary information first
  • Don’t rely excessively on your relationship with them to win the deal
  • Don’t brush off any concerns, take all questions seriously

When Cold Calling

When Writing An Email

While Negotiating & Closing

    The secret to closing fast with Holly is

  • Clear proof of product value matters to them, followed by others' testimonials and rapport.
  • Will you ever get a clear answer from Holly

  • They are practical and friendly, don't expect a clear-cut response often.

Insights For Deal Planning

    How fast (or slow) will Holly move?

  • They like to perform full analysis and can take time to make any decision.
  • Can Holly take some risk or not?

  • They systematically evaluate all decisions and are unlikely to take many risks.

You And Holly

Personality Compatibility


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