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ALUMNI PROFILE
KEVIN MARTIN
“Everything is better told as if you’re writing a story— even office memos,” laughs Kevin
Martin (M’84), recalling a Harvard Business Review article he read early in his career.
“Effective communication skills are really vital to building and growing relationships and taking
intelligent risks.”
The importance of storytelling, critical thinking, and innovation was instilled in Martin as a child
growing up in Fort Wayne. “My mother was steadfast in her belief that reading held the secret to
success for anything I wanted to pursue. She loved literature, current events, and politics,” he
says. “My father was a true entrepreneur. He was always restless with social conventions and
sought experiences outside of the norms.” His parents’ influence directed Martin to Purdue,
where he focused on accounting and envisioned becoming a partner at a CPA firm. While
working long hours in the tax department of KPMG in Minneapolis, he happened to catch a
riveting documentary on the local public television station. This chance encounter completely
altered his career path.
Undaunted by his inexperience, Martin began researching the field of public media; what he
discovered intrigued him. The complexities and possibilities — from production and fundraising
to educational and entertainment aspects— fueled an excitement that hasn’t diminished after
more than two decades in the business. “I feel like I am more fortunate than most people I know
because I am a fanatic about the products and services that have been a part of my career for so
many years.”

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Executive positions at Twin Cities Public Television and KERA in Dallas led to an appointment
at the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, where Martin gained an understanding of public
media on a national level. Overseeing grant distributions to public television and radio stations
gave him an inside look at the major US markets. This perspective emphasized one company in
particular — KQED in San Francisco.
“In the Bay Area, there’s a spirit of innovation that permeates everything, but especially the
media industry. There’s almost a license to innovate,” he says. When he joined KQED as senior
vice president and chief operating officer in 2014, Martin took that license to heart. While the
organization is known outwardly as one of the most cutting-edge public media companies in the
United States, inwardly he was faced with outdated systems and complaints about innovation
blockers. “What I learned is that it’s rarely the people — it’s more often the systems and
processes they’re saddled with. If you don’t have support services like HR, legal, finance, and IT
in alignment with the spirit of innovation, it’s ultimately going to hold the organization back.”
Martin focused his efforts on addressing compliance policies and systems integration, allowing
the station to position itself for the future.
Today, Martin is anticipating seismic shifts in the media industry. With KQED’s proximity to
Silicon Valley, he’s witnessing the advent of self-driving cars and virtual reality and knows these
could significantly alter content delivery methods and audiences’ expectations. He describes a
sense of excitement and opportunity and feels fortunate to have a career in an industry that is
rapidly evolving. Fresh challenges inspire him; he hopes to be a part of revolutionary changes
and positively impact his community. He understands the possibility of that impact intimately.
“Public media has always been at the core of my life and my family’s household. I truly believe
it has given my children, Taylor and Drew, confidence in their knowledge about a wide array of
subjects and a sincere appreciation for and awareness of the world around them.” —MARY
MONICAL