NFCB Leadership

JC (he/him) is a native of Durham, North Carolina. He is a Public Media Diversity Fellow from the Riley Institute at Furman University. Along with being a founding coalition member of Public Media for All, he serves as a fundraising production consultant with Trac Media where he works with PBS and NPR stations in non-traditional development strategies. In 2021, he took his more than 15 years of public and commercial media experience to co-found OLAS Media in San Diego, CA – a binational, podcast marketing agency focused on helping content creators “Amplify their Brand”. He’s most passionate about assisting media leaders, the true stewards of information, in reaching audiences often overlooked. JC is a proud alum of Elizabeth City State University, an HBCU in the University of North Carolina System.

Alisa Barba has been working in public radio since 1999 when she joined NPR as one of two Western Bureau Chiefs. A decade later she left NPR to edit and manage a series of local journalism collaborations including Fronteras, covering immigration and border issues, and Inside Energy, overing energy development and climate change. From 2019 until 2025 she was Managing Director of America Amplified, an initiative funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting to support more community engagement in public media newsrooms. She’s a passionate advocate for local journalism and community broadcasting.

Antonio Ortiz has been working in community media for 25 years. He started in PEG Access TV with Berkeley Community Media in the City of Berkeley, CA, and then made his way to and continues to work for KPFA Radio. Antonio has filled many roles at KPFA, as a volunteer apprentice, a Board Operator/Engineering Assistant, a Union Steward for the station’s bargaining unit with CWA Local 9415, an Operations Manager, and now the Interim General Manager. He also did a short stint as Technical Producer with Free Speech Radio News, a worker-run collective daily 30-minute national newscast. Through his years in community media, he’s learned to “lean into the discomfort.” His values are for collaboration, creativity and harmony.

Carl A’see is the General Manager of Statement Media (WSSB, WOBS, and WPJK) at South Carolina State University. He also heads the training program at WSSB for students interested in radio broadcasting. Carl has broadcast experience in public and commercial radio, higher education and the non-profit sector.

Kerry Semrad joined the staff at KZUM in Lincoln NE as General Manager in 2016 after working in the financial sector for 11 years. She hosts a weekly jazz program on KZUM and is an accomplished musician. Kerry is passionate about engaging with her community through the radio station, developing programming and working with KZUM’s numerous volunteers.

Llu (as DJ Llu) has been on the airwaves in Vermont since 1994. Starting in community radio while in high school, Llu has been on commercial, college, and community stations across the state. A lifelong Vermonter, Llu is a passionate community organizer, with a long history in nonprofit work with the queer youth community, community media, the arts, and political campaigns. Since 2021, they have served as the Executive Director for Central Vermont Community Radio, the community organization that took on ownership of WGDR and WGDH, the community/college stations of the now closed Goddard College. In a short time, the station’s achieved significant milestones to quickly become a leader in Vermont in locally focused content, emergency response, and community radio being a source of connection in an increasingly disconnected moment.

Elva De La Torre (she/ella/they) is the proud daughter of Mexican immigrants and the first Latinx Executive Director of KXCI Community Radio. Elva grew up in Los Angeles where she obtained a degree in Media Communications from California State University. She has worked with nonprofits and in community education and training for nearly 30 years including a decade-long stint with the Peace Corps in Latin American and the Asia-Pacific region. She began her involvement with KXCI as a volunteer in 2010.

Clayton Barsoum is Director of Public Policy for IAB. In this role, he engages with federal policymakers and their staff on issues affecting the digital advertising ecosystem, working with industry stakeholders and IAB member companies to advance responsible, effective public policy solutions. Previously, Mr. Barsoum served as Executive Vice President, External Affairs, Chief of Staff, and Corporate Secretary at the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. There, he led CPB’s engagement with Congress, the Administration, and public media stakeholders to promote awareness of CPB’s stewardship of federal funds and its mission to provide all Americans with high-quality public media services. He also advised the President and Board of Directors and helped ensure effective coordination across the Corporation’s operations. Mr. Barsoum brings extensive experience in government affairs, public policy, and political strategy. Earlier in his career, he managed operational and grassroots efforts for electoral campaigns at the state, local, and presidential levels. He also provided government affairs consulting services to national nonprofits and participated in the Friedrich Naumann Foundation’s Transatlantic Dialogue Program, fostering policy exchanges between the U.S. and Germany. He holds a bachelor’s degree in political science and government from the University of Texas at Arlington and a master’s degree in public policy from American University, where he also participated in the Public Affairs and Advocacy Institute.

Hugo Morales is a Mixtec Indian from the Mexican state of Oaxaca who, at the age of nine, immigrated to California with his family. He grew up picking grapes and attending public school in Sonoma County, CA, and then went on to graduate from Harvard College and Harvard Law School. In 1976, he was the galvanizing force behind a group of Latino farmworkers, artists, activists, and teachers that founded Radio Bilingüe in California’s San Joaquin Valley. Morales has led the organization ever since. His recognitions include the MacArthur Foundation Fellowship, the Lannan Foundation Cultural Freedom Prize the Corporation for Public Broadcasting Edward R. Murrow Award, as was named National Endowment for the Arts Heritage Fellow in 2020. In 2023, Morales received an honorary doctorate from Harvard University in recognition of his decades of work in amplifying the voices of Latinos on the nation's airwaves.

A. Rima Dael has over 30 years of experience working with nonprofit organizations in Public Media, Arts, Education & the Human Service sectors. She came to NFCB after serving as General Manager of WSHU Public Radio and as a board member of National Public Radio (NPR). Before that, Rima worked at New England Public Media (NEPM). Rima is passionate about the essential role of public media in our communities and the transformational power of the arts. Rima was a founding faculty member in the Nonprofit Management & Philanthropy master’s degree program at Bay Path University and a past Executive Director of Country Dance & Song Society (CDSS). She is also a sought-after presenter and speaker at conferences, workshops and retreats for nonprofit organizations.

Originally from the Philippines, Rima spent her early years in Connecticut, and in several Southeast Asian countries. Rima received her bachelor’s degree in Anthropology and Theatre Arts from Mt. Holyoke College. Her master’s degree is in Nonprofit Management from the Milano School of Management & Urban Policy at the New School University where she was a Community Development Finance Fellow. Rima lives in CT with her husband, teen son, their dog, two guinea pigs and a gecko.

Gretchen Aston-Puckett joined NFCB’s staff in 2016, after serving as Development and Membership Director at community radio station KVNF in Paonia, Colorado. Previously, she served for nearly a decade as Development Director at High Country News, a non-profit media organization that reports on the American West’s natural and human communities. In addition to overseeing day-to-day operations and collaborating with her colleagues at NFCB, she enjoys spending time outside with a camera in hand and going on adventures with her family and friends.

Serah Mead brings more than 20 years of non-profit experience to the hard working team at NFCB. Serah earned her BFA in Graphic Design from California College of the Art where she honed her passion for design thinking, creative expression, radical inclusivity, and the power of mass communication. She’s a certified Change Leader through the Utah Division of Arts and Museums, a graduate of the Emerging Leaders Institute through the Foundation of the Alliance for Community Media and of the Waypoint Intercultural Leadership Cohort and Certificate Program course. Serah has served on boards for both arts and media organizations. Before NFCB, Serah led as Executive Director and General Manager for KZMU Moab Community Radio. Serah lives in Moab, Utah with her kid Verdell.