Gemma Hooley

Gemma Hooley is the Senior Vice President for Member Partnership at NPR.

In this role, Hooley leads the team responsible for maintaining the day-to-day business relationship with Member stations and other broadcast partners, working with executives, producers, marketers and content decision makers on strategies to grow and serve the audience. Hooley plays a leadership role in strategic projects with Member stations in the fields of content development, collaborative fundraising, digital distribution and audience engagement.

Arriving at NPR in 2000, Hooley has served as a program services associate, manager of station relations, and, until her appointment as VP in January 2014, as senior director of member partnership.

She was named SVP in September 2018 in recognition of her leadership of our collaborative business relationship with hundreds of NPR Member stations. During her tenure, she and her team have significantly strengthened that essential partnership, which enables NPR to grow and Member stations to better serve millions of listeners every week.

Hooley came to the United States from her native South Africa in 1996, to attend graduate school. After completing her degree, she worked for an independent multimedia production non-profit in Washington, D.C., where she managed, produced and edited the weekly award-winning documentary series Soundprint.

From 1990-1996, Hooley worked in South Africa for the U.S. State Department in the office of the (former) United States Information Agency as a cultural affairs and press specialist. During this significant period in U.S.-South African relations, she helped develop and implement public affairs strategies and outreach in support of official U.S. political, arts, cultural and media programs.

Hooley holds a honors Bachelor of Arts degree in Anthropology and English from the University of Cape Town, and an Master of Arts degree in Public Communications from American University in Washington, D.C. She is a 2014 Punch Sulzberger Fellow at Columbia University.