Michael Isip

Michael is President of KQED, the San Francisco Bay Area’s PBS and NPR media resource.

As a media executive, Michael combines the values of creativity, collaboration, inclusivity and integrity to use journalism, media and technology for good.

For almost a quarter of a century, Michael has used the power of media to build empathy, foster understanding and bring people together. From productions about the working uninsured and mental illness and homelessness, to the development of an online hub to showcase the breadth, depth and diversity of Bay Area arts and culture, and to driving KQED’s transformation into a multimedia organization, Michael’s focus has been serving the community.

Michael joined KQED in 2001 as a Television Executive Producer and has served in a number of senior-level roles, including Chief Content Officer and Chief Operating Officer. Michael has led strategic initiatives enabling KQED to become one of the largest and most successful public media institutions. Michael shepherded KQED’s growth in multimedia production and distribution. Additionally, he has centered operations on engaging audiences across multiple platforms by restructuring KQED around multimedia teams in news, arts, science, education and digital products. This restructure brought upgrades to technological infrastructure, facilitated greater collaboration and increased digital content and services. KQED’s total audience and membership are at all-time highs. Each week almost one in two adults in the Bay Area use a KQED service and KQED has more than 238,000 members.

Prior to KQED, Michael led production at KVIE Public Television, Sacramento. He started his career at WLS-TV, Chicago. Michael is a senior fellow for the American Leadership Forum, Silicon Valley and serves on the boards of Public Radio Exchange (PRX), American Documentary Inc., Joint Venture Silicon Valley, and the Silicon Valley Leadership Group. Michael has a B.A. from Cornell University and a J.D. from DePaul College of Law.