Atlanta - The Integrated Media Association (iMA), an organization focused on harnessing the power of the Internet and other new media platforms for the benefit of public media, announced today it has begun a revitalization initiative designed to identify and implement new ways to invigorate the organization and provide fundamental value to its members. The iMA board of directors also announced today it has appointed Jeannie Ericson its new Executive Director.
iMA, founded in 1997, facilitates collaboration among public media professionals on the use of emerging digital media platforms, and hosts the only annual digital media conference in public media.
“This is an exciting time for iMA as we stand at the crossroad of change and opportunity in the public media arena,” said Milton Clipper, President and CEO of Public Broadcasting Atlanta and new Chair of the iMA Board of Directors. “Our charge today is to redefine what it means to be a public media service. We must be smart enough to sense changing needs and have the inventive courage to meet those needs – enabling us not only to make the digital transition but to also transition ourselves to provide new, viable services that our audiences will continue to rely upon for education, news, information and entertainment.”
“We are fortunate to have Jeannie Ericson join us as iMA’s new executive director,” Clipper continued. “She is especially well-positioned to lead iMA by leveraging PBA resources to energize and reinvigorate the organization, ultimately ensuring that public media continues to have a prominent and trusted position in the digital age.”
Ericson brings a background rich in technology to iMA. For the last 20 years, Ericson has spent her career helping companies including IBM and The Coca-Cola Company make the most of new technologies – from the early days of “multimedia” and the first internet sites to Web 2.0 and today’s social media tools. She also served as PBA’s Director of Lens on Atlanta, the first regionally-focused online community in the country.
“I feel fortunate to have this opportunity because I believe iMA can make a difference,” said Ericson. “I see a bright future for public media; one where we are working together to grow our audience and capabilities; a future where we are sharing knowledge assets and using technology as a competitive advantage. Technology will not only help us expand our reach, it will be instrumental in helping us become a tightly-knit community. It is iMA’s mission to help lead the way toward a collaborative public media community that embraces change and instinctively knows how to leverage new technologies.
The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) is supportive of iMA’s revitalization initiative. CPB President and CEO Pat Harrison said, “I am confident that through Milton Clipper’s leadership and with Jeannie Ericson as Executive Director, iMA will play a significant role on behalf of public media, strengthening digital, diversity and dialogue.”
