With more than 15 years in the education and broadcast arena, Heather Birks has been named executive director of the Broadcast Education Association.
Birks spent 11 years with NAB, eventually working her way to the organization's education side. "Then I kind of fell into BEA through a program I ran called the Broadcast Leadership Training Program for aspiring broadcasters and station managers who wanted to work their way up the ladder," she recalled. "I really enjoyed the education side, so when this job came up, I knew I'd forever kick myself if I didn't take it."
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Birks described her new position as a fun challenge, and said her biggest hurdle is trying to keep up with technology. "We need to make sure that the colleges, universities and professors have the most up-to-date information," she said. "We have to keep up with the changing technologies and make sure we can relay that information to teachers so they can pass it on to their students."
Within the next five years, Birks wants to hone BEA's strengths while re-evaluating its mission. "Broadcast isn't what it used to be; the lines are blurred. It's not just radio and television anymore," she offered. "Now you're developing content for various types of devices, so finding ways that we can bring all that together is a long-term goal of mine."
BEA will continue to offer useful tools to its members, such as case studies. This year, the organization launched a case study competition coupled with a seminar that will focus on the challenges that lie ahead for broadcasters and how they can prepare for the digital transition. The winner will be announced during BEA2007 this month in Las Vegas, NV, and the seminar is scheduled for this fall.
"We're looking for people to come up with unique ideas for broadcasters," Birks explained. "We plan to share some of these case studies with NAB, and we want teachers to use them in their classrooms as well."
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