Holly Kernan

Holly Kernan is the President & CEO of Nashville Public Radio, where she leads a dynamic portfolio of radio stations and digital media platforms. She oversees WPLN 90.3FM, Nashville’s local news and NPR member station, WNXP 91.1FM, the city’s vibrant and locally curated music discovery station, and a growing suite of digital products including the NashVillager newsletter and podcast, Curious Nashville, and Nashville Classical (90.3 HD2).

Holly brings decades of public media leadership to Nashville. She previously served as Chief Content Officer at KQED in San Francisco, one of the nation’s largest and most influential public media organizations, where she was instrumental in its transformation into a “digital-first” newsroom. Before that, she was News and Public Affairs Director at KALW, where she founded the award-winning Public Interest Reporting Project, helping to train a new generation of journalists.

Holly has long been committed to mentorship and education. She launched a journalism training program at Mills College and has taught at the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism, Santa Rosa Junior College, and San Francisco State University.

She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Spanish Language and Literature from UC Santa Barbara and a Master’s degree from New York University.