Dolores Fernandez Alonso (20+ Years of Local Public Media Service)
Dolores Fernandez Alonso serves as the President & CEO of South Florida PBS, the merged organization that brings together WPBT2 and WXEL to collectively represent the 7th largest TV market in the United States. She is one of the first women in PBS to have led a merger, to launch a 24/7 Health Channel and to have quadrupled the size of the South Florida PBS endowment.
Ms. Fernandez Alonso is a visionary and a leader in NEXTGEN TV and immersive media, preparing her stations to meet the demands of ATSC 3.0. She is a strong proponent of experiential learning and as such, has made it an integral part of South Florida PBS’ mission. This has resulted in the creation of Emmy award-winning 360-degree content and educational apps. Her leadership in integrating the digital space into all station productions has propelled exponential growth on SFPBS’s streaming and social media platforms with YouTube views increasing 130% in the last year. Through targeted strategies and philanthropic engagement, she has secured funding for the renovation and expansion of our flagship SFPBS studios in Palm Beach County including a new Cultural Arts Center complete with an IglooVision immersive studio, Performance Hall and spaces providing for lifelong learning, entertainment and inspirational experiences for our entire South Florida community.
Ms. Fernandez Alonso began her television career in 1990 at the international newsgathering division of Disney/ABC News Inc. - Worldwide Television News in New York, NY. In 1998, Dolores joined WPBT2 as Vice President for Facilities Services where she was responsible for the for-profit activities. She was promoted to Station Manager in 2002 and to Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer in 2003. She then became President & CEO in September 2013 and transitioned to her current position of President & CEO of South Florida PBS in October 2017.
Ms. Fernandez Alonso currently serves as a Board Director of Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) and as a member of its Finance Committee and Station Services Committee; Board Trustee of America’s Public Television Stations (APTS) and a member of its Finance and Membership Committee; Member, The Strategic Forum; Member, NSU Levan Ambassadors Board; Member, FIU School of Communication, Architecture and Arts Advisory Board; past Chair and current Board Member of Florida Public Media, a statewide consortium of Florida public television and radio stations; past President, International Women’s Forum (IWF) Florida Forum and current Board Member of the International Women’s Forum (IWF) North America Global Forum; additionally, she is past Chair of the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce (GMCC) Nonprofit Business Committee, and of the GMCC Creative Industries Committee.
As a proud bilingual Hispanic, Ms. Fernandez Alonso earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Spanish Literature from Columbia University and a Master’s in Business Administration from the University of Miami.
