Public Media Company Welcomes Marco Cardamone and Poppy MacDonald to Its Board of Directors

This summer the board of Public Media Company (PMC) unanimously approved the additions of Marco Cardamone and Poppy MacDonald to its Board of Directors.

“I am excited to welcome Marco and Poppy to our board,” said Susan Harmon, Chair of the Board. “Both directors bring extensive experience to our organization, which will be invaluable as PMC continues its work to grow public media service across the country.”

Marco Cardamone

Based in Pittsburgh, PA, Marco Cardamone is an entrepreneur, founder, and CEO of Merging Media, Inc., a digital media production and communications company. Throughout his career, he has helped organizations use emerging technologies, strategic communications, and digital media to expand their reach and impact.

Marco has a long history with public media and with PMC. He first collaborated with Public Media Company in 2010 while serving as Board Chair of WYEP, Pittsburgh’s Triple-A music station. During his tenure, WYEP successfully acquired WDUQ, the city’s longtime jazz station, and transformed it into WESA, Pittsburgh’s first 24-hour NPR news and information station. Marco subsequently served as WESA’s founding Board Chair from 2011 through 2017, helping guide the organization through its launch and early growth.

His nonprofit leadership extends beyond public media. Marco has served on the boards of organizations including the Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation and the Green Building Alliance, where he focused on issues ranging from civic engagement and historic preservation to environmental sustainability.

Marco’s experience as an entrepreneur, nonprofit board leader, and longtime public media advocate will bring valuable perspective to PMC as we work with organizations across the country to navigate a rapidly changing media environment and build stronger, more sustainable institutions.

Poppy MacDonald

Based in Vancouver, WA, Poppy MacDonald is President of NationSwell, a national membership community that brings together senior leaders from corporations, foundations, nonprofits, investment firms, and civic organizations to develop solutions to society’s most pressing challenges.

Poppy has spent her career helping organizations build trust by making complex information more accessible, understandable, and actionable. Before joining NationSwell, she served as President of USAFacts, the nonpartisan civic initiative founded by Steve Ballmer to make government data more accessible and understandable. During her tenure, she helped transform USAFacts from an early-stage startup into one of the nation’s most trusted public data platforms, growing its audience from thousands to more than one million monthly users while overseeing product, engineering, marketing, research, and operations.

Earlier in her career, Poppy served as President and Chief Operating Officer of POLITICO and President and Publisher of National Journal. She also held senior leadership positions at Gallup, where she helped launch and grow data-driven products serving government, healthcare, and commercial organizations. She currently serves as an advisor to Atlas Obscura, supporting the company’s growth strategy and mission to inspire curiosity through storytelling and discovery.

Poppy’s experience leading mission-driven organizations, building audiences, and making complex information useful to the public aligns closely with PMC’s commitment to strengthening local media and helping public media organizations adapt and thrive. Her background across journalism, civic information, technology, and organizational leadership will provide an important perspective as PMC looks toward the future of public media.

Looking Ahead

“This is an important moment for public service media,” said Tim Isgitt, CEO of PMC. “Marco and Poppy bring diverse experiences and a shared commitment to strengthening local service to our board. We look forward to working with and learning from them in the days and years ahead.”

To learn more about our board, please visit: https://publicmedia.co/board/.