Arkansas PBS Foundation hires Marge Betley as CEO

The Arkansas PBS Foundation board of directors has hired Marge Betley as its new CEO. Betley will begin in her new role on Monday, Sept. 28.

Betley’s career has spanned more than three decades in nonprofit leadership and fundraising in industries ranging from the arts to healthcare, behavioral health, and human/social services, for organizations with budgets of up to $60 million.

Most recently, Betley served as major gifts officer for Cape Fear Valley Health Foundation in North Carolina.

“The Arkansas PBS Foundation Board performed an extensive nationwide search to find the best candidate who would bolster fundraising efforts and grow membership for the network,” Foundation Board President Dr. S. Lynne Rich said. “We are confident that Marge Betley, with her nonprofit experience and belief in public media, will make great strides in securing the necessary resources to benefit all Arkansans.”

“In particular, Marge’s experience managing large campaigns and major donor relationships is in line with network needs for growing infrastructure, funding increased digital content, broadening content acquisition options for broadcast and Arkansas PBS Passport, and telling more local stories,” Arkansas PBS Executive Director and CEO Courtney Pledger said. “Her understanding of the work of PBS and Arkansas PBS from a creative perspective, combined with her passion for the mission of public media, make her an ideal candidate to lead our development efforts.”

“There’s never been a more important time than now for the Arkansas PBS Foundation,” Betley said. “PBS is the champion of education, science, art, diverse voices, and of equal access to culture and information of integrity. I am thrilled to join the Foundation, and to help create an even more vibrant future for Arkansas PBS programming and services across the state.”

Betley is a former Fulbright Scholar to Germany.