NPR Executive Producer Teshima Walker Dies at 44

RADIO ONLINE | Friday, August 16, 2013

The award-winning executive producer of NPR's "Tell Me More," Teshima Walker, died Friday morning at age 44 after a two-year battle with colon cancer. She is survived by her husband, writer Jimi Izrael, her parents, William and Vonceal Walker and her sister, Eureva Walker. Since 2011, Walker was the executive producer for the NPRs midday news program. Walker was part of the public radio family for more than a decade.

Walker first joined the afternoon newsmagazine "All Things Considered" as a journalism fellow in 2000. Later she spent three years as a producer for "The Tavis Smiley Show," and then for "News and Notes." In 2007, Walker signed on as senior supervising producer of "Tell Me More," and served the program in various capacities for the next six years. A Chicago native, Walker first came to NPR by way of WBEZ, where she was a senior producer for morning newsmagazine "Eight Forty-Eight."

"Teshima was a terrific journalist who worked tirelessly to bring new and diverse voices to air," said NPR News Programming Executive Editor Ellen McDonnell. "She was a phenomenal advocate for the show, the staff and the audience. 'Tell Me More,' and everyone who was lucky enough to work with Teshima, thrived under her leadership."

"Teshima made us all want to dig a little deeper, think harder, and be better," added 'Tell Me More" host Michel Martin. "She was everything you could want in a manager and friend: kind and open-hearted when you needed her to be, and tough, but fair, when you needed her to be. While I already miss her amazing laugh and her incredible off-key rendition of the "Happy Birthday" song, I know I am better for having heard them both."