NPR Names Nadine Zylstra Chief Content Officer

RADIO ONLINE | Monday, June 8, 2026 | 10:30pm CT

Nadine Zylstra (photo credit: Jalene Zabrucky)

NPR has appointed Nadine Zylstra as its new Chief Content Officer. She joins NPR from Pinterest, where Zylstra served as Global Head of Programming and Originals. In her new role, she will oversee NPR's content portfolio, leading more than 600 journalists and storytellers across news, arts and cultural programming, podcasts and NPR Music.

NPR President and CEO Katherine Maher said Zylstra's experience across media, technology and content creation made her the ideal choice to help guide the organization's future.

"To meet the evolving needs of our audiences, we knew we needed a visionary leader who understands both the responsibility of our public service mission and the dynamic strategies required to serve audiences in a crowded ecosystem," Maher said. "Nadine brings an extraordinarily rare blend of creative foresight, business acumen, and deep personal commitment to mission-driven storytelling."

As Chief Content Officer, Zylstra will be responsible for shaping NPR's content strategy, aligning programming with audience needs and emerging distribution opportunities, and driving innovation across the organization's journalism and cultural offerings.

Zylstra said her career experiences have prepared her for the role. "I am honored to serve NPR as its new Chief Content Officer," she said. "At Sesame Street, I learned how content can change the way people understand the world around them. At YouTube I learned to put the user at the center of the storytelling. Finally, at Pinterest I learned that there is a business to build around positivity."

At Pinterest, Zylstra oversaw the platform's editorial voice for more than 631 million monthly active users. Prior to Pinterest, she held several senior leadership positions at YouTube, including Global Head of YouTube Originals and Head of Kids and Learning Originals.