Fred Rogers Names CEO

The Fred Rogers Company has promoted Paul Siefken to the position of president and chief executive officer, effective Jan. 1, 2017.

April 6, 2018

Current CEO and president Bill Isler will retire from the company at the end of the year.

He will succeed Bill Isler, who will be retiring from the company.

As president and CEO, Siefken will aim to further develop the company’s existing and new partnerships to ensure that it continues to perform well in educational children’s media on broadcast and digital platforms.

During his tenure as vice president of broadcast and digital media, Siefken has been responsible for steering the company’s broadcast content, managing the digital production pipelines for its three standout series and working with their respective production partners. He has also spearheaded initiatives that have taken the three programs into communities around the country by working with public TV stations, museums, science centers and libraries, among other organizations.

Before joining the company in 2013, Siefken spent nearly 10 years at PBS, most recently as director of children’s

programming. Prior to that, he managed sponsored promotions and media relations, as well as produced interactive content, for Cartoon Network.

“Paul is the perfect leader to take The Fred Rogers Company to the next important phase in its exciting evolution,” says Isler. “I’ve been fortunate to have had the chance to work closely with Paul for a number of years now, and I know that the company and its mission benefit greatly from his creativity, integrity and vision. I am confident The Fred Rogers Company will continue to thrive under his capable leadership in the years ahead.”