CINCINNATI — The E.W. Scripps Company is preparing to launch a nationwide search for the next president and CEO of the Scripps Howard Fund and Scripps Howard Foundation.
Liz Carter, current president and CEO, will retire in May after nine years, during which she significantly grew the scope and impact of the company’s philanthropic work.
The E.W. Scripps Company is the parent company of WCPO.
The Scripps Howard Fund distributed $8.7 million in grants in 2023 to programs for journalism education; childhood literacy; and causes in communities where the company does business.
“Liz is a champion of building thriving communities and creating journalistic excellence, and I see her consistently live out its motto to give light and change lives,” said Adam Symson, Scripps president and CEO. “Under Liz’s leadership and vision, the Foundation/Fund has trained thousands of journalists and furthered American investigative journalism, put a million books in the hands of underprivileged children, and broadened the reach and prestige of the Scripps Howard Awards for journalism excellence.”
In 2016, Carter created and launched an annual childhood literacy fund-raising campaign, “If You Give a Child a Book ...” It began as a Scripps employee engagement effort and has evolved into a nationwide campaign where viewers in Scripps’ local markets can contribute dollars for books and local news teams distribute the books at area schools through Scholastic book fairs. The campaign has now distributed more than 1 million books to children in need across the nation.
In 2022, Carter launched the Scripps Howard Fund, a public charity, which engages with a wide range of stakeholders across the country and reinforces the connection of Scripps’ local stations to the communities they serve through local philanthropic campaigns.
Carter also established emergency grants to help Scripps employees navigate urgent financial needs during the COVID-19 pandemic and in the aftermath of Hurricane Ian. She helped establish the Howard Centers for Investigative Journalism at the University of Maryland and Arizona State University. And she partnered with Scripps’ local stations to help with causes important to their communities, including food insecurity and domestic violence.
“My time at Scripps has been among the most rewarding of my career, and I will leave knowing the Scripps Howard Fund is in very good hands,” Carter said. “The Fund is well positioned to take on new opportunities and challenges. That gives me a great deal of peace and hope for the future. I can’t wait to see what comes next.”
Prior to joining Scripps, Carter served as executive director of the Cincinnati nonprofit St. Vincent de Paul.
The company will begin an immediate search for Carter’s replacement.
