Neal B. Shapiro, A80

Neal Shapiro is President and CEO of WNET in New York City, the largest public media enterprise in the U.S. Reaching 7 million viewers per week, WNET presents the highest quality arts, education, history and news and public affairs programming on three broadcast stations — Thirteen, WLIW21, and NJTV–as well as digital broadcast stations Create, World and ALL ARTS, the first multi-platform arts and culture channel powered by public media.

Since joining WNET in 2007, Shapiro has led the organization into the new era of media, launching Passport, the first public television streaming service and Wavelength, an online content sharing portal, and opening state-of-the-art studios in Lincoln Center and Newark, N.J.

In 2018, Shapiro brought a new late-night program to PBS in partnership with CNN.  “Amanpour & Company” features internationally renowned anchor Christiane Amanpour with four contributors: Walter Isaacson, Michel Martin, Hari Sreenivasan and Alicia Mendendez.

Shapiro has won 32 Emmys, 31 Edward R Murrow Awards and three Columbia-DuPont awards.

Shapiro serves on the Boards of PBS, TEGNA, American Documentary (AMDOC), the Institute for Non-profit News (INN), the International Academy of Television Arts and Sciences and The Edward R. Murrow Center.

Shapiro graduated magna cum laude from Tufts University in 1980 with degrees in history and political science. He has taught journalism at Tufts and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism and has lectured at many universities, including MIT and Stanford.

Shapiro lives in New York City with his wife, Juju Chang, and their three children.

He was elected to the Tufts University Board of Trustees in 2008.