American University named Kara Kearns COO of news/talk WAMU Washington, DC (88.5). Kearns was previously the Director of Emerson Collective’s Media and Journalism Portfolio. In that capacity, she served as the founding Chief Operating Officer of The Meteor media organization, reports Inside Radio.

Previously, Kearns served as a publisher of a political magazine start-up, in partnership with Emerson Collective, and was the Director of Operations at Politico, where she served as a senior advisor for the COO. She is also a co-founder of the Politico Journalism Institute, an annual summer program for college students.

Kearns began her journalism career serving as Deputy Political Editor for NBC News Digital. She has also held roles at The Associated Press, MSNBC, and CBS News.

According to Inside Radio, “Kearns assumes leadership of one of the country’s leading public radio stations, and the ratings leader in the Washington, DC market. In the just-released Nielsen Holiday PPM report, WAMU posted its 13th straight win and ninth straight double-digit 6+ share.”

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PHOTO: WAMU