Kevin Klose

Kevin Klose (b. Toronto, Ontario, Canada, September 1, 1940) is a journalist, author, broadcast executive, and academic administrator, currently serving as the dean of the Philip Merrill College of Journalism at the University of Maryland, College Park. He was, until September 2008, the president of National Public Radio (NPR), the United States' largest nonprofit radio outlet for news and cultural programming. He served in this position beginning in December 1998, and also served as the organization's chief executive officer from 1998 to 1999. He was also a member of NPR's corporate Board of Directors, and a Trustee of the NPR Foundation.

Klose grew up in Red Hook, New York. His parents, Woody and Virginia Taylor Klose, were radio producers and writers during the 1930s and 1940s.

Prior to his tenure at National Public Radio, Klose was for 25 years an editor and reporter at The Washington Post. From 1994 to 1997, he served as president of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL).

Some criticized the choice of Kevin Klose to be the head of NPR because he "used to be the director of all major worldwide US government propaganda dissemination broadcast media including VOA, Radio Liberty, Radio Free Europe, Radio Free Asia, Worldnet Television and the anti-Castro Radio/TV Marti." 

Klose is a graduate of Harvard University, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree, cum laude, in 1962. He has authored five books. He serves on the Advisory Board of the University of Southern California Center on Public Diplomacy.

He lives in Washington, D.C.

Published works

Russia and the Russians. W. W. Norton & Company. 1984. ISBN 978-0393303124 (1986 paperback).

Typhoon Shipments. W. W. Norton & Company. 1980. ISBN 978-0393335880

(source:wikipedia)