The PA Environmental Council Monday named Josh Raulerson its new Director of Communications.

A longtime radio journalist, Raulerson will work from the Pittsburgh office to coordinate PEC’s messaging across media platforms. He comes to PEC from Pittsburgh NPR station 90.5 WESA, where he has served as the local host of Morning Edition since 2011.

“As a reporter and anchor covering Pennsylvania I’ve come to know PEC as an organization that isn’t simply engaged in advocacy, but is also effecting meaningful outcomes through smart policy and community-level projects,” Raulerson said. “It’s a team I’m proud and extremely excited to join.”

“We are thrilled to have Josh join the PEC team. Our goal with communications is not simply to talk about PEC – we see a central core of our mission as helping people become better and more informed stewards of our common wealth. By effectively using the right mix of communications channels, I think that we can effectively communicate complex issues to help Pennsylvanians better make decisions about their own positions and communities.” said Davitt Woodwell, President of PEC. “Josh brings an engaging, thoughtful, and experienced voice that will help PEC communicate the goals and reach of our work, as well as the broader opportunities and challenges facing the Commonwealth.”

In addition to serving as a liaison to the public, Raulerson will produce and curate content for PEC’s multimedia channels, including web stories, video, audio, and social media.

Drawing on his experience developing digital programming for public media, he will also take on production of PEC’s recently launched Pennsylvania Legacies podcast.

“Nonprofits outside of the media industry are only just beginning to realize the power of podcasting as a way to disseminate their message, engage with supporters, and find new ones,” Raulerson said. “PEC is leagues ahead of many of its contemporaries in recognizing this potential, and I’m thrilled to have this opportunity to explore it.”

Raulerson grew up in the Midwest and was heard on Iowa Public Radio stations WOI, WSUI and KSUI for six years before becoming News Director at Aspen Public Radio (KAJX) in Aspen, Colorado in 2006.

“I came to western Pennsylvania for work, but I put down roots in large part because I’ve fallen in love with the natural beauty of this region,” Raulerson said. “Camping in state parks is a favorite activity for my family, and as a runner and cyclist I feel incredibly lucky to have access to the trail systems here. I’ve benefited directly from PEC’s work in conservation and promoting outdoor recreation, so it’s personally very satisfying to know I’ll be supporting those efforts.”

Raulerson holds a Ph.D. in English from the University of Iowa. His adapted doctoral thesis, Singularities: Technoculture, Transhumanism, and Science Fiction in the 21st Century (Liverpool University Press, 2013), was a 2014 finalist for the Science Fiction and Technoculture Studies Book Prize from the University of California at Riverside.

He has received honors for journalism from the Pennsylvania Associated Press Broadcasters Association, the Press Club of Western Pennsylvania, the Colorado Associated Press Broadcasters Association, and the Iowa Associated Press Broadcasters Association.

Josh can be contacted by sending email to: jraulerson@pecpa.org or calling 412-481-9400.

For more information on programs, initiatives and special events, visit the PA Environmental Council website, visit the PEC Blog, follow PEC on Twitter or Like PEC on Facebook.  Visit PEC’s Audio Room for the latest podcasts.  Click Here to receive regular updates from PEC.

NewsClip:

WESA Host Josh Raulerson To Become PEC Communications Director

11/14/2016