WPBS-TV, the PBS affiliate station serving Northern New York and Eastern Ontario, is delighted to welcome Lauren Buttimer as the new Manager, Education & Lifelong Learning Partnerships and Services. In this pivotal role, Lauren will spearhead the many educational initiatives and activities delivered across the region by WPBS in collaboration with partners in the education and not-for-profit sectors.
Lauren is a graduate of the prestigious Teachers College at Columbia University where she earned her MA in the teaching of English, and she also holds a BA in Secondary Education and English from Syracuse University. She was a high school English teacher for 8 years in the Shenendehowa District and most recently was Center Director for the Huntington Learning Center in Clifton Park, NY. Lauren is a member of the National Council of the Teachers of English, New York State English Council and the International Literacy Association.
“We are very excited to have Lauren join the WPBS family,” said WPBS-TV President and General Manager, Mark Prasuhn. “Over the past 16 months WPBS stepped up and redoubled our efforts to support to students, families and educators when they needed it most. We are now more focused than ever on provision of our educational services and products, of unmatched quality and freely available to all. Lauren’s expertise, knowledge and energy will enable us to continue to meet the needs of learners and educators across the North Country and beyond, and I look forward to working with her.”
Lauren Buttimer added that “As a former classroom teacher, I know first-hand how important the transition back to in-person learning will be after the disruption caused by the pandemic. For schools across our region, this is the time to reinstate existing activities, while also developing and launching new curriculum, keeping the approach learner-centered and relevant. It is also essential to create and make available more resources relating to key education sector priorities such as social-emotional learning, DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion), and “STEAM” (STEM plus Arts).”
Lauren will serve as staff liaison with the WPBS Community Education Council, a volunteer advisory group comprised of K-12 and post-secondary educators; coordinate the development and production of learning materials and expand WPBS content contributions to the PBS Learning Media platform.
She will also manage ongoing WPBS programs including GPS for Success SM, a platform developed in partnership with Jefferson-Lewis BOCES and the Northern New York Community Foundation that assists students with career planning and preparation; high school academic competition Whiz Quiz (which returns this fall) and children’s events in communities on both sides of the border.
Lauren begins in her new role at WPBS on August 2nd.
