David Lee
President / General ManagerDavid Lee is WUWM 89.7 FM – Milwaukee’s NPR's president and general manager. He joined WUWM in March of 2023, and before that served on WUWM's Community Advisory Board from 2022 to 2023.
David came to WUWM from The Ascension Wisconsin Foundation, where he served as chief philanthropy officer, leading philanthropic efforts for Milwaukee’s safety net hospital system. Prior to his role at Ascension, David was the inaugural chief executive officer at Imagine MKE, where he helped harness the power of Milwaukee’s arts and culture community to advocate for a more thriving and vibrant region. Before Imagine MKE, David was the founding executive director of Feeding Wisconsin, where he launched and helped grow Wisconsin’s statewide collaboration of regional food banks.
David is a nationally and locally recognized nonprofit leader, including being named “Notable Minority Executives” from The Milwaukee BizTimes in 2020 and “35 Most Influential Asian American Leaders in Wisconsin” from Madison 365 in 2022. In 2025, he was selected as a fellow in the Public Media Executive Editorial Integrity and Leadership Initiative at the Poynter Institute.
David is also an alum of Georgetown University McDonough School of Business’ Business for Impact New Strategies Program, the Aspen Institute Academy 2.0 for Non-Profit Leaders and the American Express/Independent Sector NGen Fellows program. He currently serves as the county executive's appointment on the Board of Directors for the Marcus Performing Arts Center, is also on the board of directors for Skylight Music Theatre, and serves on the board of directors for the Wisconsin Broadcasters Association. David has previously served on the board of directors for Outpost Natural Foods, one of the nation’s largest consumer food cooperatives, and Ex Fabula, Milwaukee’s live storytelling organization.
After attaining an A.B. in film and drama at Vassar College, David worked in New York and Los Angeles writing, acting and directing plays and films, before falling into the world of nonprofit community relations, government affairs and leadership.
He is excited to be back in radio after having served as one of the overnight DJs in the mid-'90s for his college radio station 91.3 WVKR where he spun indie rock, alternative and punk records. In his free time, David still makes playlists as if someone out there is tuning in at 2 a.m.
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Federal funding through the Corporation of Public Broadcasting represents about 6% of WUWM’s annual operating budget, or roughly $320,000 per year. -
The U.S. House of Representatives approved the Senate's amended version of the Rescission Act of 2025. This cancels previously approved federal funding, including $1.1 billion for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting over the next two years. -
Early Thursday morning, the U.S. Senate voted to pass an amended version of the rescission package, which retains the claw back in Corporation for Public Broadcasting funding. -
The U.S. House of Representatives has passed HR 4: The Rescissions Act of 2025, canceling over $9 billion in previously approved federal funding, including $1.1 billion earmarked for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB). -
On Tuesday, the White House sent a formal rescission request to Congress, asking lawmakers to cancel $9 billion in previously approved federal spending — including $1 billion designated for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. -
After five years as WUWM's vice president of content and programming, Ele Ellis leaves WUWM to become the general manager and CEO of Blue Ridge Public Radio in North Carolina. -
President Trump signed an executive order directing the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) to cut off both direct and indirect federal funding to NPR and PBS. -
The White House intends to ask Congress to rescind over $1 billion in funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Here's a look at how this would impact WUWM. -
Understanding how our relationship with NPR impacts how we serve Milwaukee.
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Maria Peralta-Arellano has joined the WUWM team as an our seventh Eric Von Fellow. She chats with president and general manager David Lee.
