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.
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.
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 and is also on the board of directors for Skylight Music Theatre. 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.
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 developed his taste for indie rock, alternative and punk music.
In his free time, David stresses over whether his dog Molly is living a rich and fulfilling inner life.
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Graham Thomas has joined the WUWM team as a student digital producer. He chats with president and general manager David Lee. -
Susan Koppa McClurg joined WUWM in 2018. She's retiring this summer. Susan sits down with WUWM General Manager David Lee to say goodbye. -
Bob Reitman, host of WUWM’s weekly music program “It’s Alright, Ma, It’s Only Music,” will retire on Friday, April 19. He started his radio career at WUWM in 1966, and relaunched "It's Alright, Ma" in 2007. -
David Lee, WUWM president and general manager, shares his recipe for cassoulet. -
Eilee Heikenen-Weiss, a producer for WUWM's Lake Effect program, passed away on October 31, 2023 at University Hospital in Madison. She was 39. -
The October 16, 2023 episode from "On Point" did not meet editorial standards and was removed from distribution after its initial broadcast. -
WUWM's community engagement coordinator Rafa Muñoz-Echavarria is leaving after a year and a half with the team — he will be missed! -
A House Appropriations Bill eliminates funding for Interconnection, a public media distribution network that enables viewers and listeners to receive programs and emergency alerts. -
Last week, NPR made the decision to cease utilizing Twitter after it was first designated by the social media platform as “state-affiliated media” and then “government funded media.” This designation put NPR in league with media outlets using the platform that may indeed be government-affiliated, like Russian or Chinese state-controlled media, which is false and misleading.
