Michele Ripley, president of the Commonwealth Fund for KET, the agency's fund-raising arm, has been named national chair of the PBS development advisory committee for 2007. She has served on the committee for the past two years.

The advisory committee provides important advice and counsel to PBS and the development staff in helping to extend the reach and effectiveness of station fundraising practices nationwide.

"The development advisory committee is the premiere advisory group at PBS," noted KET executive director Mac Wall, "and being selected as chair is a great honor."

Another important role the committee plays is to guide PBS staff on policy matters for support services such as training, research and new product development. It plays a critical role in planning the annual PBS development conference and selects the winners of the national development awards. For the past four consecutive years, the Commonwealth Fund for KET has received a PBS Overall Development award, PBS's highest award category for fundraising achievement.

Members of the committee also provide an important, focused link with PBS's 354 member stations nationwide, offering an essential path for communication and feedback.

More information about KET news, programming and education services, as well as how to support KET, can be found at www.ket.org.