Vegas PBS announced today that President and General Manager Mare Mazur will retire later this year after over five years of visionary leadership as the first woman to lead the station in its 53-year history.
Mazur joined Vegas PBS in January of 2021, immediately taking the opportunity to strengthen the station’s infrastructure and position the organization for long-term success. In her nearly six years in the top role at the station — also serving as Executive Director of Southern Nevada Public Television — Mazur has embraced technological advances and leveraged her three-decade career in public television to ensure Southern Nevada audiences will have access to innovative programming for years to come.
Under Mazur’s leadership, Vegas PBS expanded its broadcast reach, now covering 86 percent of the state of Nevada — providing tentpole PBS programming, as well as locally produced, community-focused productions that amplify the diverse voices unique to the region and the West as a whole.
“I’ve been focused on multi-platform success for decades. And now, Vegas PBS is better positioned than ever to grow as the forward-thinking, trailblazing public media organization I always envisioned. I’m excited to see what comes next,” Mazur said.
Mazur’s departure marks the conclusion of a tenure defined by expanding the station’s mission of solution-based programming — content designed not only to inform audiences, but to equip them with practical tools for navigating real-world challenges. That has included developing curriculum to accompany productions so that educators and students can continue the conversations beyond the television screen.
“Public television offers the opportunity to engage in a lifetime of continuing education,” Mazur stated, “including access to amazing artists, scholars, and others that have a spot uniquely carved out for them in this medium.”
With her arrival at Vegas PBS, Mazur brought an impressive track record of public television leadership, having created meaningful and engaging content for KCET (now PBS SoCal) — the station she grew up watching in Los Angeles — and Arizona PBS, where she served as general manager from 2017 to 2020. She lists among her proudest achievements the international award-winning KCET documentary “Auschwitz: Inside the Nazi State” (a co-production with the BBC) and the Emmy- and Peabody Award-winning educational series “A Place of Our Own” and its Spanish-language companion program “Los Niños en Su Casa.”
Mazur’s decision reflects her belief this is the right moment for new leadership to carry the station forward onto the next phase — deepening community engagement (including building upon the wildly popular annual event, Be My Neighbor Day), expanding educational services, and advancing Vegas PBS’s position as a trusted voice reflecting Southern Nevada and its own unique sense of place and aesthetic.
Clark County School District leadership, in partnership with the Vegas PBS SNPT Board, will initiate a national search for the next President and General Manager. The search will focus on identifying a leader prepared to advance the station’s mission, execute its strategic direction, and build on the strong foundation already in place.
As for her successor, Mazur assures, “All the work we’ve done will continue to flourish with the introduction of new creativity, new energy, and new dynamics — all of which will complement what’s already been done. And that’s a huge opportunity for Vegas PBS to thrive.”
Mazur will ensure a smooth transition with continuity of leadership, stewarding key relationships as the station prepares for its next chapter.
“Vegas PBS is strong, focused, and well-positioned for the future. Our clarity of purpose, combined with a talented team and ambitious initiatives already underway, makes this an exciting moment for new leadership to bring the next chapter fully to life,” Mazur said.
