Ron Ticho Named Chief Marketing and Communications Officer for Lehigh Valley’s Public Television Station PBS39 and National Public Radio Station 91.3 WLVR
Bethlehem, PA - March 11, 2021 – Ron Ticho has been named Chief Marketing and Communications Officer for the Lehigh Valley’s public television station PBS39 and national public radio (NPR) station 91.3 WLVR. The appointment was made by Tim Fallon, Chief Executive Officer of Lehigh Valley Public Media, home to PBS39 and 91.3 WLVR, as well as the Lehigh Valley Reads and Battling Opioids community initiatives.
As Chief Marketing and Communications Officer, Ticho will establish and lead the organization’s integrated marketing communications efforts to raise community awareness, preference and support of the organization’s mission to use its public media channels and initiatives to address the greatest needs of the broader Lehigh Valley community.
“Ron is a passionate and highly skilled marketing and communications professional known for his leadership and his ability to forge strategic alliances, lead cross functional teams, and build consensus at the highest levels,” said Fallon. “He’s a proven leader with a strong commitment to making each day a better day here in our community. We are so pleased that he’s joined our organization.”
Ticho brings to Lehigh Valley Public Media more than 30 years of highly successful marketing and communications experience in both the nonprofit and private sectors.
“The organization’s mission to address our community’s greatest needs using its dynamic communications platforms to inform, educate and engage is so critically important to improving and enhancing the lives of our diverse community,” said Ticho. “I’m thrilled to be joining an organization and team with that focus and look forward to working collaboratively with our community to fulfill that mission.”
Ticho most recently served as the Vice President of Corporate Strategy and External Affairs at Coordinated Health, now part of Lehigh Valley Health Network (LVHN). While at Coordinated Health, the Lehigh Valley-based health network opened three new medical facilities, significantly grew its medical staff, and launched four new service lines.
Before joining Coordinated Health, Ticho served for more than a decade on the executive management team at OraSure Technologies, a medical diagnostics company based in Bethlehem, where he led strategic marketing and corporate communications. While at OraSure, he co-led a cross-functional team that researched, developed, aligned and communicated a new corporate vision and growth strategy. In addition, as the Vice President, Strategic Marketing and then as Senior Vice President, Corporate Communications, he directed the market launch of several ground-breaking innovations that included the nation’s first rapid diagnostic tests for high burden infectious diseases such as HIV, hepatitis C and Ebola. He also led the market launch of the first and only rapid HIV test to be made available over the counter.
Prior to his work at OraSure, Ticho spent nearly 15 years at Lehigh University having last served as the institution’s first chief marketing and communications officer leading the Office of University Relations and reporting directly to the President. His team’s work helped transform the perception of Lehigh from an “engineering school” to a “national university” and during his tenure the University exceeded its $300M development campaign goal (largest at the time) and rose from No. 51 to No. 33 in the U.S. News and World Report rankings among National Universities.
Shortly after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, as President of Advance MarCom Strategies, Ticho partnered with Debra Fraser-Howze, Founder of Choose Healthy Life, to establish a sustainable, scalable and transferable action plan to address public health disparities in the Black Community through the Black church. Earlier this year, the organization secured funding for 50 churches across five major U.S. cities to conduct COVID-19 testing and vaccine administration.
Ticho has been an active member of the Greater Lehigh Valley community for nearly 30 years. He has served on several community boards and currently is the president of the Parkland School District Education Foundation and president of the board of trustees of Congregation Brith Sholom. He is also on the board of directors for the Miller-Keystone Blood Center, Jewish Federation of the Lehigh Valley and is a member of the Lehigh Valley Business Education Partnership.
Ticho received both his bachelor’s degree and M.B.A. from Lehigh University. He and his wife, Pam Lott, reside in Allentown.
###
About PBS39
The Lehigh Valley’s public television station, PBS39 offers local, national, and international programming that informs, educates, and entertains while serving as a catalyst for civic engagement. Channels include PBS39, PBS39 Extra, Create TV, WORLD Channel and France 24. Licensed in Allentown, Pennsylvania, PBS39 is part of Lehigh Valley Public Media, a community-owned public media organization serving Eastern Pennsylvania and Western New Jersey.
About 91.3 WLVR
91.3 WLVR is a full-service NPR news and information public radio station serving Pennsylvania’s Lehigh Valley. 91.3 WLVR offers local, national and international news coverage including programming from NPR, BBC World Service, American Public Media Group and PRX. Licensed to Lehigh University, in Bethlehem, PA, 91.3 WLVR is a partnership between the university and Lehigh Valley Public Media, a community-owned public media organization serving Eastern Pennsylvania and Western New Jersey.
About Lehigh Valley Public Media
A community-owned public media organization serving Eastern Pennsylvania and Western New Jersey, Lehigh Valley Public Media offers dynamic communication platforms and a variety of resources that inform, educate, and entertain while serving as catalysts for civic engagement. Lehigh Valley Public Media is home to PBS39 and 91.3 WLVR as well as the Lehigh Valley Reads and Battling Opioids initiatives.