Late last year, Feloniz Lovato-Winston moved her office from one side of the building to the other. She had been Development Director of Audio-Reader, the radio-reading service for the blind and visually impaired and an agency affiliated with KPR. In October, she took over as Development Director at KPR. Since then, she’s been meeting with KPR donors, underwriters, friends and supporters. We asked her a few questions about how she’s settling in.
Q: Welcome to KPR. What are your initial impressions?
A: The KPR staff is hardworking, creative and passionate, and KPR has a lot of community support. I attended a Cinema a Go-Go show last month at Liberty Hall, and it was fun to see the audience interact with Darrell Brogdon between movies. He has a lot of fans!
Q: What are some plans or projects you’d like to implement?
A: My first goal is to build relationships with KPR supporters and other organizations that serve the community. Dan Skinner, KPR’s Director, and I have some plans to grow KPR’s arts and news programs, and to collaborate with other arts organizations in our listening areas.
Q: Tell us a little about your background. How did you end up in Lawrence?
A: I was living in the central valley in California, and my then boyfriend (now husband) suggested that we move to Lawrence. He lived here before and really liked it. We drove up here in an ice storm! It was a good move for us; I love Lawrence.
Q: Feloniz isn’t a name you hear a lot. What’s the origin of it?
A: My parents named me after a friend. The name seems to be specific to New Mexico, where I grew up. I’ve met a few other Felonizes there. I’ve even befriended a few on Facebook.
Q: When you’re not at the office, what do you like to do?
A: I love to spend time outside with my daughter Isabel, read and exercise. I am also binge-watching Downton Abbey right now, which seems to take up a lot of my spare time.
Q: What’s your favorite show on KPR?
A: I’ve always been a big fan of Morning Edition, All Things Considered and Car Talk, and I also listened to KPR2 on my computer, but since moving to KPR, I’ve been listening to classical music every day while I work. The music helps me concentrate, and I’m learning quite a bit about classical music from our host, Michael Keelan. He knows his stuff!
If you have questions for Feloniz, drop her a line at fwinston@ku.edu.
