Arkansas PBS has lost its chief financial officer after she spent only a year at the already understaffed agency. Karen Watkins‘ last day on the job was Feb. 1.
On Jan. 29, Watkins, who was also administration and finance director, sent a short resignation letter to Courtney Pledger, the station’s executive director. She gave no reason for her departure in the letter, which was obtained under the Arkansas Freedom of Information Act.
Arkansas PBS hired Watkins on Jan. 8, 2023. Her annual salary was $109,200, according to spokeswoman Tiffany Head. Head said the station plans to fill the vacated position.
Arkansas PBS has been under scrutiny from legislative auditors over questionable spending practices and from some Republican state legislators upset with what they view as liberal programming at the publicly funded station. Watkins appeared before a legislative panel in December to answer questions from lawmakers about procurement at the agency.
Watkins’ departure came as staff members have complained privately about low morale and poor staffing.
Head said Tuesday that the state has authorized Arkansas PBS to hire 101 full-time positions. Of those, 74 are currently filled, leaving 27 vacant positions, she said. “We have [seven] extra help positions, which gives us 81 employees,” she said. (Note: An earlier version of this story contained different numbers, some of which Head later learned were incorrect.)
The staffing problems started well before Watkins took the chief financial officer position. Watkins succeeded Fred Wiedower, who left in September 2022. The chief operating officer during much of that time was Ed Leon, who left in October 2023.
During Leon’s five-year tenure at Arkansas PBS, the station had 69 “voluntary departures,” 17 employee retirements and eight firings, according to Head. She said none of those departures resulted from layoffs.
