Meet Our Team

Amanda Miller Kelley is President & General Manager of PBS Michiana – WNIT, a role she took in 2025 after serving in development roles at the station. With two decades of nonprofit experience, Amanda is a relationship builder at heart. She loves connecting people who care about their community with the people and ideas that can make a difference in it. She believes in the power of public media to make the world more curious, more connected, and a little more fun.

Amanda V. Judd is the receptionist (and bonus “Amanda”) at the PBS kingdom. She joined PBS as part of her recovery from a 25-year paralegal career. She has been described as a daddy’s girl, God mommy, cat lady, scrapbooker extraordinaire, book hoarder, pig lover, jewelry connoisseur, beach bum, and general sassy pants. In her free time, she writes poetry, books and screenplays.

Cindy McCraner has been with WNIT for 19 years. She manages the Development Department, which includes fundraising, underwriting, membership, programming, and marketing aspects of our organization. She finds fulfillment in knowing her work makes a meaningful difference by helping to bring programming and services that educate and inspire to our communities. Cindy genuinely enjoys working with everyone at WNIT and connecting with supporters who believe in the mission of public television. In her free time she looks for every opportunity to go to Lake Michigan and hunt for beach glass, preferably with her grandchildren. She is an avid reader, reading all 100 books on the PBS Great American Read list a few years ago. Cindy also visits indie record shops wherever she goes to add to her vinyl collection. With retirement a few years away she plans to read books, listen to records and enjoy her free time.

Jody Freid is a longtime PBS Michiana professional and dedicated advocate for numerous civic, cultural, and charitable causes. As Senior Account Executive, Jody has been with PBS Michiana – WNIT for over 30 years, building strong connections between the station and the Michiana community. A South Bend native, her extensive volunteer and fundraising efforts have benefited numerous organizations. In recognition of her commitment to community service, Jody was inducted into the South Bend Community Hall of Fame in 2015 and received the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. “Drum Major” for Community Service Award in 2020. She continues to be an active presence in South Bend and the surrounding region.

With early childhood education as her background, Betsy started her career as a children and family advocate for a day shelter in Denver Colorado. After moving back to the Michiana community, she found a passion for working in development at Holy Cross College. Betsy is currently the Capital Campaign Officer at WNIT with this being her second time working for the station. She came to us from the United Way of St. Joseph County where she was the Senior Director of Mission Advancement. When she is not at work, you will find her outdoors – in her garden, biking, running, skiing, hiking – or in her art studio and the South Bend Museum of Art pottery studios.

Laura Atkins has worked as our Membership Coordinator since late 2019. If you’ve ever had a question about your membership or needed help with PBS Passport, you’ve most likely chatted with her. She loves assisting our members and working for an organization as trusted as PBS. In her spare time, Laura enjoys playing board games, hosting her neighborhood book club, and taking weekend hikes. She lives in South Bend with her husband, a still-at-home son, and two cats - Luna and Princess Pepperdoodle Blossom Von Yum Yum (shout out to Fetch - IYKYK). She will never turn down a bubble tea.

Michelle has been part of the WNIT team for five years as the Underwriting Coordinator, helping sponsors navigate the underwriting process and creating FCC-compliant announcements that connect local businesses and organizations with WNIT viewers. A Mass Communications graduate with a minor in sculpture, she brings both attention to detail and creativity to her work, including designing promotional flyers for upcoming documentaries. Michelle loves public television for its role in educating children, providing informative fact-based news, and bringing entertaining and thoughtful programming to the community. Outside of work, she enjoys a wide range of creative pursuits, including painting, costume-making, cooking, and DIY home improvement projects. She also loves hiking, cardio drumming, and nurturing her ever-growing collection of houseplants. Michelle is a longtime blood donor, and enjoys volunteering at WNIT events- such as Daniel Tiger’s ‘Be My Neighbor Day’ at Four Winds Field. Above all else, her greatest pride is in her family. She has one adventurous and resourceful daughter with her husband of 14 years.

Leah Steinhiser is our Educational Engagement Liaison for PBS Michiana-WNIT, serving Northern Indiana and Southwest Michigan. With 19 years of experience as a classroom educator, and 5 years as a children’s librarian, her passion for literacy and lifelong learning help her deliver fun and innovative programs, resources, and support to educators, students, and families.

Liz Deford is the Education Engagement Assistant for PBS Michiana-WNIT serving Elkhart, LaGrange, and Noble County. With 4 years of experience as a classroom educator, Liz has a passion for sharing what America’s largest classroom has to offer to support students, families, and educators in her community.

Outside of PBS, Liz is a Program Facilitator for Girl Scouts of Northern Indiana-Michiana, fostering courage, confidence, and character in the young girls so they have the tools to make the world a better place.

When she’s not working you will find Liz reading, exploring nearby state parks, working on a new art project, or at the movie theater.

Becky started WNIT the summer of 2004 fresh out of college with a degree in Mass Communications with a focus on video editing. She was hired as a part time Master Control Operator. She moved up to full time within a year and started to help editing projects. She became the main editor for underwriting spots and helped with two major logo changes. She started in the Traffic Department around 2015 for a more flexible schedule for her growing family. In 2024, she became the Traffic Administrator.

Becky is a ovarian cancer survivor, mother of two, and enjoys reading, crocheting, going to concerts, and changing her hair style every other month.

Ben started his time with PBS as a weekend master control operator. He has floated around working on productions and helping with events. He now primarily works editing promos and helping schedule traffic.

Outside of PBS Michiana, Ben was a substitute teacher for several years and now works as an English teacher at a catholic grade school in South Bend.

Ben was once a competitive runner and now coaches high school Cross Country and Track & Field.

Trent started his career at WNIT as a freelancer in January of 2019, moving up to a Master Control operator a few months later, and was hired as a part-time employee shortly thereafter. He didn't stop there. Trent explored every aspect of WNIT's behind-the-scenes, doing promos, editing, camera operation, floor directing, audio, video capturing, field shoots, etc. He moved up once again, this time to a full-time employee, in 2022. He then started schooling for Electrical and Computer Engineering. Today, he is the Engineering Supervisor, and is in transition to become Chief Engineer as the current one, Brian Hoover is retiring (see Feb., Planner article).

Trent loves to use his free time by running sound for various bands in the Michiana area and assisting in leadership roles at his church. And on the nice days, you can spot him riding his motorcycle.

Trent has been happily married since 2017, and he and his wife have one beautiful daughter together.

Paul Wasowski is an award-winning Executive Producer and Production Manager at PBS Michiana WNIT with more than 40 years of experience in television production, documentary filmmaking, and strategic communications. Throughout his career, he has produced acclaimed broadcast, corporate, educational, and nonprofit programming, earning numerous regional and national awards for excellence in storytelling and creative production. He also received a State History Award from the Historical Society of Michigan for his documentary Silver Beach Amusement Park. Passionate about telling stories that educate, inspire, and preserve local history, Wasowski continues to create impactful programming that celebrates the people, places, and organizations shaping the Michiana region.

Brenda Bowyer is a seasoned producer and director with over three decades of experience in the art of story development. Crafting a narrative goes far beyond the script. It’s about designing productions that forge a deep, meaningful connection with the viewer. She is deeply passionate about shaping a vision and mentoring interns in both studio and field production. Outside the studio, she sharpens her creative spontaneity through leading interactive photography workshops and travelling in search of authentic neighborhood markets, immersive experiences and wanderlust infusing her work with a vibrant, unscripted energy.

Kelsy Zumbrun graduated from Indiana Wesleyan University with a degree in Communications. He has loved his nearly 30 years working at WNIT telling the stories of Michiana. Knowing our neighbors helps bring us closer together as a community. He also has a love for sports and has had the opportunity to run camera for a wide variety of sports over the years including Notre Dame athletics, World Series of Softball, Motocross, Cart Racing and more.

Tim Hiatt is a producer at WNIT Public Television, where he creates documentaries, public affairs programs, and digital content that highlight our community. His work spans studio production, field production, and post-production, driven by a passion for visual storytelling that informs, connects, and inspires audiences.

Outside of work, Tim enjoys spending time with his family, friends and pets. Other interests include exploring new technology, radio-controlled vehicles, and has recently picked up golfing. He appreciates the creativity, problem-solving, and attention to detail that go into both his professional work and personal hobbies.

As Production Coordinator at PBS Michiana, Nicholas bridges traditional broadcast television with multi-platform digital storytelling. With over a decade of public media experience, he oversees studio productions, manages editing suite operations, and leads content distribution efforts.

Beyond broadcast, he produces short-form video and strategic digital content across platforms like YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok to engage modern audiences. He holds a B.S. in Digital Cinematography from Full Sail University and an Associate degree in Video Production from Ivy Tech. He's passionate about sharing local stories across every screen.

Ginger Santiago has been with PBS Michiana since 2018, bringing her passion for interdisciplinary design and visual storytelling to the station. She is fluent across a wide range of design disciplines, methods, and platforms. Her current focus is on development, marketing, and education, where she uses design to build connections, create engaging experiences, bring programs to life, and expand the resources PBS Michiana offers its communities. Outside of WNIT, Ginger continues her learning journey, designs books, writes, creates art, and is a caregiver for a loved one with Alzheimer’s disease.

Amanda Miller Kelley is President & General Manager of PBS Michiana – WNIT, a role she took in 2025 after serving in development roles at the station. With two decades of nonprofit experience, Amanda is a relationship builder at heart. She loves connecting people who care about their community with the people and ideas that can make a difference in it. She believes in the power of public media to make the world more curious, more connected, and a little more fun.