Randy Brinson, Executive Director of Content Development

Randy has over 30 years of experience in public television. He produced and/or directed more than 100 local and national arts and performance programs and feature segments for KCTS 9, and served as senior director, executive producer and production executive on a wide variety of other projects for the station. He also served as KCTS 9 General Manager for four years.

Before joining KCTS 9 in 1988, Randy worked as a producer/director at the South Carolina Educational Television Network. Randy received his Bachelor of Science degree with high honors in Broadcasting with a dual minor in Film Studies and Music from the University of Florida. He earned his Master of Science in Television Production from Syracuse University and has completed Seattle University’s rigorous Executive Leadership Program.

Randy lives in Woodinville, Washington, enjoys swing dancing with his wife and dreams of lowering his golf handicap index to single digits.

Enrique Cerna, Executive Director of Production

Enrique Cerna is an award-winning producer/reporter with more than 32 years of experience in the Seattle broadcast market. Since joining KCTS 9 in 1995, he has produced such critically acclaimed documentaries as Hard Times for Juvenile Justice; Ceasefire: Disarming our Kids; Behind the Walls; Salmon: On the Brink; and Reverend Samuel McKinney: 40 Years of Faith. In addition to overseeing all station productions, including the weekly Northwest personal-finance program About The Money with Josephine Cheng, Enrique is the co-creator, host and executive producer of the weekly news and current affairs program KCTS 9 Connects.

Enrique has earned wide recognition for his producing and reporting, including five Northwest Regional Emmy Awards. In 1999, he was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Academy of Religious Broadcasting. Seattle Weekly honored Enrique in 2003 as Best of Seattle Editors’ Choice: Best TV Host, and in 2006, Seattle Magazine named him one of the most influential people of the year for his broadcast work. Most recently, the Zeta Pi Lambda Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha, the first intercollegiate fraternity established by African Americans, awarded Enrique its 2008 Community Service Award for his coverage of communities of color. Enrique serves on a number of community boards, including CityClub and Scoutreach; in addition, he is a member of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists. Enrique holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications from Washington State University.

Enrique lives in Ballard when he’s not traveling over the mountains for reunions with his extended family in Central Washington.

Jay Parikh, Executive Director of Program Development&Distribution

As Executive Director of Program Development&Distribution, Jay is responsible for program development and the planning and execution of strategic relationships that contribute to KCTS 9’s co-production agreements, domestic and international program distribution, ancillary sales and retail operations.

Jay brings more than 30 years of experience to his various duties. Regionally and nationally he has acquired, produced, packaged and marketed content in a variety of media and platforms, including legitimate theater, concerts, television, home video and digital media. At KCTS 9, Jay also serves as Executive Producer for the station’s nationally broadcast travel and cooking programs. Projects under his supervision include Graham Kerr's Gathering Place, Nick Stellino Cooking with Friends and the James Beard award-winning Chefs A' Field. Jay also oversees Spotlight on the Arts, The Seasoned Traveler, Smart Travels with Rudy Maxa and Richard Bangs: Adventures with Purpose.

In 1978, Jay earned a Master of Fine Arts in Administration degree from the Yale School of Drama. He did his undergraduate work at Eastern Washington University after graduation from Lake Washington High School in Kirkland, Washington.

Jay, his wife Monica, and their three children live in Bellevue, Washington. The Parikhs are involved in various neighborhood and PTA activities, and have lived and traveled throughout the world. Jay’s recreational goal is to play more golf, and play it better, with his golfing partner, KCTS 9 Executive Director Randy Brinson.

Beth Savage, Vice President of Development

Beth Savage brings 17 years of experience in fundraising, strategic planning, management and administration to the post of Vice President of Development at KCTS 9. In that position, Beth oversees the station’s fundraising programs, including membership, foundation support, corporate underwriting, major gifts and planned giving.

Beth’s career includes leadership positions in development for nonprofit and academic organizations including the Saint Louis Science Center, Lindenwood University and Southern Illinois University. Most recently, Beth served as Vice President of Development for KETC/Channel 9, St. Louis PBS, leading development efforts to raise funds in support of operations, new media and the station’s first documentary reporting on science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). There, she also supported station campaigns for literacy support and local programming, and raised significant funds to initiate FCC-mandated digital television broadcasting. Her achievements also include building strategic plans, endowment programs and capital projects.

A native of Chicago, Beth holds a JD from Saint Louis University School of Law and an MBA from Maryville University. She looks forward to exploring and identifying the organizational potential of KCTS 9’s development team and to implementing effective strategies to fulfill that potential.

Jabran Soubeih, Executive Director of Engineering&Technical Planning

As our Executive Director of Engineering&Technical Planning, Jabran is helping lead KCTS 9 and KYVE 47 forward to a successful digital transition on the new analog shutoff date of June 12, 2009.

Prior to joining KCTS 9, Jabran worked for UWTV, the University of Washington's proprietary television and Web streaming services, as a Video Network Engineer. At the UW, Jabran focused on integrated solutions between on-air and online services. For example, he designed, developed and implemented a software solution for closed captions that would enable the service to be accessed across television and Web platforms—taking advantage of the revolution unfolding in the broadcast industry to provide better services to more viewers at lower costs.

Jabran also worked as a Broadcast Engineer for KOMO TV for eight years. There, he implemented automation for master control and the newsroom, designed and created documentation for new systems and trained operational and engineering staff on new and existing systems. Each project focused on utilizing new technologies to streamline processes and improve efficiency in putting programs on the air.

Jabran earned his B.S. in Electrical Engineering Technology with emphasis on communications, RF, digital telephony and fiber optics.

In his spare time, Jabran enjoys digital and film photography, with a focus on his family and their dog, Kelbi.

Laura Spies, Executive Director of Human Resources

In her role as Executive Director of Human Resources, Laura is responsible for leading initiatives in employee development and performance management, recruitment, employee relations, compensation and benefits, labor relations and negotiations, and ensuring compliance with labor and employment laws.

With significant Human Resources management and strategic business planning background, Laura has over 20 years of experience in a variety of settings. In Seattle, she has worked as the Manager of Lawyer Personnel at Perkins Coie, HR Director at Mithun Architecture, HR Director and Executive at Ivey Imaging, and Consultant with Waldron and Company. Her accomplishments include starting an HR department; creating benchmark employee surveys and utilizing results; implementing performance appraisal programs; attorney, staff and executive search; and leading HR in business acquisitions.

Laura started her career as a legal assistant in labor and employment law and expanded on that experience to become an HR professional in large international law firms, first at Shook, Hardy & Bacon LLP in Kansas City, Missouri, and later at Perkins Coie in Seattle. She is a graduate of Saint Mary College in Leavenworth, Kansas, where she double majored in Business and History. Laura has held certification as a Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) since 2001, and is a board member of the Seattle Chapter of the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM). For 16 years, she was a member of the National Association for Law Placement (NALP), where she served as a Director and in other leadership roles.

Laura lives with her daughters and husband on Bainbridge Island. She enjoys attending her daughters’ sports and music events and assisting her husband with landscaping and home renovations.