PBS Hawai‘i President and CEO Leslie Wilcox announced today that she will step down from her position early next year

Wilcox, a lifelong Hawaii resident who has been at the helm of the public television station since 2007, will relocate to San Antonio to be with an ailing family member.

“PBS Hawai‘i has been a labor of love and learning for me,” Wilcox said. “It’s been an honor to steward such a vital public service, upholding fact-based journalism and universal access to education.”

Wilcox, who worked in state media for 48 years, reported full time for the former Honolulu Star-Bulletin as a college freshman. She became a longtime television news anchor/reporter in Honolulu and worked for KGMB (CBS) and KHON (NBC and later Fox). She also used her media experience to spearhead major charity drives, such as the Lokahi Giving Project, for more than 22 years.

Earlier this year, the visiting president and CEO of PBS National, Paula Kerger, called PBS Hawai‘i “the most exceptional public television station in the country,” woven into the social fabric of community.

“Leslie is an extraordinary leader, an overachiever, with a heart for Hawai‘i that never quits,” said Joanne Lo Grimes, chair of PBS Hawai‘i’s board of directors. “She faces challenges with calm and grace, and has led positive, transformative change throughout her tenure.”

Grimes, who is overseeing a national search for Wilcox’s successor, said the board is confident it will hire another outstanding leader.