Gary E Knell is the president and CEO of the National Geographic Society, where he oversees the Society’s vast nonprofit activities globally. He also serves on the board of National Geographic Partners, the Society’s for-profit arm, which oversees all of National Geographic’s storytelling assets, including television, print and digital, along with ancillary operations including travel expeditions. A member of the Society’s board of trustees since April 2013, Mr Knell also has served on the board of governors of the National Geographic Education Foundation since November 2003. Prior to his role at the Society, he served as president and CEO of National Public Radio from 2011 to 2013.

His career in media spans more than three decades, including 22 years at Sesame Workshop, where he served as president and CEO for 12 years. Prior to Sesame Workshop, Mr Knell was managing director of Manager Media International, a multimedia publishing company. He also served as senior vice-president at WNET/Channel 13 in New York, was counsel to the US Senate Judiciary and Governmental Affairs Committees in Washington, DC, and worked in the California State Legislature and governor’s office.