Jennifer Lawson

Jennifer Lawson is a writer, producer and public broadcasting executive. Her most recent production was the documentary, Security versus Liberty: The Other War, for PBS in 2007. In addition to her production work, she is the CEO/ General Manager of WHUT in Washington, DC, USA. She is also a member of the board of directors of Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) and chair of the board of American Public Television (APT). Ms. Lawson was born in Fairfield, Alabama. She attended Fairfield Industrial High School, graduating with honors and attended Tuskegee University, majoring in chemistry. She was a civil rights activist in high school during the campaign by Martin Luther King, Jr. that led to his famous letter from Birmingham Jail. Lawson's activism in the civil rights movement led her to end her Tuskegee studies and become a full-time member of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), serving alongside notable civil rights activists. She worked as a community organizer with SNCC in Mississippi, Alabama, and Georgia and often served as a graphic artist for the organization. Her move into film came after studying film and obtaining an MFA from Columbia University, New York. She wrote the original feature screenplay, Team-mates in 1976. The production of this property served as the screen debut for Estelle Getty and James Spader. While working on another script, she was invited to become the executive director of the Film Fund, a post she held until 1980, when she was recruited to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, Washington, DC. She left that post in 1989 as the Director of the Television Program Fund, providing millions in grants to film and TV producers. In 1989 Ms. Lawson was selected by PBS to become its first chief programming executive. Jennifer Lawson served PBS as Executive Vice President, Programming and Promotion Services from 1989 to 1996, when she left to establish her own company, Magic Box Mediaworks, Inc. Under its banner, she produced Africa, an acclaimed eight hour documentary series, made in conjunction with National Geographic Television and Thirteen, Inc. The series premiered to critical acclaim on September 9, 2001, two days before the tragic circumstances of 9/11. She also produces websites, most notable The African American World, for PBS. Ms. Lawson has won numerous awards for her achievements on and off screen.