Aspen Public Radio selects latest news director

A familiar voice to Aspen Public Radio listeners of “All Things Considered,” Halle Zander has been named the local radio station’s news director.

“The Roaring Fork Valley has been my home for the past eight years,” she wrote in a letter to the community. “I’m not parachuting in; rather, I’m approaching the job with a lot of love for this community and a deep respect for the power of audio storytelling. But it’s a team effort, not just within the newsroom. We need your eyes, ears, and lived experience to inform our coverage.”

Zander, having originally started as an Aspen Public Radio freelancer, takes over for former News Director Kelsey Brunner, who stepped down earlier this year.

Before joining the newsroom, Zander taught environmental science at the Aspen Center for Environmental Studies and worked with Carbondale’s Andy Zanca Youth Empowerment Program to mentor youth in radio reporting — experience she brings to her new leadership role as she looks to strengthen connections both within the newsroom and throughout the valley.

Zander takes the helm at a time when federal funding for public media faces renewed political threats, local newsrooms across Colorado are disappearing, and artificial intelligence is raising questions about the future of creative professions.

She encouraged residents to share their stories and perspectives via email, at the station, or even casually on the chairlift.

“The people in your circles face problems unique to the Roaring Fork and Colorado River valleys, representing the human impacts of national, state, and local policy changes,” she said in the letter. “We want to hear from you.”