My name is Alicea Kouyaté and I am eager to run for WPFW Local Station Board Chair. Born and raised in Washington, D.C. I have a deep appreciation for the cultural, political, and social life of our city. In my tenure listening to WPFW, the station has been a partner as I travel around the city, keeping me connected to the voices and conversations prompted by the community-powered airwaves.
I am running for Chair because I believe in the importance of empowering communities to succeed together. To me, that is done through transparency and respect. The Chair role carries a primary responsibility: ensuring that board actions are a direct reflection of constituent dialogue. I plan to demonstrate this through communicating decisions in accessible language, and breaking down larger visions into smaller, measurable accomplishments the community can see and trust.
The skills I bring to this role have been developed across years of operational and organizational work. As a system administrator at a national academic public health association, I translate complex processes into clear outcomes and ensure that the people who rely on those systems are supported and heard.
I applied those skills when founding an internal Community and Belonging group at my organization, an initiative that required listening to what colleagues needed, identifying the gap between aspiration and current reality, and building structures to achieve those goals. As Chair, I would bring that same approach to the LSB, prioritizing listening first and then building the conditions for meaningful participation.
The trust of WPFW listeners, including volunteers, programmers and staff, is strongest when operating with clear communications about decisions, direction, and opportunities for the community. In a time where media continues to shift, it is important to create conditions where people feel genuinely reflected in their station and its mission. That means making board governance legible for actively engaged members and to those who are new to the community.
My commitment is to help create a board culture that reflects the values of participation, inclusion, and mutual respect. By working together and embracing the principle of all power to all people, we can ensure that WPFW remains a vibrant community-centered voice for Washington, D.C. not just for us now, but also for those to come.
I ask for your vote and your confidence to build that future together.