Veteran public broadcaster Phil Hoffman, an educator and documentary filmmaker whose programs have earned nearly 30 Emmy nominations, will be the new executive director of WUCF TV.

Hoffman, who will start May 23, brings more than 20 years of higher education and public media experience, including production, strategic operations, media management and fundraising.

He comes to WUCF from KMOS, a PBS station licensed to the University of Central Missouri. In two years as director of broadcasting services and general manager at KMOS, Hoffman’s innovative leadership helped ratings grow significantly. Prior to KMOS, he served as both general manager of Z-TV, a student-run television station at The University of Akron, and interim general manager and assistant general manager of WZIP-FM, the university’s highly successful student-run public radio station.

“Phil shares our belief that a public broadcasting license comes with the responsibility to serve the community, create lasting relationships and help viewers understand their world,” said Grant Heston, UCF’s vice president for Communications and Marketing.  “It is through service, partnership and programming that WUCF TV has become an indispensable part of so many lives in Central Florida.”

This summer marks four years since the University of Central Florida created WUCF TV and saved PBS in Orlando. Hoffman said WUCF has the feel and advantages of a “new” station, while still offering great PBS programming.

“I see this opportunity as something truly unique,” Hoffman said. “I think WUCF is poised to become a major player within the PBS system and will innovate and stretch what public media can do for Central Florida.”

Hoffman has earned a doctorate in educational leadership and bachelor’s and master’s degrees in mass communication, all from the University of Akron.

He is involved in many university and community activities. As a faculty member, he has taught more than 20 courses, including classes in public media and documentary film production this spring. He also has served on graduation planning and computing technology committees.

Hoffman is membership chair of student media advisors for the Broadcast Education Association, as well as a governor of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Mid-America chapter. He also is a graduate of the 2015 PBS Executive Leadership Development’s inaugural class.

His combined documentary and live concert film “Hammer on Steel” earned eight Emmy Award nominations and was distributed nationally to PBS affiliates. The production involved traveling to Trinidad to interview the inventors of the steel drum and document the instrument’s history and influence across the globe.