Gary Knell Gary E . Knell was the President and CEO of Sesame Workshop and was with the organization from 1989 to 2011 . Knell left to join NPR on October 10 , 2011 and was replaced by H . Melvin Ming . On his departure , Sesame Workshop created a Gary Knell Muppet . In 2013 , he became the President and CEO of the National Geographic Society . Official bio . " from npr . org and sesameworkshop . org , during Knell ' s tenure " Knell served as CEO of Sesame Workshop for 12 years before joining NPR in 2011 . During his tenure at Sesame , which he joined in 1989 and assumed the role of COO in 1998 before moving into the CEO role in 2000 , the organization expanded its revenue base , audience and global recognition . Knell led the non - profit educational organization in its mission to create innovative , engaging content that maximizes the educational power of all media to help children reach their highest potential . Knell was also instrumental in focusing the organization on Sesame Street ' s worldwide mission , including the creation of groundbreaking co - productions in South Africa , India , Northern Ireland and Egypt . As President and CEO of NPR , Gary E . Knell leads NPR ' s worldwide media operations , which include partnerships with 900 public radio stations . Knell oversees the fiscal , operational , and journalistic integrity of NPR and leads the building of the organization and its philanthropic base to support and leverage the strengths of NPR and its extensive network of stations . As a strong advocate of innovation , he is a key driver in leveraging new technologies to advance NPR ' s core mission and grow audience for all of public media . Prior to joining NPR and Sesame Workshop , Knell was managing director of Manager Media International , a print and multimedia publishing company based in Bangkok , Hong Kong , and Singapore . He has also served as senior vice president and general counsel at WNET / Channel 13 in New York , was counsel to the U . S . Senate Judiciary and Governmental Affairs Committees in Washington , D . C . and worked in the California State Legislature and Governor ' s Office . Knell is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations . He serves on the boards of Heidrick and Struggles , an executive search firm ; National Geographic Education Foundation ; and the Jacob Burns Film Center . He is a board member of Common Sense Media and an advisor to the Annenberg School of Communications at USC and the Military Child Education Coalition . A Gordon Grand Fellow at Yale University , Knell was a guest lecturer at Harvard University , Duke University , Southern Methodist University , Carnegie Mellon University , and the University of Puerto Rico . He received an Honorary Doctorate from Mercy College in New York and has served as the commencement speaker at Johns Hopkins University , UCLA , and the University of Texas at Austin . Knell received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from UCLA , where he also served as Editorial Director of the UCLA Daily Bruin and was a stringer for the Associated Press . He received a JD from Loyola University School of Law in Los Angeles . Appearances External links . _ _ NOWYSIWYG _ _