Board of Directors, Staff and Committees

President – Jean Anne Lauer (2023-2025)

Dr. Jean Anne Lauer is an Austin-based professor, a film programmer, and a supporter of many local non-profits. Jean completed her Ph.D. in Radio-Television-Film at UT-Austin, and is a professor at Austin Community College in Humanities, Radio-Television-Film, and Mexican American Studies. In addition to a career in academia, since 2004, Jean has worked in promotion of film and media development and exhibition on the festival and independent cinema circuits, formerly with Guanajuato International Film Festival and Cine Las Americas, and currently as Director of Short Film Programming at Fantastic Fest. Among other endeavors, Jean is also active as a volunteer locally for the non-profit House Rabbit Resource Network, and is a long-time sustainer and current board member of KOOP Radio.

Vice President – V. Marc Fort (2022-2024)

V. Marc Fort hosts & produces the KOOP Radio show Ear Candy 2.0. Marc has more than 30 years of music experience performing with bands (Schatzi, F*ckemos, Moving Panoramas, & many more) that have toured across North America – and around the world. While playing in those bands, Marc has worked as a recording artist for labels including Doghouse, Scotti Brothers, Hollywood and Mammoth Records. Additionally, Marc has worked various media jobs, including as a staff photojournalist and entertainment writer at the Austin American-Statesman and as the Marketing & Communications Specialist at the Texas Music Office. Marc has been a featured speaker at the North American Music Cities Summit, CMJ, SXSW, and at various music conferences around the world. In his free time, Marc enjoys DJing vinyl – in both the USA and Japan – at clubs, bars, and hotels under the name DJ Jam Up & Jelly Tight.

Treasurer – Jerell Tongson (2023-2025)

After hearing Selector Dale playing some crucial Reggae driving around on 71, Jerell aka @hollapino has been with KOOP since 2021 wearing a variety of hats. He has spent time training, producing spots, planning events & posting on social media. Jerell is the current host of Hip Hop Hooray (Sundays @ 2pm) & @D00MSCR0LLING (Fridays @ 8pm) for the 2024 Schedule. He is a 1st time radio host & DJ after learning how to mix during his time at the station. Jerell is a former political strategist & community organizer currently going back to school at Texas State University.  He can also be found in the blog archives of The Huffington Post & XXL covering hip-hop in New York during the early 2010s.

Secretary – Josie Hurt (2023-2025)

Josie Hurt is a student at the University of Texas at Austin, where she is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Radio-Television-Film. She has gained valuable experience working for the magazine ACCENT and produced and hosted their podcast Speaking with Accent. With a passion for filmmaking and media production, Josie has been actively involved in various aspects of the industry. She discovered KOOP Radio through the ACC honors program and has been an enthusiastic volunteer ever since. As a board member, she brings a fresh perspective to KOOP and hopes to support the continued growth and success of the station.

Samuel E. Cruz (2023-2025)

Dr. Samuel Echevarría-Cruz has served as a Professor of Sociology at Austin Community College (ACC) since 2009 and is currently the chair of the Department of Sociology and Social Work. He also currently holds adjunct appointments at Concordia and Texas State University where he teaches undergraduate and graduate statistics. Before coming to ACC, he held faculty positions in Sociology at the Ohio State University and was also employed in the private sector as a survey statistician and statistical consultant. He is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin Sociology and Demography program where he earned his BA, MA and PhD. Dr. Echevarría-Cruz is originally from Brownsville, Texas and is very proud of his Mexican and Puerto Rican heritage.

Ken McKenzie-Grant (2022-2024)

Ken McKenzie-Grant (Ken Z) brings 4 decades of listening & participatory experience to non-commercial Austin radio. After serving as first Program Manager for UT’s student station — now KVRX — he conducted blessings of smoke for KOOP’s first day on-air in 1994. Ken has a wealth of passion for the community: producing and hosting a variety of Music & Talk shows or media events for Community Radio KAZI, Pacifica & Rice Radio (Houston), “Pirate Radio” One, “Adult” KGSR, “commercials” Urban B-93 & Talk Radio KFON-AM, NPR-affiliate KUT, and AISD’s annual Powwow & Heritage Fest. He was founding VP until 2017 of non-profit Design~Build~Live (focused on projects promoting Permaculture, Green & Natural Building) and has served on the KOOP-TEBC board since 2018. Ken Z is the host of HeartbeatZ Indigenous Hour (Tuesdays @ 6pm).

Jinkuk Nahidi (2023-2025)

Jinkuk Nahidi is a seasoned front-end software engineer manager with over a decade of experience in creating exceptional user and developer experiences. Currently at Modernize, he leads a team of developers across multiple product lines, focusing on mobile-first development, responsive design, and accessibility. Career highlights include building high-performing teams at Charles Schwab, developing the Rackspace Cloud, and leading freelance projects like AppMatcher.com. As a board member at KOOP Public Radio, he contributes to community engagement and modernization efforts. His passion lies in fostering collaborative environments and driving innovative solutions that enhance both user and developer experiences.

Liz Ross (2022-2024)

Liz Ross has been a Board Member of KOOP for several years, and they had the Sex Ed Radio Show for about 5 years. They are cofounder and Exec Director of TUBU Fest – Theatre For Us By Us, a disability short fringe theatre festival premiering July 18-20, 2024 – a Nexus and TCDD grant recipient. They received their undergrad in theatre performance and production and their masters in Traditional Chinese medicine (acupuncture and herbs). They have a hat in the Smithsonian, were a delegate for Obama in 2012, won a B. Iden Payne award and have been involved with countless acclaimed projects like KOOP Radio. They have done radio, theatre, video games, film, politics, medicine, writing, and more to be a well rounded individual that puts everything into what they believe in.

Annie Wells (2022-2024)

Annie Wells is an experienced director with a demonstrated history of working in the arts, education, donor relations, and nonprofit industries. Skilled in Sponsorship, Budgeting, Event Planning, Proposal Writing, and Fundraising. Masters in Leadership & Change Theory, Psychology of the Workplace and a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Psychology with a minor in Art History. She has had the opportunity to show internationally in London and to assist in the curation of an International Art Exchange featuring 5 artists showing in London, Ho Chi Minh and Mexico City.