Emmy Award-winning PBS CEO David Crabtree to deliver keynote address at UNCP commencement

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David Crabtree
David Crabtree, veteran broadcast journalist, Emmy Award winner, and CEO of PBS North Carolina, will deliver the keynote address at UNCP's Winter Commencement.

David Crabtree, veteran broadcast journalist, Emmy Award winner and CEO of PBS North Carolina, will deliver the keynote address at The University of North Carolina at Pembroke's Winter Commencement.

 

Crabtree, widely regarded as one of North Carolina’s most iconic and respected journalists, will speak at the undergraduate ceremony on Saturday, December 14, at the English E. Jones Center on the UNCP campus. The processional begins at 8:45 a.m., and the event will be livestreamed on uncp.edu.

 

The evening before, on Friday, December 13, Dr. Ryan Anderson, a distinguished history professor and 2024 recipient of the UNC System Board of Governors’ Award for Excellence in Teaching, will serve as the keynote speaker for The Graduate School ceremony. This ceremony will be held in the Givens Performing Arts Center, beginning at 7 p.m., and will be live-streamed.

 

Both ceremonies will celebrate the achievements of UNCP’s graduating 1,008 students and showcase the university’s commitment to excellence in education.

About David Crabtree

David Crabtree became CEO of PBS North Carolina in 2022 after an illustrious broadcasting career spanning nearly three decades at WRAL, where he became a household name. Known for his ability to tell compelling stories with compassion and dignity, Crabtree has been a trusted voice in North Carolina journalism for decades.

 

His work has earned 13 Emmy Awards, the prestigious Alfred I. duPont–Columbia University Award, and four Reporter of the Year accolades from the Radio-Television News Directors Association. Crabtree is also a member of the North Carolina Media & Journalism Hall of Fame and the North Carolina Association of Broadcasters’ Hall of Fame.

 

Crabtree’s reporting has taken him around the globe, covering historic moments such as Pope Francis’s election and the funerals of both Nelson Mandela and Mother Teresa. At home, he has given a voice to Holocaust survivors, North Carolina migrant workers and victims of the 2010 Haiti earthquake, cementing his legacy as a journalist dedicated to shining a light on humanity’s most poignant stories.

 

Beyond his professional achievements, Crabtree is deeply committed to public service, contributing his time to organizations like Hospice of Wake County, Duke Raleigh Hospital, Duke Children’s Hospital, and the North Carolina Symphony. A native of Nashville, Tennessee, he earned a bachelor’s degree from Middle Tennessee State University and a master’s degree in theological studies from Duke University’s Divinity School.

 

About Dr. Ryan Anderson

Dr. Ryan Anderson has been a valued member of the UNCP Department of History since 2007 and earned the rank of professor in 2018. Known for his rigorous yet encouraging teaching style, Anderson has received numerous accolades, including the Outstanding Teaching Award (2010, 2020) and the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee’s “Most Valuable Professor Award” seven times.

 

Anderson has mentored countless students through his work with the Maynor Honors College and his leadership as Pembroke Undergraduate Research and Creativity Center (PURC) director from 2014 to 2019. His lectures have also been featured on C-SPAN’s Lectures in History.

 

Anderson holds a bachelor’s degree in social science education from Florida State University, a master’s degree in history from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington and a Ph.D. in history from Purdue University.