PBS has named Sara Schapiro as VP of education. She will report to Lesli Rotenberg, SVP and GM of children’s media and education.

In her new role Schapiro will lead the pubcaster’s efforts to expand its partnerships across the education sector. She will engage directly with educator communities and launch new initiatives to support students, educators, parents and member stations.

Schapiro will also pursue opportunities to expand the broadcaster’s educational impact through PBS LearningMedia, the classroom-ready digital platform, as well as through PBS Digital Innovators, a community of educators.

Previously, Schapiro helped found Digital Promise, an independent and bipartisan nonprofit whose mission is to improve Americans’ opportunity to learn. She launched and led its flagship initiative, the League of Innovative Schools, a US-wide coalition of public school districts.

Prior to that, Schapiro worked for the New York City Department of Education, Chicago Public Schools and the New Jersey Department of Education.

PBS has been making moves to expand the reach of its educational programming this year, including the launch of its first-ever 24/7 cross-platform content service. The new over-the-air broadcast channel premiered on 75 PBS affiliates across the US for free, and viewers can also live stream the programming through pbskids.org and the PBS KIDS Video app.