Sean Crawford has been named the University of Illinois Springfield Employee of the Month for February 2021. He is the news director at NPR Illinois (WUIS 91.9 F.M.). Crawford started at NPR Illinois as a reporter and was promoted to news director in 2009.
“Despite a demanding job that requires flexibility, dedication and often working outside the normal work day, Sean always takes others' best interests into consideration,” said his nominator. “He truly wants to make NPR Illinois an outstanding news organization that is a feather in the cap of the University of Illinois Springfield, and takes pride in doing so.”
From the Statehouse service, which provides news to NPR stations across the state to producing programs and news stories like "Statewide", Crawford’s nominator says he “truly exemplifies NPR Illinois' mission to ‘Explain Illinois’ by informing, analyzing and engaging our listening audience.”
“Sean is always professional and courteous representing the University admirably as he has contact with many newsmakers,” said Randy Eccles, Crawford’s supervisor and general manager of NPR Illinois. “Sean manages our reporting staff, develops interns, works with contacts from other parts of the University and is a fine representative.”
Crawford is a graduate of the UIS Public Affairs Reporting (PAR) master’s program. In his role as news director, he has mentored many PAR interns who have gone on to work at other new organizations around the state and the country.
“He takes great pride in giving many of those accomplished journalists a start at NPR Illinois,” said his nominator.
Crawford’s nominator and supervisor also praise him for recently served as the acting general manager of NPR Illinois for a six month period. His nominator calls him “a leader for the entire staff at the station.”