National Geographic Society Executive to Discuss Media’s Digital Transition
Tracie Winbigler ’87 (Photo courtesy of the National Geographic Society)
DELAWARE, Ohio – As technology evolves and younger generations change how they consume content, the media industry needs to evolve as well, says Tracie Winbigler, chief operations officer for the National Geographic Society.
Winbigler, a 1987 Ohio Wesleyan University graduate, will return to her alma mater Oct. 23 to present “The Media Industry and the Digital Transition.” Her free presentation will begin at 7:30 p.m. in the Benes Rooms of Ohio Wesleyan’s Hamilton-Williams Campus Center, 40 Rowland Ave., Delaware.
Winbigler says questions that media outlets need to address include:
How are traditional print newspapers and magazines leading their readers and employees to digital formats? How does the digital transition impact the traditional economics and business models?
At National Geographic, Winbigler chairs the Operations Council overseeing human resources, legal operations and business affairs, sourcing and production, finance, technology, corporate strategic planning, and business development. She also is a member of the National Geographic Channels International board. She joined National Geographic – one of the largest nonprofit scientific and educational institutions in the world – in 2012 as executive vice president and chief financial officer, responsible for financial operations, technology, business development, global sourcing, and sustainability initiatives.
Winbigler previously worked for General Electric Co., serving in roles including executive vice president and chief financial officer of GE Asset Management, an investment management company with $120 billion of assets under management. At GE, she also served as HealthAhead finance leader; chief financial officer of GE Transportation; chief financial officer of GE Nuclear Energy; chief financial officer of GE Plastics Japan JV; and she spent more than five years with NBC Universal, where her roles included serving as executive vice president, finance, and chief financial officer for NBC Universal Television Group and Digital Media.
At Ohio Wesleyan, Winbigler majored in economics management and accounting. She also participated in the Orchesis dance concert, performed with the OWU concert band, and volunteered with the Wesleyan Student Foundation, a group of student-ambassadors who collaborated with the admission office.
Winbigler’s Ohio Wesleyan presentation is part of the Robert L. Milligan Leaders in Business Lecture Series, organized by the university’s Woltemade Center for Economics, Business and Entrepreneurship. The series was created in 1992 with an endowment gift from Robert L. “Bill” Milligan, OWU Class of 1922, and his wife, Mary Cook Milligan, an honorary 2002 OWU alumna, both deceased.
Learn more about Winbigler and the National Geographic Society at www.nationalgeographic.com. Learn more about the Woltemade Center and the Milligan Lecture Series at https://www.owu.edu/academics/departments-programs/department-of-economics/the-woltemade-center/.
Founded in 1842, Ohio Wesleyan University is one of the nation’s premier liberal arts universities. Located in Delaware, Ohio, the private university offers 86 undergraduate majors and competes in 23 NCAA Division III varsity sports. Ohio Wesleyan combines a challenging, internationally focused curriculum with off-campus learning and leadership opportunities to connect classroom theory with real-world experience. OWU’s 1,750 students represent 46 U.S. states and territories and 43 countries. Ohio Wesleyan is featured in the book “Colleges That Change Lives,” listed on the latest President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll with Distinction, and included in the U.S. News & World Report and Princeton Review “best colleges” lists. Learn more at www.owu.edu.