Commissioner Interview: Robin Sproul
MD Two Fifty spoke with Commissioner Robin Sproul, Co-Chair of our Communications, Fundraising, and Events Committee, about her distinguished career in journalism and her hopes for the 250th.
Commissioner Robin Sproul is a Maryland-native, born and raised in Montgomery
County, and still a county resident. She left Maryland just once, to study bacteriology at Denison University in Ohio, but unsure about her career path after graduation, she returned home, landed an unpaid position in radio and found her career passion.
She began her journalism career as a researcher at WMAL radio in Washington, D.C. At the time, everyone listened to local radio, especially when it snowed, as it was the only way to receive school closing updates. When ABC purchased WMAL,
Commissioner Sproul was promoted and served as the first female Bureau Chief. She was one of few women in management and managed 650 employees. In her radio career, she worked with many colleagues over the years, including the parents of Governor Wes Moore.
Commissioner Sproul shared that Thomas Jefferson famously said he “preferred a
newspaper without a government to a government without a newspaper”. She believes that great young journalists are needed, that journalism is more important now than ever, and that the Internet has created an exciting but challenging change to the business model of journalism.
While at WMAL, she produced a radio documentary on the bicentennial and thus, brings a unique perspective to the Commission and by extension, Marylanders. When discussing her work on the bicentennial, Commissioner Sproul noted that the semiquincentennial gives us an opportunity to reflect on the incredible journey of our nation since 1776. She noted major differences between the approach to the bicentennial, which was focused on the Revolutionary War and Colonial period, and the inclusive focus of the semiquincentennial.
She takes great pride in Maryland’s beauty, both physical, such as mountains, the
Chesapeake Bay, and beaches, and our incredibly diverse citizenry and Marylanders who have contributed to both our state and our nation. She hopes that Marylanders make time to visit local, state, and national parks, museums, and other cultural centers and to participate in the 250th.
Following a career in radio, Commissioner Sproul now serves as Executive Vice
President at Javelin, a literary agency. She is married with two adult daughters and four grandchildren, and enjoys traveling, biking, and hiking. Commissioner Sproul is one of five public members of the Commission, all appointed by Governor Wes Moore.