Jane Alpers is many things — a businesswoman, an educator, a traveler, an amateur Hellenist with a soft spot for British period pieces — but chief among them, she is a lifelong advocate for public media. She also happens to be the new chair of GBH’s Beacon Circle Committee.
We sat down with Jane to chat about her many passions, the home she’s found in the Beacon Circle community, her hopes for GBH as one of its leading ambassadors, and the best bookstore in Porto.
Congratulations on being named the new chair of the Beacon Circle Committee! What are you most excited about with your new role, and what is your vision for the Beacon Circle going forward?
It’s so exciting to be “under the tent” with GBH. My pride in being part of this community grows the more I get to know the organization and its people, and the more I spend time with fellow fans and supporters.
As for the Beacon Circle, there’s no two ways about it, it’s a thrill to come into the studio, to hear firsthand from AMERICAN EXPERIENCE producers about their upcoming films, or be in the audience for a Stories from the Stage taping, to interact with folks who work on these nationally recognized and awarded shows.
The development team at GBH has been so creative in identifying benefits to offer Beacon Circle members that it’s kind of an easy choice if you’re somebody who has a passion for the programming GBH develops.
The Beacon Circle Committee is here to assist GBH’s fundraising efforts by identifying people interested in becoming members at the Beacon Circle level of giving. My vision is that we tap into our pride of being part of GBH and embrace our role as GBH advocates, and maybe I can even challenge the Beacon Circle Committee to further build up and strengthen the donor community.
What are some of your favorite GBH programs?
I’m a massive MASTERPIECE fan going back to the Alistair Cooke days. We must have been a GBH/MASTERPIECE family, because I’ve been tuning in on Sunday nights to their drama and mystery programs for as long as I can remember. I’ve certainly got a soft spot for British period dramas.
I’m also a bit of a history buff. The Ken Burns films are unlike anything you can find elsewhere, and it says a lot that he chooses to produce his films for PBS and GBH. I also like keeping up with current events and understanding the world. For that, FRONTLINE is second to none. Their coverage of presidential races and analysis of elections stand out in my mind for the depth of their insights and storytelling.
What I love about GBH is that it’s people with integrity, producing content of integrity. Integrity in storytelling is something, to borrow a tagline, that matters to me.
How do you identify with GBH’s mission and content?
The key thing for me is the fairness of how GBH covers some of the most important issues facing us as Americans and citizens of the world. I value the balance and depth of GBH’s reporting and storytelling so much. There’s no shortage of superficiality in news, but GBH provides insights that help me make sense of what’s going on.
As a teacher of business skills, I often talk about the difference between just getting the data and finding the insights. That’s what GBH delivers — it’s for thinking people who want to understand the bigger picture — and I really identify with that.
What do you find rewarding about staying engaged with GBH in the community of the Beacon Circle?
I feel like these are my people. They are interested and interesting; they are curious and care about what’s going on locally and in the world. They have opinions and like to engage with important questions. Finding a whole new community of people I enjoy spending time with has been so meaningful to me — what do we look for as humans if not people we enjoy spending our time with?
When I tell friends about the Beacon Circle, I say GBH is a wonderful organization to support philanthropically because it offers donors a rich experience. Unlike other organizations where you might just make a donation and hope for recognition, with GBH you become an insider. You have the opportunity to meet the terrific, committed people of GBH and attend special members-only events. I’ve also found the opportunities to lend my experience and expertise to the Foundation especially rewarding.
What do you think makes public media so important at this moment?
There are other services that develop great content, but GBH is one of the leading sources of unbiased opinions and in-depth news. I can’t stress that enough. Look at the PBS News Hour — that doesn’t look like or operate like any other newscast you see on broadcast television. You’re not being talked at, but being given the tools to assess things for yourself. As an educator, I certainly align with that.
Public media is also so important for the way it provides access to news and critical safety alerts to rural communities where other sources of information aren’t widely available. With the changes to public sources of funding we’re confronting right now, it’s these smaller, more remote areas of the country that will be disproportionately hit. To think that we’d be marooning people in news deserts is nothing short of shocking — it just doesn’t seem right.
Lightning Round
What are you watching?
Patience. It’s a British murder mystery that takes place in York, about a detective who is assisted by a woman with autism in a murder investigation. After my sister and I blew through the first two seasons of Velvet, which was really fun to watch, I wanted to watch something a bit more highbrow. I’ve found Patience really compelling, and on top of that, beautifully shot and intelligently written.
What is your go-to comfort food?
Talenti Raspberry Sorbet
Coffee or tea?
Coffee. But there’s a tea I love called Forever Nuts that makes for a great pairing with Sunday night MASTERPIECE in the wintertime.
What are you reading?
I’m reading Clytemnestra [by Costanza Casati]. She’s the wife of Agamemnon and sister of Helen of Troy who plays a minor role in the Trojan War. I’m fascinated by Greek mythology, and I love how [the novel] explores the life of this seemingly minor character who proves to be quite formidable.
When you’re not teaching at BU or consulting, what can we find you doing?
I love cycling and traveling; in fact, I just finished an amazing six-day cycling trip through Portugal’s Douro Valley (with the help of an electric-assist bike!). When we visited Porto, Rick Steves’ tour book brought us to this incredible bookstore — Livraria Lello — that looked like something, as Rick puts it, out of Diagon Alley in Harry Potter. Beyond that, I’ve been enjoying going out to eat and seeing movies with my 22-year-old son, who’s home for the summer.
When I’m not teaching my health sector marketing course at BU’s business school, I consult with companies in the health sector that are looking to grow by becoming more patient-centric. My post-MBA training in consumer products marketing is completely transferable to health systems, insurers, and pharmaceutical and device companies as far as using marketing research to develop consumer insights and become more competitive. I love bringing clarity to organizations, helping them move forward.
What are some of your favorite places that you’ve traveled?
A safari in Kenya and Tanzania a few years ago really spoiled me for the rest of the world, but one of my favorite trips was when my son and I did a Buffalo Safari in South Dakota at Custer State Park. We got out there in a jeep at sunrise, blanketed against the cold, and found ourselves immersed in herds of American Bison. We’ve all seen them on nickels, but to see them up close is an experience!
