Caroline Ballard

About Caroline

Caroline Ballard is an award-winning public radio journalist and assistant news director at KUER, NPR's affiliate in Salt Lake City. A graduate of NYU's Liberal Studies program, she went on to earn her journalism degree from Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, where an audio class changed the course of her career. As a musician, she found that the rhythm, pacing, and texture of sound storytelling clicked immediately — and she hasn't looked back. Her first break came at Wyoming Public Radio, where news director Bob Beck hired her as a Morning Edition host. She brought that same ambition to KUER, joining as local host of All Things Considered before moving into editorial leadership. There she helped revive State Street, a flagship politics podcast exploring issues like transgender care bans, child abuse protections, and the influence of religion in Utah politics — an episode of which was featured by NPR One, dramatically boosting the show's audience. In 2023, she moderated Utah's gubernatorial primary debate, adding live television to a resume that spans reporting, podcasting, producing, and editing. In 2023–2024 she was selected as a fellow for the Poynter Institute's Editorial Integrity and Leadership Initiative, applying its frameworks directly in her newsroom. Colleagues describe her as ethical, dedicated, and compassionate — a leader who has difficult performance conversations when needed while passionately supporting her team both professionally and personally. She has also covered major science stories, including NASA's OSIRIS-REx asteroid sample return capsule and two solar eclipses.