Patty Wente

Patty Wente is the Senior Vice President of Business Solutions at Group | 720. Wente is a seasoned professional with more than 30 years in marketing, broadcast and business development. Prior to joining the Group | 720 team, Wente managed her own business development and consulting firm, The Wente Group, Inc., where she successfully motivated and inspired senior teams to develop and implement strategy that achieved maximum business results. The Wente Group worked with clients on a local, regional and national level and included Centene Corporation, The Radio Arts Foundation, Maryville University, Saint Louis University, College Bound, Craft Alliance, WNYC Public Radio, New York and KUVO, Denver.

Preceding the start of her own business, Wente lead a non-profit organization from a negative budget to a multi- million first-class operation.  She has directed, supervised or directly participated in generating more than $100 million in development revenue for non-profit institutions.  Membership revenue increased 685 percent, corporate underwriting increased 846 percent to break into the seven figures, and the enrollment of those utilizing the service more than doubled to 196,000. Staffing more than tripled to accommodate the growth of what is now one of the top ten most listened-to public radio news organizations in the country.

Wente was the manager of Station Grant Programs at the Corporation for Public Broadcasting in Washington D.C. for both public radio and television stations. She managed stations in Wichita, Kansas; Norman, Oklahoma and St. Louis, Missouri.

PROFESSIONAL AND CIVIC AFFILIATIONS

Wente served on the Board of Directors of National Public Radio (NPR) and Public Broadcast Managers Association, and was also a member of the Public Radio Leadership Forum. She is the past President of Public Radio in Mid America, and represented public radio in the Midwest at the national level on the NPR Board of Directors. 

She is a Board member of the St. Louis Press Club and is currently the Vice President of Membership.  She serves on the YWCA Circle of Women Committee as well as the Face the Nation Committee of the Press Club.  She has served on committees for the 2010 and 2011 Jazz St. Louis Gala, 2010 Wellness Community Gala, and 2010 Shakespeare Festival, St. Louis Gala, 2011 Craft Alliance and 2011 College Bound Gala’s. Wente is a member for the St. Louis Women’s Forum, United Way of Greater St. Louis and American Cancer Research. She acted as the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of America’s Mid-America spokesperson in 2008 and is a member of the Regional Commerce and Growth Association.

Wente has received two national awards including the Public Broadcast Management Association’s Award of Excellence and Public Radio Regional Organization’s “Potholder” Award.  The St. Louis Business Journal named Wente one of 2007’s “Most Influential” and one of  2004”s Most Influential Business Women.” She received a YWCA Special Leader Award in 2003.

She earned a bachelor’s degree and master’s degree in Communication from the University of Illinois-Springfield.