Inside Sacramento State’s involvement in CapRadio’s search for a general manager
Long before questions arose over former Capital Public Radio General Manager Jun Reina’s alleged financial misconduct, the station’s board began to hunt for a new top leader.
Reina became the executive vice president and general manager in 2020, after spending more than a decade in chief finance positions. During his tenure, he oversaw a fraught relocation project to downtown Sacramento filled with delays.
Three years later, board members sought to replace him. Reina was free to apply for the position, but the board signaled fresh leadership was needed as the station transitioned to new headquarters at 730 I St. and a performing arts center.
“They have no concept of how cruel it is to talk about this in front of me,” Reina said in a Slack message dated March 24, 2023, referring to conversations about searching for his replacement.
A dire financial crisis for CapRadio, an auxiliary under Sacramento State, had emerged as the search commenced. As the board attempted to steer the station through turbulent financial times, the stations’ employees abruptly saw health care coverage briefly canceled. Some learned that what had been recorded as $3 million in reserves was actually only $85,000.
The effort to start anew cratered as Sacramento State attempted to only pay the new candidate’s salary if executive board members’ resigned, according to 13 former board members. The day after the university’s demands, 14 board members resigned, and no external candidate was hired.
“The universities’ actions impugned members of the board without any evidence,” said Roger Dreyer, a prominent Sacramento-based personal injury attorney, who was among 14 board members who resigned the same day in 2023.
Reina’s alleged involvement with CapRadio’s financial woes became clearer after a second forensic examination was released by accounting firm CliftonLarsonAllen in August 2024. The report, commissioned by Sacramento State, included a review of credit cards controlled by Reina under which nearly half a million dollars of questionable purchases were spent, with no receipts or documentation. The California State University had also released an audit claiming widespread financial mismanagement at the station.
CapRadio also filed a lawsuit against Reina, and accused him of stealing more than $300,000 for his personal expenses, and the nonprofit is trying to seize his 4,500-square foot West Sacramento home. Reina has denied the allegations in a court filing.
Financial crisis unfolds
Signs of a fiscal crisis emerged as early as spring of 2022 — much earlier than what has been previously reported, according to documents obtained by The Sacramento Bee.
The board, composed of community members and Sacramento State representatives, had discussions in early 2023 about the search. According to a source who requested anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly, two Sacramento State representatives — out of four total university officials on the board — expressed doubts about moving to replace Reina as members discussed a hiring process in early 2023.
Nevertheless, the full board came to a consensus to move forward with nationwide recruitment. By March 2023, the members announced a request for proposals to hire a recruitment firm. A new search committee was appointed, which sent out 10 requests for proposals and identified an eight-phase plan capped with “celebrating Jun’s contributions.”
Koya Partners, a global recruitment firm, was ultimately contracted to help in the selection process.
Reina eventually stepped away in May 2023 on medical leave, prompting the board to appoint three CapRadio employees as the managing executive team: chief development and brand officer Shirlee Tully, chief operating and content officer Vijay Singh and managing editor Nick Miller. All three have since left the station.
During this time, CapRadio’s finance director Rocio de Valk provided Jonathan Bowman, Sacramento State’s CFO, with financial documents.
The station had been described in the CSU audit as an entity without internal controls.
Bowman, who is credited with finding financial inconsistencies at CapRadio in 2021, could not be reached for comment to ask if he had previously uncovered the questionable expenses flagged by de Valk. Bowman resigned in July 2024.
And, compounding the financial stress, CapRadio staff discovered in spring 2023 that reserves shown in financial reports as $3 million actually had dwindled to $85,000.
A board member proposed layoffs as a cost cutting measure in April 2023, according to board meeting minutes. Health care temporarily stopped next month, after the insurance provider was paid late. Coverage was reinstated a few days later.
By June 2023, Reina was no longer with the station. Chris Bruno, CapRadio’s chief revenue and marketing officer, declined to say if he was fired or resigned.
Layoffs ensued in August 2023 — but more employees suffered the cut than previously announced. The station also cut from its marketing department and others, resulting in a total 15% cut across the nonprofit.
New president’s arrival
Against the backdrop of CapRadio’s financial stress, new leadership was set to arrive at Sacramento State.
President Luke Wood began leading the university in July 2023 and soon met with the CapRadio board to discuss the station that summer. He promised the board they would work together, and the dire financial situation was not their fault, according to a source familiar with the events.
The hiring process for a new general manager continued throughout the summer after Wood’s arrival. But, he urged the board to appoint a new interim general manager to guide CapRadio through its crisis.
Tom Karlo, appointed by the board on Aug. 8, 2023, led a NPR-affiliate station in San Diego. Though the full scope of the station’s inner turmoil was not publicly known, the university hinted at the financial struggles roiling the station while announcing Karlo.
“CapRadio is also making operational adjustments to strengthen processes and streamline finances,” according to a news release announcing Karlo’s appointment. “Sacramento State is providing budgeting and financial support during the transition.”
Wood appeared to retract his warm approach to the board by October. The night of an Oct. 3, 2023, CapRadio board meeting, the university issued a statement claiming it was informed that day of a vote “to move forward in hiring a new general manager at the cost of nearly half a million dollars a year.”
“With the serious issues of accountability, financial processes and controls, and fiscal instability highlighted in the CSU audit, the board still decided to move forward with the hiring, despite the University’s request not to do so,” a university news release issued at 10:08 p.m. that evening read.
But Sacramento State knew of the plans to hire a new candidate for months and had approved moving forward with the process, the source said. Wood and Karlo both met with a candidate that the board hoped to hire. And, CapRadio had advertised the salary range as $250,000 to $325,000.
The university in its statement to The Bee said the $500,000 salary mentioned by Wood in media reports for the permanent general manager referred to the total compensation package, including benefits.
The reversal played out at the closed board meeting, the person and Dreyer, who listened to the meeting over Zoom, said to The Bee.
Bowman said the university would pay the new candidate’s salary, but then reversed course, according to the person and Dreyer. Instead, Bowman claimed the university would only pay for the new general manager if the executive committee resigned, Dreyer and the person said. The demand would include asking Bena Arao, the board’s treasurer and Sacramento State’s director of academic affairs resources, to also resign.
The source said Bowman was texted by Wood during the meeting to promise to pay the new general manager’s salary if executive board members resigned despite Bowman’s promises.
Dreyer could not recall what prompted Bowman to retract the offer. Bowman’s demeanor had completely changed after he reneged on the promise to pay the candidate’s salary, Dreyer recalled.
The day after the meeting, 13 board members resigned due to what they called in a letter a “failure” of Sacramento State to “inform and engage with the board in good faith.” They noted Bowman, who flagged “financial inconsistencies” in 2021, never told the board of any issues.
“During the board’s discussion and decision yesterday to recommend the hiring of a new President/General Manager after a seven-month search process, we learned that the position’s funding, which had been generously offered by Sac State, was actually conditioned on the resignation of board officers,” 13 former board members wrote in a letter dated Oct. 4.
“We take pride in our service, especially during this challenging year, which demanded extraordinary efforts to navigate and address the station’s financial challenges,” the letter said. “The dynamic has now shifted in a direction that we do not understand structurally and that we disagree with strategically. Our only recourse at this point is to step down.”
The 14th board member, Arao, separately resigned later that day from the board.
A Sacramento State spokesperson did not respond to questions about Wood’s apparent about-face with the board. In a statement, the university said it has worked diligently to support CapRadio and that board members submitted their resignation “after having been encouraged to do so given the concerning nature of the audit report.”
Dreyer added the board did not resign due to Wood’s alleged threat.
The university has helped CapRadio restore stability to its management, finances and operations, according to Sacramento State’s statement to The Bee. CapRadio has since stabilized as a result of this effort, the statement said.
Wood has said previously to The Bee that the university did not know of the dire financials, and that university officials were presented with inaccurate information. CapRadio, in its lawsuit, accused Reina of “surreptitiously” opening corporate credit cards without informing the board, saying he gave the station “inaccurate and incomplete” information.
This story was originally published April 14, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
CORRECTION: This story has been updated to clarify the financial documents given to Sacramento State from CapRadio’s finance director in May 2023.
