Leading with Faith honoree — Sheila Oliver

Senior vice president, general manager, KMSP Fox 9 / WFTC Fox 9+

Eden Prairie
Age: 61
Parish: Our Lady of Grace, Edina
Spouse: Bill
Children: Madeleine, 30; Nick, 25
Education: Michigan State University
Number of years with company: 19

(Editor’s note: Oliver was recently promoted to run the Fox Owned-and-Operated stations located in Seattle, so the following applies up to May 24.)

As the general manager of local television stations concerned about the impact of the pandemic on people’s lives, Sheila Oliver led with faith by bringing recorded Masses and church services into people’s homes and workplaces. In the aftermath of the police-involved death of George Floyd last year, she began a “Voices for Change” program that still continues. She is on the board of trustees of Sioux YMCA and once served on the general board of YMCA Twin Cities. She also served on the parish stewardship council from 2010-2017, and she was a visiting extraordinary minister of holy Communion at Aurora, an assisted living center in Edina, from 2016-2020.

Q Describe your position and role in your business.

A I manage two television stations, KMSP, Fox 9 and WFTC, Fox 9+, which are Fox Owned-and-Operated stations, located in the Twin Cities, which have a reach that extends to Wisconsin and northern and southern Minnesota, including Brainerd. There are 175 employees at Fox 9 and Fox 9+. Between the two stations we air 72 hours per week of local news and programming as well as producing digital news and livestream news on our digital platforms. As the SVP/GM, I have the honor and responsibility to create an employee culture and strategic focus on growing our business, while maintaining our important role in bringing news and information to the general public in the Twin Cities.

Q What does “leading with faith” mean to you?

A It’s pretty simple — I believe in servant leadership and humility on the job and understanding the role that each person plays in accomplishing great things. Each and every employee is equally important in getting the job done well.

Q How did you concretely apply your faith and Catholic values at work?

A When the pandemic struck, I became aware that people had lost an important connection with their faith, the physical church and Mass, which was something that at the same time was so necessary to help us navigate uncertain waters and fearful times. The once normal ability to visit our places of worship was taken away so suddenly. My role as a eucharistic minister at Aurora in Edina taught me that especially in an individual’s twilight years, the sacrament of the Eucharist is so important. And in March 2020, the world changed and so did this important part of life. I made the decision that rather than air three hours of paid programming advertising on Sundays as we always had, we should turn the programming over to our religious communities, free of charge. The people at Our Lady of Grace, especially Ben Franske, made this decision easy because he had already designed and implemented the livestream that aired at 9:30 a.m. on Sundays. We simply grabbed that livestream on tape and played it over the TV airwaves at noon on Sundays. It was fun because at the beginning, I picked up the tape from Ben at 10:30 a.m. from the church and “cycled” it to Fox 9 for the airing at noon on Fox 9+. (That’s an old-school way of getting shows on the air!)

The result was that early on in March of 2020, families could gather with their loved ones, and those who were suddenly in lock-down could watch Our Lady of Grace’s Mass on their television conveniently. It made it easier for those who are not as technically savvy but also allowed many people to gather before a bigger screen. Other church communities were contacted and they volunteered their livestream, including St. Andrew’s Lutheran Church in Stillwater and Westminster Presbyterian Church in Minneapolis, creating a three-hour “faith” block on Sundays.

Q Tell a story about a time when living out your faith made a difference at work.

A After the murder of George Floyd, I realized that I was in a position to make a difference in helping to create a voice for racial injustice in our community. We reach a lot of people on a daily basis. At Fox 9, we formed a campaign called “Voices for Change” which continues today. This program helps to give voice to people of color in our community and to bridge the communication gap and inform our viewers about important issues surrounding diversity and inclusion. There are special segments, promotional spots and documentaries that support the overall campaign. We have planned a town meeting to take place in the fall to include important local minority leaders.

Q In what specific way have you experienced God’s presence in your workplace?

A During the last year there were so many signs that God played a role in something that ultimately turned out well that at first didn’t look that way. Timing is never something that we can control, as we know. I think if you asked the Fox 9 folks, they would tell you that in many ways 2020 was one of the best, in a different way, an unexpected way. We came together as a work family more than ever before.

Q What advice do you have for others who want to lead with faith?

A Humility is underrated and the truth will set you free. Always be looking for the angels in your midst.