The U.S. Senate has confirmed the nomination of Kailua resident Miriam Hellreich to the board of directors of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. She was appointed by President Donald Trump. Her term will expire in 2024.

Hellreich, originally from Alabama, began her career as a speech and language pathologist when she founded the first speech and language therapy program at Taipei American School in Taiwan. She later moved to Hawaii and established a private practice, delivering speech, language and voice therapy services to a culturally diverse group of adults and children.

Hellreich was president of the Hawaii Speech Language & Hearing Association (HSHA); she developed the first professional continuing education program for its members and later became the chairman of the HSHA Legislative Affairs Committee. She authored the first professional licensure bill for Hawaii’s speech and language pathologists.

The Corporation for Public Broadcasting is a private, nonprofit corporation created by Congress in 1967. It helps support the operations of more than 1,500 locally owned and operated public television and radio stations nationwide.