As VP and COO, Deborah Lein oversees DEI's station services team.  She has held this position since 2007.  She has been responsible for the content side of the Public Media Development and Marketing Conference (PMDMC) since the Nashville conference in 2000.  She has worked continuously with DEI President Doug Eichten for nearly 20 years.

Prior to her tenure with DEI, Deborah worked at Public Radio International in Minneapolis, MN, first in the Development Department as a full-time grantwriter responsible for raising funds for programs such as Marketplace, The World, Sound and Spirit, and Classical 24, and then as Director of Marketing Communications, where she oversaw PRI's publications and marketing materials for the PRI portfolio.  Deborah and her team created and launched the PRI InfoSite in 1998. 

Deborah began her professional career as a grantwriter at The Guthrie Theater, one of the largest and oldest regional theaters in the country. Deborah holds an M.A. and B.A. in English Literature from Purdue University, where she graduated with highest distinction.  She is deeply devoted to public broadcasting's mission and ideals, and believes she works with the nicest and most talented team in the industry.