Growing up in Northern Minnesota, there were few opportunities for Sherece (Shari) Lamke to officially participate in sports, but that didn’t stop her from competing at neighborhood gatherings or family get-togethers. She has always loved sports - competing and watching - and at one point in time she held season tickets to the Whitecaps, Gopher women’s hockey and basketball, the Lynx, Vikings and Wild.

Lamke started her career in television with Twin Cities PBS in 1982 where she worked her way from the Master Control Operator to Director of Operations and Managing Director of Production Services. While there, she helped launch the Minnesota Channel, a statewide television service featuring programs done in collaboration with nonprofits, educational institutions and government agencies.

During her time with the Minnesota Channel, Lamke worked with the U of M’s Tucker Center for Research on Girls and Women in Sport, and it was in those collaborations that her love of sport shone through. She worked with the Tucker Center to use their data in the creation of three documentaries that have all been nominated for regional Emmys, and her documentary ‘Media Coverage and Female Athletes’ won the Sports Documentary Emmy in 2015.

In 2021, Lamke accepted a position as the President and General Manager at Pioneer PBS in Granite Falls where she inherited a small but mighty staff of 30 people who produce series like Postcards, Prairie Yard and Garden, as well as cultural and historical documentaries and specials. PBS President Paula Kerger once commented that Pioneer ‘punches above their weight’ in production and Lamke is thrilled to continue that tradition.

Throughout her career, Lamke has used her skills as a leader and storyteller to share the stories of women and girls in sport, and her dedication has helped raise awareness for equity in women’s sports as well as the stories and accomplishments of female athletes in Minnesota and beyond.