Steve Edwards will succeed Darren Reisberg as executive director of the Institute of Politics (IOP) effective March 31, the IOP announced Thursday afternoon.

Edwards joined the IOP in October 2012 as the Institute’s deputy director of programming. His duties consist mainly of developing the speaker series, the visiting Fellows program, and student internship opportunities.

Prior to his time at the IOP, Edwards worked at WBEZ for almost 14 years both on-air as the host of daily shows The Afternoon Shift and Eight Forty-Eight, as well as behind-the-scenes as the station’s content development director and acting program director.

He will assume this new position at the beginning of spring quarter, when Reisberg becomes secretary of the University.

Institute director David Axelrod (A.B. ’76) commented on Edwards’ abilities and potential in the IOP’s e-mail announcement. “Steve came to us after a rich career in journalism and quickly established himself as an extraordinary leader at the IOP. With Steve, we will not miss a beat,” Axelrod said.