The board of directors for Mississippi Public Broadcasting has started searching for a new executive director for the statewide network of radio and television stations.

The current director, Marie Antoon, says she is retiring at the end of August.

Antoon is the first woman to lead Mississippi’s educational television and public radio networks. She succeeded Larry Miller in February 2002 after serving as interim director of MPB for six months.

During her tenure, Antoon has overseen the expansion of news coverage and public affairs programming at MPB Radio.

In a news release Monday, Antoon said she is proud of MPB’s work with “Between the Lions,” a preschool reading program that is produced in the Mississippi television studio and broadcast nationwide.