Jake is a 2000 graduate of Southeast Missouri State University. As Host Producer, McCleland coordinates all of KRCU's local programming; he works with hosts, producers, and audio engineers to enhance the quality of in-studio productions. Additionally, McCleland works with station staff and community volunteers to develop new ideas for programming on KRCU. He also records and produces feature stories that are heard locally during Morning Edition and All Thing Considered.

McCleland recently completed three years of service as a Peace Corps volunteer in Panama, where he worked with slash-and-burn farmers on methods to enhance crop production and prevent deforestation. He also hosted and produced a program on Panamanian radio called Allá en el campo which featured interviews and feature stories about sustainable agriculture techniques for rural farmers.

“Radio is a particularly powerful medium in rural Central America,” McCleland says. “There’s no electricity and thus no TV. Newspapers don’t circulate to the more isolated villages. However, even the poorest household has a battery-powered radio.”

Originally from Cobden, Ill., McCleland enjoys cooking and playing music (both rather poorly). He also likes wandering around in the wilderness.

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