Women in Cable Telecommunications Announces 2013 Board of Directors

Women in Cable Telecommunications Announces 2013 Board of Directors



Mary Meduski, Suddenlink Communications to chair the board through 2014;
Kathy Payne, Cox Communications, to serve as Immediate Past Chair

New Directors-at-Large include:
Marc Aldrich (Cisco), Jennifer Hightower (Cox), Barbara Linebarger (Turner), Susanne McAvoy (Crown Media) and Jacquelyn Smith (Comcast)

CHANTILLY, Va., Jan. 17, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Women in Cable Telecommunications (WICT) today announced the members of the 2013 WICT Board of Directors. Mary Meduski, EVP & CFO, Suddenlink Communications, was elected to serve a two-year term as Chair. Kathy Payne, Vice President, Content Acquisition, Cox Communications, who served as Chair for two years, will move to a one-year term as Immediate Past Chair.

WICT also announced that incumbent board member Marva Johnson, Corporate VP, Government & Industry Affairs, Bright House Networks, was moved up to the Board's Executive Committee and will serve as Chapter Development Chair, while three additional individuals will join the board for the first time in 2013 as Directors-at-Large. They are: Marc Aldrich, VP, US Cable Segment, Cisco; Jennifer Hightower, SVP, Law & Policy, Cox Communications; and Susanne McAvoy, EVP, Marketing & Creative Services, Crown Media Family Networks. In addition, Barbara Linebarger, VP, Network Partnerships with Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., will serve in a one-year Director-at-Large role as Chapter Leader Designee, and Jacquelyn Smith, Director, Software Platform & Engineering with Comcast, will serve as the Emerging Leader Designee. The WICT Board of Directors is comprised of individuals from a broad range of backgrounds and experiences representing various disciplines of the industry. A full listing of the board appears below.

"The WICT Board of Directors is a talented and diverse group of leaders who uniquely reflect the dynamics of our industry," said Mary Meduski, 2013 Board Chair. "Their influence and expertise will be invaluable as WICT works toward a more equitable future for women in cable telecommunications."

Mary Meduski joined Suddenlink Communications in 2006 as Executive Vice President & Chief Financial Officer. As CFO, she helps set Suddenlink's strategic direction, raises capital to support the company's growth objectives, and oversees its accounting, tax, treasury, financial reporting, risk management, programming and information technology functions. Ms. Meduski served as vice chair on the 2012 WICT Board of Directors and as treasurer in 2009 and 2010, and she is a member of the WICT Midwest and New York Chapters. She also supports the Greater Texas Chapter. She has been named to CableFAX's list of "Most Powerful Women in Cable" in each of the last seven years, and was recently named a Multichannel News Wonder Woman, Class of 2012.

Kathy Payne joined Cox Communications in 1993 and is presently responsible for video content negotiations for cable networks and other video content distributed across multiple platforms to millions of Cox customers. She is a graduate of Class 10 of the Betsy Magness Leadership Institute, WICT's premier executive leadership program, and has been a member of the WICT Board of Directors since 2007, serving as chair in 2011 and 2012. She has also been actively involved with the WICT Southeast chapter for many years. Multichannel News and the WICT New York Chapter honored Payne as one of the 2009 Wonder Women, and she has been included on CableFAX's "Most Powerful Women in Cable" list six times since 2006.

Marc Aldrich has served as the area vice president for the US Cable Segment at Cisco for more than three years. In this capacity, he is responsible for developing strategic relationships across all aspects of Cisco's cable customers' businesses, as well as positioning Cisco as a trusted business partner to the cable industry.

Jennifer Hightower serves as senior vice president of law and policy at Cox Communications, and in this role she oversees Cox's compliance, legal operations, litigation, regulatory and corporate government affairs teams. She is a graduate of Betsy Magness Leadership Institute Class 16 and, in 2012, she was the recipient of WICT's Woman to Watch Award.

Barbara Linebarger is vice president of network partnerships for U.S. Network Operations at Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. (TBS, Inc.). She is responsible for the strategic partnership with Peachtree TV and the TBS, Inc. animation networks Cartoon Network, Boomerang and Adult Swim. She currently serves as a Past President on the WICT Southeast Board of Directors and is a member of the prestigious Betsy Magness Leadership Class 27.

Susanne McAvoy is the executive vice president of marketing and creative services for Crown Media Family Networks. In this role, McAvoy oversees all facets of marketing and branding for the channels. McAvoy is an active member of WICT and is currently serving her seventh year as a board member for the New York Chapter.

Jacquelyn Smith is the director of software platform and engineering for Comcast. Her responsibilities include managing the Development Engineering & Application Administrations team, the implementation and management of enterprise support tools and financial management of the application systems. She currently serves as the 2012-2013 Co-Chair for Special Events for the Greater Philadelphia Chapter of WICT.

2013 WICT Board of Directors

Executive Committee

Chair: Mary Meduski, EVP & CFO, Suddenlink Communications
Immediate Past Chair: Kathy Payne, VP, Content Acquisition, Cox Communications
Treasurer: Kim Martin, President and GM, WE tv
Chapter Development Chair: Marva Johnson, Corporate VP, Government & Industry Affairs, Bright House Networks
Strategic Planning Chair: Martha Soehren, SVP and Chief Learning Officer, Comcast University and Comcast Cable
Development Chair: Gail MacKinnon, EVP & Chief Government Relations Officer, Time Warner Cable
Governance Chair: Sean Bratches, EVP, Sales and Marketing, ESPN
President and CEO: Maria E. Brennan, CAE, Women in Cable Telecommunications

Directors-at-Large

Marc Aldrich, VP, US Cable Segment, Cisco
Sherita Ceasar, VP, National Video Deployment Engineering, Comcast
LoriConkling, EVP, Distribution, National Accounts, Field Sales & Canada, A+E Networks
Jocelyn Cooley, SVP, Human Resources & Talent Management, BET Networks
Samantha Cooper, SVP, Content Distribution & Marketing, MTV Networks
Joan Gillman, EVP, Time Warner Cable and President, Time Warner Cable Media
Rebecca Glashow, SVP, Digital Media Distribution, Discovery Communications
Melani Griffith, SVP, Programming & Video Services, Insight Communications
Jennifer Hightower, SVP, Law & Policy, Cox Communications
Sandy Howe, SVP, Strategic Market Development, ARRIS
Barbara Linebarger, VP, Network Partnerships, Turner Broadcasting System, Inc.
Susanne McAvoy, EVP, Marketing & Creative Services, Crown Media Family Networks
Chris Powell, EVP, Human Resources, Scripps Networks Interactive
Shirley Powell, EVP, Corporate Communications, The Weather Channel
Kelly Regal, Executive Vice President, Turner Broadcasting System, Inc.
Michelle Rice, EVP, Affiliate Sales & Marketing, TV One
Jacquelyn Smith, Director, Software Platform & Engineering, Comcast
Gemma Toner, Senior Vice President, Cablevision
Dana Zimmer, EVP, TV Networks Distribution, NBCUniversal

About WICT
For over thirty years, Women in Cable Telecommunications (WICT) has partnered with cable and telecommunications leaders to provide professional development programs, research and services that help advance women in cable media. With nearly 10,000 members, WICT is the oldest and largest professional association serving women in the cable and telecommunications industry. Comcast/NBCUniversal, Time Warner Cable, Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. and Suddenlink Communications are WICT's Strategic Touchstone Partners. Please visit www.wict.org or follow @WICT on Twitter for more information.

WICT Contact: Talton Gibson
703.234.9812
tgibson@wict.org

SOURCE Women in Cable Telecommunications

Women in Cable Telecommunications

Web Site: http://www.wict.org/


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