Meet the NAMIC Team…
Kathy A. Johnson
President, NAMIC
Kathy A. Johnson has been affiliated with NAMIC for more than 20 years, initially as an active member and in recent years as the lead staff person. She was named President in April 2006. In 2003, she was promoted to Executive Vice President after having served as the organization’s first-ever, full-time Executive Director since 1998.
As President, Kathy works closely with the organization’s Executive Committee and National Board of Directors to determine organizational strategic direction. She has oversight of the daily operations of NAMIC, Inc. and its 18 chapters nationwide, including implementation of key educational programs and annual events; managing the organization’s staff of ten, and representing NAMIC externally to the industry.
During her tenure with NAMIC, Kathy has established the organization as an independently managed entity; transitioned the national headquarters from California to New York City; helped to secure multi-million dollar funding for capacity building and programs; and executed the launches of NAMIC’s prestigious Executive Leadership Development Program (ELDP) and Leadership Seminar for middle managers in partnership with UCLA’s Anderson School of Business.
Kathy joined the cable industry in 1987 and has been a NAMIC member just as long. She has served as both President and Secretary of NAMIC-Southern California, Inc. and Secretary of the NAMIC National Board of Directors for three years.
Kathy began her career in cable as a Walter Kaitz Fellow with Times Mirror Cable Television (now Cox Communications) in Orange County, California where she was Sales Manager for a staff of 45 direct sales and telemarketing personnel. She spent five years at Disney Channel as a Senior Affiliate Marketing Representative in the Los Angeles and Phoenix DMA’s; and was the director of marketing for BET Action Pay Per View for three years where she was recognized with a BET Star Award.
A native of Des Moines, Iowa, Kathy received her Bachelor of Science degree in Broadcast Journalism, cum laude, from Boston University. She was a Consortium for Graduate Studies in Management Fellow and received her Master of Business Administration from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Kathy was recognized by Multichannel News as one of the year 2003 Wonder Women in the cable industry. In 2007, she was recognized by CableFax Magazine as one of cable’s top 100 heavy hitters. She has also been included among CableWorld Magazine’s second 50 list of the Most Influential Women in Cable. In 2008, Kathy was named TelevisionWeek magazine’s Cable Executive of the Year.
James Jones
Vice President of Education Programs
Jim Jones joined the NAMIC team as Director of Education in Fall 2005 after spending nearly a decade launching a wide range of diversity, team building, mentoring and other multicultural programs for the National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering (NACME), a national non-profit whose mission is to increase the numbers of successful African American, American Indian and Latino men and women in the engineering, technology and math-based fields. Before joining NACME, he had consulted in the corporate, government, educational, and not-for-profit sectors, designing and implementing training and development initiatives related to increasing organizational effectiveness through building and nurturing a diverse workforce.
With a B.A. from Harvard, Jim attended New York’s Juilliard School and the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, where he studied classical singing. He eventually was awarded a Fulbright Fellowship to France, and spent four years studying and performing in European concert and opera venues. After much “soul-searching,” he eventually returned to America and attended the Columbia Business School, where he received an M.B.A. in strategic human resources. Jim hails from St. Louis, Missouri.
Daphne Leroy
Vice President of Marketing and Communications
Daphne Leroy began her career in the media industry over fifteen years ago. Currently, she is the Vice President of Marketing and Communications with the National Association for Multi-ethnicity in Communications (NAMIC), the premier organization focusing on multi-ethnic diversity in the communications industry. Founded in 1980, today NAMIC comprises 2,000 professionals across 18 chapters nationwide.
Ms. Leroy joined NAMIC in September 2006 from CBS Corporation and Viacom, Inc. corporate relations, where she managed the Emmy and Peabody Award-winning KNOW HIV/AIDS global media initiative within the Office of the Chairman. In this role, she was responsible for targeted television, radio and outdoor public service announcements (PSAs), HIV/AIDS-themed television/radio programming and online/print information resources. Additionally, the campaign had a number of international partnerships with media organizations in Africa, the Caribbean and Russia.
Prior to joining CBS Corporation and Viacom, Inc., Ms. Leroy held various positions spanning all marketing disciplines at leading media and entertainment companies, including Time Inc. (Brand Director of Teen People magazine) and MTV Networks (Affiliate Marketing Director). She launched her career at FOX Broadcasting Company in network sales and distribution.
Ms. Leroy’s professional background is rooted in social responsibility. As a first-generation Haitian-American, she is devoted to philanthropic endeavors to help strengthen communities in need. Ms. Leroy serves on the Advisory Board of the Edeyo Foundation, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to improving the future of children in Haiti through education. She is a Co-founder and Board Member of the Haitian Roundtable, an organization comprised of civic-minded leaders and experts in a variety of sectors. Additionally, she is an active supporter of the New York Women’s Foundation and PENCIL (Public Education Needs Civic Involvement In Learning). Under Ms. Leroy’s voluntary leadership as President of the New York Chapter of NAMIC in 2001 and 2002, the New York City Council honored the chapter for two consecutive years at City Hall with a proclamation for outstanding service and programs.
A native New Yorker, Ms. Leroy earned a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Marketing Management at Baruch College of the City University of New York. In 2008, CableFAX Magazine named Ms. Leroy one of the most influential minority executives in the cable television industry. The Network Journal honored Ms. Leroy in 2009 with a “40 Under Forty” achievement award that recognizes leaders who have proven to be exceptional performers in their industry and who are committed to the development of their community. Most recently, Multichannel News recognized Ms. Leroy on its 2010 “40 Under 40” list of movers and shakers who are helping their companies grow and succeed, while playing an important part in mapping the future of cable and telecommunications.
Daniel J. McGlone
Vice President of Fund Development
Danny McGlone has 20 years of experience in the non-profit sector and has held fundraising positions at organizations of varied size and mission, including several who operate with a national office and chapter structure like NAMIC. As Vice President of Fund Development, he is responsible for diversifying and expanding NAMIC’s funding, identifying and pursuing new revenue streams, and stewarding relationships with current donors for sustained and increased support. Danny oversees NAMIC’s portfolio of annual special events and staffs the NAMIC Foundation.
Prior to joining NAMIC, Danny was an independent consultant providing fundraising counsel and campaign services to a range of clients. He has served as Director of Chapter Operations for the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of America, where he managed 21 chapters, a staff of 56 (who generated fundraising revenues in excess of $12.5 million towards the organization’s more than $30 million budget), and a portfolio of 60 annual events. In that capacity, he also provided training, mentoring, and coaching to leadership volunteers and staff as they embarked on major gift fundraising campaigns, as well as managed a portfolio of contributions from major gift donors nearing $2 million.
Danny was the Director of the American Red Cross in Greater New York’s Brooklyn Chapter and served on Planned Parenthood’s staff as Director of Development for the Metropolitan New Jersey affiliate and Assistant Director of Government Relations and Public Affairs for the New York City affiliate. He has also raised funds for a museum and a youth organization with arts and leadership development as their focus.
With a Bachelor of Science in Political Science from New York University and an Associate in Applied Science in Journalism and Print Media from Kingsborough Community College of the City University of New York, Danny is an active member of the Greater New York chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals.
Sandra Girado
Director of Meetings and Events
As the Meeting and Events Manager, Sandra Girado is responsible for planning and managing NAMIC’s annual portfolio of educational and special events, as well as new activities that are created for the membership and industry.
Sandra brings to NAMIC close to a decade of experience in the meeting planning and trade show industry. Prior to joining NAMIC in June 2005, she served as the Programs Administrator for the International Council of Shopping Centers where she was responsible for the management of educational programs, including faculty recruitment and curriculum scheduling. In that position she also worked to facilitate programs in Asia, Mexico, the Middle East and Mexico. Sandra also worked with the EastWest Institute, where she was responsible for planning Global Homeland Security Conferences for the international community. Additionally, she was the Special Events Manager for Lebhar-Friedman, a New York based publishing company.
She is a 1997 graduate of Manhattan College, where she received a Bachelor of Science degree in Marketing and International Business.
Faride Precil
Manager of Education Programs
As the manager of education programs, Faride’s primary responsibilities include the administration, recruitment, assessment, and evaluation of the L. Patrick Mellon mentorship program. He is heavily involved in providing additional educational and career support to mentors and mentees through research publications, career related activities and as well as online skill improvement courses. Faride also assists Jim Jones, vice president, education programs, with other education related initiatives such as ELDP, the Leadership Seminar, Webinars, and Continuing Education.
Prior to joining the Education Department at NAMIC, Faride spent most of his professional life in higher education. Upon graduating, he was appointed by the Assistant Dean of Undergraduate Studies as the Director of an off-site Learning Center funded by a grant from the City University’s Research Foundation. Thereafter, Faride spent three and a half years working in Enrollment Services as a Senior Counselor/Recruiter and Academic Adviser. Upon leaving Brooklyn College he was appointed as the Associate Director of Admissions for the American University of Antigua College of Medicine and helped increased enrollment from 100 to over 500 within a year and a half. Faride has an undergraduate degree in French/Francophone Literature from Brooklyn College. He has also had the luxury of attending La Sorbonne while enrolled at Brooklyn College.
Susan Waldman
Research and Publications Manager
As Research and Publications Manager, Susan Waldman oversees the development and production of market research data/analysis to drive our programs and advance our mission. She is also responsible for the production of NAMIC’s three industry-wide publications including: Diversity Scoop, InTouch and Cultural Lens.
She launched her career in market research as a media planner on such accounts as Loews Hotels and Omnipoint Communications at Hill, Holliday Altschiller and McCann Direct advertising agencies. There she was introduced to the gamut of advertising research resources as she planned and purchased the media for various clients. After a few years, Susan moved over to the magazine industry.
Susan has served as the Marketing Research Manager at Vibe, Spin and The Source magazines and Research Director at Motor Trend magazine. Supporting 20 sales representatives by providing them with competitive and analytic research regarding each magazine’s audience, she has honed her research expertise.
Susan received a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Ohio University in Athens, Ohio.
S. Monique Wells
Manager of Operations
Monique Wells is NAMIC’s Manager of Operations, a position she assumed on August 24, 2009. She is no stranger to NAMIC and has been a member since 1991 and for the last two years, she has been a consultant to NAMIC for a number of special projects. As Manager of Operations she oversees the administrative operations of the national office.
An accomplished manager with a diverse background in sales and project management, Monique previously served as an Energy Conservation Analyst with the Los Angeles Unified School District where she oversaw the utility management for school construction projects. Prior to that, Monique was a National Sales and Marketing Executive for Patriot Communications where she was responsible for the sales, marketing and contract negotiations of enhanced telecommunication products and services.
“Before joining Patriot, Monique worked at HBO in Affiliate Sales, where she created and implemented sales strategies and account activities for HBO and Cinemax. Her responsibilities included sales, client services, off-channel promotions and special events. During her tenure at HBO, Monique was an active member of NAMIC-Southern California and served on the Steering Committee for the Vision Awards and chaired both the Sponsorship and Talent Committees. Monique also spent one year at BET Networks working in the Affiliate Sales/National Accounts division.
Preceding her tenure in telecommunications, Monique held several executive positions for Kraft General Foods and Sportsvisions, a sports marketing company based in Northern California. Monique earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology from Clark University in Worcester, MA and a MBA degree in general business and marketing from Atlanta University, now known as Clark Atlanta University in Atlanta, GA. She currently volunteers for Habitat for Humanity and City Harvest.”
Maria Acevedo
Project Coordinator
Maria Acevedo joined NAMIC in June 2008 as Project Coordinator. In her role, she works closely with the Marketing and Communications team. Prior to joining the organization, she worked with The Research Foundation of the City University of New York (RFCUNY), a not-for-profit educational corporation that manages private and government sponsored programs at The City University of New York (CUNY). In addition, Maria was awarded an internship with RFCUNY and worked solely with the Director of Communications & Special Events.
Prior to obtaining her position with RFCUNY, she attended the Borough of Manhattan Community College (BMCC) and received her Associates degree in Multimedia Programming and Design. While enrolled at BMCC she received a work-study position as an office administrator and subsequently promoted as a Computer Lab Technician at the Learning Resource Center of BMCC. While working and attending college, Maria received an internship with the New York City’s Health and Hospital Corporation, where she interned as a Graphic Designer.
A native of the Bronx, New York, Maria graduated from The City College of New York, CUNY in May 2008 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Marketing & Communications.
