January 12, 2025
The growth and achievements of NAMIC members and alumni in their respective fields are truly commendable. We take pride in highlighting their ongoing accomplishments through our Movers and Shakers feature. It serves as a testament to the valuable impact that NAMIC and its programs have on empowering individuals to thrive and make a difference in their careers.
January 12
NAMIC Leadership Seminar graduate Jen Aspeslagh started a new position as Senior Director Business Partner Operations Management at Comcast NBCU; NAMIC Leadership Seminar graduate Kenya Brock, VP, Marketing, We are Rosiewas named a 2023 Inspiring Leader by Inspiring Workplaces; NAMIC Strategic Management Series graduate Marissa Brooks, Director, Drama Development, CBS Studios was recognized by Business Insider as a rising star in Hollywood and the entertainment business; NAMIC ELDP Class XII alumnus Alex Okosi was appointed as the new Managing Director, Africa at Google.
NAMIC Leadership Seminar graduate Marc Owens has been promoted to Director, Customer Service Strategy & Operations at Comcast NBCU; NAMIC ELDP Class XXIII alumna Apsara Sivamurthy was promoted to SVP, End User Technology & Experience, Paramount; NAMIC Leadership Seminar graduate Lisa Thurston was promoted to Director, Business Intelligence, Comcast NBCU; NAMIC ELDP Class XXI alumna Tonya Walley has become Senior Vice President, Field Operations, Altice USA.
February 13
NAMIC Leadership Seminar graduate Tamer Abu-halawah was promoted to Manager 2, Finance, Comcast NBCUniversal; NAMIC Strategic Management Series graduate Marissa Brooks was promoted to Vice President, Drama Development, CBS Studios; NAMIC ELDP Class XXII alumnus Ignacio Garcia is now Senior Vice President and Executive Producer, Major League Soccer; and NAMIC Leadership Seminar graduate Chantell Greene was promoted to Account Executive, Ad Sales Client Partnerships & Inclusion Solutions, Warner Bros. Discovery.
NAMIC Leadership Seminar graduate Joy Park is starting a new position as Senior Vice President, Customer Experience Strategy & Operations, Comcast NBCUniversal; NAMIC ELDP Class XXI alumnus Barry Pearson has been promoted to Vice President, Head of Finance, BET Media Group, Paramount; and NAMIC Leadership Seminar graduate Ryan Sukhram was promoted to Director, Business Process Effectiveness, Comcast NBCUniversal.
March 19
NAMIC ELDP class X alumna Kenetta Bailey, SVP, Marketing, Clear Channel Outdoor Americas authored “How to align D&I initiatives with company values”; NAMIC ELDP class VIII alumnus and mentor Wally Bakare was named West Regional Vice President of Field Operations with Spectrum; NAMIC ELDP class XV alumna Tamara Bowens became President & Chief Operating Officer at The Dawson Company; Former NAMIC board member Ann Carlsen, Founder & CEO, Carlsen Resources will be honored at the T. Howard Foundation Diversity Awards Dinner for her commitment to increasing diversity and inclusion in the media and entertainment industry; and Leadership Seminar graduate Marrel (Jay) Davis was promoted to Director of Technical Operations at Comcast NBCUniversal.
NAMIC ELDP class XIII alumnus Ricky Frazier has been appointed SVP of Comcast’s Keystone Region; NAMIC Leadership Seminar graduate Lindsay Hinkle was promoted to Director of HR Reporting and Analytics at Comcast NBCUniversal; NAMIC ELDP class XIX alumnus Ernie Jones is starting a new position as Executive Director Sales Support at Comcast CXSO; NAMIC Leadership Seminar graduate Maxwell Kelley was promoted to Senior Director, Social Production & Creative at ESPN; and NAMIC Leadership Seminar graduate Lolita Owens was the recipient of the Comcast 2023 Manager MVP Elite Award.
April 18
NAMIC Leadership Seminar graduate Jamie Acevedo has moved to a new position (Learning & Development Manager) at RAND; NAMIC Leadership Seminar graduate Brian Arena is the new Director of Mobile Value Added Services at Spectrum; NAMIC-Detroit Secretary Shannon Dulin was named Senior Director of Community Impact for Comcast’s Central Division; NAMIC Leadership Seminar graduate Kimberlie Grose started a new position as Director, Digital Service & CX at Charter Communications.
NAMIC ELDP Class XXII alumnus Kentrail Rainey was promoted to Senior Director of Compensation at Cox Communications; NAMIC Board Member Sheereen Russell, EVP, Ad Sales, Client Partnerships & Inclusive Solutions, Warner Bros. Discovery and NAMIC-New York member and long time supporter Adriana Waterston, Executive Vice President and Insights & Strategy Lead, Horowitz Research were both named 2024 Multichannel News Wonder Women.
May 14
NAMIC Leadership Seminar graduate Kenya Brock is starting a new position as Director, Sales Development – Large Agency and Political at Effectv; NAMIC ELDP Class III alumnus Mark Garner, Head of Global FAST Channels, A+E Networks was named in the 2024 Cable TV Pioneers Class; NAMIC SMS graduate Amy Johnston-Smith was promoted to VP, Marketing Business Operations at Comcast; and NAMIC Leadership Seminar graduate David Misovski was promoted to Director, Sales Operations at Comcast.
NAMIC ELDP Class XXIII alumna Erin Monroe, Market Vice President, Greater Louisiana at Cox Communications was inducted into Southern University Law Center’s Hall of Fame; NAMIC Board Vice Chair and ELDP Class XVI alumna Sandy Nunez, Vice President, Talent Management On-Air at National Football League (NFL) was featured in LinkedIn’s Empowering Women: Redefining the NFL Landscape; NAMIC-Capital Area member Rori Peters, TV One (retired) was named in the 2024 Cable TV Pioneers Class; Former Kaitz Foundation Executive Director and longtime NCTA staffer Michelle Ray has launched Michelle Ray Strategies.
June 12
NAMIC Leadership Seminar graduate Fernando Lopez was promoted to Sr. Deputy Editor at ESPN Digital.
NAMIC Leadership Seminar graduate David McKinnon was promoted to Coordinating Producer at ESPN.
NAMIC ELDP Class XXIII alumnus Cristian Vyhmeister is starting a new position as Vice President, Client Partner and Delivery at Innova Solutions.
July 17
NAMIC Leadership Seminar graduate Jamie Acevedo is now the Director of Talent Development at RAND; NAMIC Leadership Seminar graduate Fredonia Brown, Senior Manager Customer Care, Strategy and Operations received the XGIE Center Star from Comcast NBCU; NAMIC Leadership Seminar graduate and NAMIC-Atlanta Secretary Terance Clement, Manager, Sales Strategy, Comcast received the “Be Fearless Award for Allyship” at the The WICT Network: Southeast 21st Annual Inspire Awards; and NAMIC ELDP Class II alumnus Cliff Ejikeme, Executive VP, Controller & Treasurer has been given an expanded role at A+E Networks.
NAMIC Leadership Seminar graduate Sharon Franklin is starting a new position as a leader of Cox Communications’ Talent Solutions & Enablement team; NAMIC ELDP Class XXII alumna Terrica Dyson Gupton started a new position as Vice President, Compensation at Comcast Business; NAMIC Leadership Seminar graduate Stevie Sharpe Jones started a new role as Senior Account Executive at Amazon; and NAMIC ELDP Class V alumnus and NAMIC Board of Directors Emeritus Pragash Pillai has been named Chief Technology Officer of Hotwire Communications.
NAMIC Leadership Seminar graduate Brian Tritz was promoted to Senior Director, West- Regional Operation Center at Charter Communications; and NAMIC Leadership Seminar graduate Ravena Valentine, EVP, Chief People Officer, A+E Networks will be the chair of this year’s C2HR Con.
August 8
Pictured left to right: NAMIC Leadership Seminar graduate Ahmad Alsaadi was promoted to Senior Director, Change Management and Governance at Comcast; NAMIC ELDP Class XXI alumna and NAMIC-New York President Denya ChinQuee was recognized as the Woman of the Year by Seeds of Fortune Inc. given for her role as President of NAMIC- New York; and NAMIC Leadership Seminar graduate Erika Fiest started a new position as Director, Brand Strategy for Comcast Business.
September 13
Pictured left to right: NAMIC Leadership Seminar graduate Brian Kamelhar is starting a new position at Comcast as Director, Strategic Planning; NAMIC ELDP Class XXIII alumnus Adam Moyerman was promoted to Senior Director, Market Insights at Comcast; and NAMIC ELDP Class XI alumnus David Roberts was named an executive vice president of sports news and entertainment at ESPN, given oversight of shows with a broader aperture, including “First Take,” “Sports Center” and “Get Up.”
Pictured left to right: NAMIC Leadership Seminar graduate Lolita Robinson-Owens started at new position as Sr. Manager CXSO Sales Order Support Ops at Comcast; and former NAMIC board member and ELDP Class IX alumnus Freddy Rolón was named to lead global sports production and ESPN’s talent office, charged with, among other things, keeping tabs on the roll-out of a series of NBA and WNBA games that will be made available around the world on digital platforms, including Disney+.
December 17
Pictured left to right: NAMIC Leadership Seminar graduate Corey Ellingsworth was promoted to Senior Business Analytics Manager at Comcast; NAMIC Leadership Seminar graduate Jessica Shelly started a new position as Senior Director, Growth & Operations at Comcast Business; NAMIC ELDP alumnus class XIV Jesse Wallace was named the new SVP/Head of Distribution at Hallmark Media; and NAMIC ELDP alumna class XXII Amy Yu has joined Chibitronics as COO.
Congratulations to the following NAMIC ELDP alumni who were featured in the Cablefax 2024 Most Powerful Women issue:
- Johnita Due, ELDP XVI, EVP, Integrity & Inclusion, CNN & Chief Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Officer, News & Sports (WBD)
- Pooja Midha, ELDP VII, EVP, General Manager at Comcast Advertising – Effectv (Comcast NBCUniversal)
- Ramsey Naito, ELDP IV, President Nickelodeon Animation, Paramount Animation (Paramount)
- Kia Painter, ELDP XIII, EVP and Chief People Officer (Cox Communications)
- Michelle Rice, ELDP XI, President (TV One and CLEO TV)
- Janelle Rodriguez, ELDP X, Executive Vice President, NBC News (Comcast NBCUniversal)
- Tonya Walley, ELDP XXI, Senior Vice President Field Operations (Optimum)