Diversity Roundtable

This group serves as a forum for diversity and human resources practitioners in the cable/telecommunications industry to discuss and share diversity challenges and best practices. It also provides NAMIC with expert advice and support for its industry-wide initiatives. In 2006, the Diversity Roundtable sponsored a high-level panel of executives from ad sales and new digital media to kick off an industry-wide effort to increase diversity in these two critical business arenas. MTV Networks hosted the event at their New York City headquarters, and they were joined by ESPN, Discovery Channel, The Weather Channel and Lifetime as co-sponsors of this exciting, thought-provoking evening.

The Diversity Roundtable members include:

• Lynn Costa, VP, Human Resources, Lifetime Entertainment Services
• Barbara Cowan, Sr. Manager of Recruitment, Comcast Spotlight
• Bob Defrank, Director, Staffing & Diversity, A&E Television Networks
• Emerio Gonzalez, Human Resources Director, The Weather Channel
• Ray Gutierrez, EVP, Human Resources & Administration, Showtime Networks Inc., CBS Interactive Media & College Sports Television
• Juan Herrera, Senior Director, Strategic Partnerships, MTVN
• Shanda Hinton, Director, Talent Management & Diversity, Comcast
• Kathy Johnson, President, NAMIC
• Jim Jones, Director of Education, NAMIC
• Gina Larussa, Director of Human Resources, Turner Broadcasting System, Inc.
• Ethan (Tony) Loney, Director of Compliance & Diversity, NBC Universal
• Michael Munoz, Diversity Representative, ESPN
• Betty Panerella, Senior Vice President, Human Resources, Viacom
• Belinda Patterson, Vice President of People Services, Cox Communications, Inc.
• Sugeily Pena, Manager, HR, Lifetime Networks
• Liz Rosa-Pinero, Senior Director, Human Resources, PBS
• Pam Sawyer, Director Organizational Development, The Weather Channel
• Debbie Rayford Smith, VP, Diversity & Human Resources Services, Discovery Communications
• Lisa Strack, Manager of Diversity & Inclusion, Comcast
• Lorie Valle-Yanez, Director, Diversity, ESPN
• Andrea Agnew, Director of Diversity and Inclusion, Comcast
• Lenore Washington-Graham, VP, Strategic Resourcing, Scripps Networks