2011 SUMMER HIGHLIGHTS

EMMA L. BOWEN FOUNDATION 2011 SUMMER HIGHLIGHTS

ONE HUNDRED AND EIGHT NEW STUDENTS JOIN THE FOUNDATION IN 2011 – One hundred eight new students from thirty cities around the country were selected from approximately 2,500 applications to participate in the Foundation’s multi-year work/study program. This is the largest class of new students in the history of the Foundation. Our current roster of 260 scholars follows in the footsteps of more than 450 graduates of the program. Students work each summer at broadcast stations, cable systems, cable program networks, public broadcast stations, advertising firms, equipment manufacturers and other industry organizations. While in the program, students have an opportunity to learn many aspects of corporate operations and develop company-specific skills. Corporations have an opportunity to train and mentor students with the option of full time employment upon completion of their college degrees. Our unique, multi-year program prepares a diverse group of talented young professionals to enter the workforce with specific job-related skills, knowledge of the corporate environment and a strong foundation for future advancement.

SUMMER CONFERENCE 2011 – Foundation students returned to New York City for the Emma Bowen Foundation’s 2011 Summer Conference from June 19-22. More than 200 students attended this year’s conference.

Audience Measurement panel members and Foundation students.

The first morning session included a panel entitled Audience Measurement:Data & Technology-A New Recipe, moderated by Abby Auerbach, Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer, Television Bureau of Advertising. The stellar panel comprised of leaders in audience measurement and research, including Susan Cuccinello, Vice President, Account Management at TRA; Arthur Orduna, Chief Technology Officer, Canoe Ventures,; Stephen Posnock, Vice President, Director Local Media Client Services, The Nielsen Co.; Bill Rose, Senior Vice President, Marketing, Arbitron; and David Poltrack, Chief Research Officer, CBS, President, CBS Vision. The panel discussion focused on the latest technologies and methods used to collect and analyze viewing/listening data and how that data translates into advertising revenue.

Lester Holt

The keynote speaker for the Foundation’s Annual Awards Luncheon was Lester Holt, Weekend Anchor, NBC Nightly News; Co-Anchor, Today Show-Weekend Edition. Several Foundation students appeared with Mr. Holt on the Plaza during the Today Show-Weekend Edition on Sunday, June 19th.

One of two afternoon panels focused on Corporate Social Responsibility. The panel (pictured at the right with Foundation students) included Itai Dionur, Executive Director, City Year, New York; Charisse Lillie, Vice President Communication Investment, Comcast and President of Comcast Foundation; Calvin Simms, Program Officer, Ford Foundation; and Alicin Williamson, Sr. Vice President, Corporate Social Responsibility, MTV. The panel moderator was a former Emma Bowen student, Alex Presha, now a Content Producer at WNBC.

Michelle Redberg and Michael Alvarez

The graduate panel, a favorite with students, featured Michael Alvarez, East Coast Sales Assistant with CBS, Niija Kuykendall, Production Executive, Warner Brothers, Michelle Redberg, Business Development & Research Coordinator, CBS; and Willie Sanchez, Manager and Executive Producer Web Operations, Fox News Radio. Emma Bowen Senior, Matthew Braham, served as moderator for the panel.

Dennis Swanson

Roger Ailes and Fox student, Luis Guitart.

News Corporation was the featured company for our “corporate day” during the conference. Dennis Swanson, President, Station Operations for Fox Television and our Foundation Chairman, and Roger Ailes, Chairman of Fox Television Stations Group, Fox News and Fox Business Network, opened the morning session with an overview of Fox operations and provided students with invaluable career advice gained from two highly successful careers. The Foundation was featured along with Mr. Swanson and Mr. Ailes, later that day in a segment on Fox 5 News.

News Corporation”Pathways to Success” panelists and Emma Bowen students sponsored by Fox.

An interactive panel, “Pathways to Success,” provided an overview of News Corporation and featured key executives Francisco Cortes, Manager of Fox New Latino, Dawn Davis, Publisher & Editorial Director, Amistad/Harper Collins and Executive Editor, Ecco; Saunda Lumpkin, Manager, 20th Century Fox Film; Audrey Pass, Senior Director of Communications and Public Affairs for Fox 5 New York; and Patricia Swedin, Vice President, Human Resources, Dow Jones. The panel was moderated by Demar Smith, Manager of Diversity Development for News Corp.

Kellee Blades, Mike Wood, Erin Johnson

Rokeia Smith Graveley

Mike Woods, Meteorologist, Fox 5, was the keynote speaker at lunch on Tuesday. Rokeia Smith Graveley, Account Executive with WAGA Fox Atlanta and an Emma Bowen Foundation alumna, conducted an Ad Sales Workshop. Jim Driscoll, News Director of MY 9, and Tisha Lewis, a Fox Chicago reporter, offered insights on Meeting the Challenges of Today’s Newsroom. The final afternoon panel offered students advice on making the transition From College to Work: Are You Ready for Prime Time? Panelists included Rosalyn Berranda, HR Manager, WNYW, WWOR and Fox Sales; Brigette Boyle, HR Director, Fox News-Cable Division; Jean Fuentes, Sr. Vice President, Human Resources, Fox Televisions Stations Group and a member of the Foundation’s Board of Directors, and Adrienne Loray, Senior Vice President, Human Resources, Fox Television Stations Group.

Jim Driscoll, Tisha Lewis

Class of 2011 at LeCirque

A reception honoring the Class of 2011 was held at LeCirque. Denise Richardson, journalist, guest lecturer and Director of Communications for the Salvation Army of Greater New York, offered words of encouragement and inspiration to the seniors and the next day interviewed several students on her radio show, Beyond the Bells, on WWOR. Rhonesha Byng provides a look at the taping: http://podcast.wor710.com/wor/2990857.mp3.

Christopher Robinson, Rhonesha Byng, Joseph Dillard and Luis Guitart at WWOR Radio interview with Denise Richardson.

Other events during the conference included corporate receptions for students at ABC, Fox and Time Warner Cable and a party for all participants at the Hard Rock Café in New York’s Times Square. Emma Bowen Foundation students sponsored by Comcast traveled to Comcast’s Philadelphia headquarters following the conference for their annual Spirit of Comcast event.

CAREER FAIR – The Foundation organized its second annual Career Fair on Wednesday, June 22, 2011 after the annual summer conference. Thirty-nine Foundation students from the Class of 2011 met with representatives from ABC, CBS, Comcast, Cox Communications, Cox Media, C-SPAN, Current, Discovery, FOX, Katz, HBO, Hearst, NBC, Nielsen, Ogilvy & Mather, Scripps, Time Warner Cable, and Turner Broadcasting. The Career Fair, hosted by Ogilvy and Mather, at their New York corporate office, has already resulted in several successful full-time job placements with more on the horizon.

CLASS OF 2011 – We are pleased to report that many of our seniors have already secured full time positions in the media. Among those that have accepted offers are: Rhonesha Byng into the NBC News Associates program; Kellee Blades as a sales assistant for Fox 5 New York; Matthew Braham as an NBC Page; Britny DeAnda, Associate Broadcast Specialist, Wisconsin Public Television; Alejandro Fonseca as an Associate Producer for NBC Miami; Rodney Hawkins as a broadcast associate with CBS News; Amirah Heath as an NBC Page; Erin Johnson, casting assistant at Fox Broadcasting; Andrea Lontoc as an Affiliate Sales Coordinator with Showtime; Steve Martinez as a sales assistant with Katz Media; Darril Marshall as a sales assistant with Katz Media; Taylor Tomczyszyn with CBS EcoMedia; and Melody Regalado, marketing coordinator with Comcast.

Foundation staff with gift plaques from the Class of 2011

CLASS OF 2011 GIFT TO THE FOUNDATION - The Class of 2011 had custom plaques designed for each of the three Foundation offices as well as making a generous cash donation. The plaques featured the Foundation’s logo and a listed the members of the Class.

JUNIOR FORUM - The first annual Junior Forum was held to provide Foundation college juniors with an opportunity to meet with corporate recruiters and learn, first hand, about preparing for job searches during their senior year. Nine companies, including ABC, CBS, Discovery, HBO, NBC, Nielsen, Ogilvy, Time Warner and Turner Broadcasting, met with 57 students from the Class of 2012.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS – We especially want to acknowledge the Walter Kaitz Foundation for their ongoing commitment to the Foundation and sponsorship of the 2011 Summer Conference; they have been the major sponsor of the conference since 2004. In addition, the Foundation wishes to acknowledge Pam Fisher and DeMar Smith and their hardworking team at News Corporation for their efforts to develop an excellent program for News Corporation Day, for all the speakers and moderators who shared their time and expertise with our students, to the recruiters who participated in the Junior Forum and Career Day events, for our corporate partners who provided gift items for our conference bags, and our Board of Directors who guide and support our efforts.

Dennis Swanson, Rhonesha Byng, Christopher Robinson and Tony Loney

2011 STUDENTS OF THE YEAR HONORED – Rhonesha Byng and Christopher Robinson were named the co-recipients of the Emma L. Bowen Foundation’s 2011 Student of the Year Awards at the annual Board of Directors/Student Luncheon held in conjunction with the annual Summer Conference in New York City. The awards recognize the achievements of an outstanding male and female senior. Criteria for the award includes outstanding work quality; noteworthy professional and personal growth and integrity; academic excellence; creativity and initiative; and special contributions to his/her company, college and/or community. Rhonesha is a graduate of DePauw University where she earned a degree in Communications. Her corporate sponsor was WNBC in New York City. Rhonesha has been accepted in the NBC News Associates program. Christopher is a graduate of George Mason University where he earned a degree in Film and Video Studies. His corporate sponsor was FOX Television.

Jill Duran, Malcolm Leverett, Brittany Harris, Victoria Fortune and Dr. Everett Parker, co-founder of the Emma Bowen Foundation

SCHOLARS FOR AMERICA – The Foundation presented the Scholars for America Awards to four recipients at the annual Board of Directors/Student Luncheon held in conjunction with the annual Summer Conference in New York City. The students were chosen for their outstanding community service efforts. Jill Duran of NBC Universal was selected for her work with Link Crew, a transition program to assist high school freshmen, Victoria Fortune of TV One was selected for her work with the Haitian Student Association at Howard University to bring aid to the citizens of Haiti in recovery from the natural disaster that devastated that nation, Brittany Harris, Comcast, for her work with the Homeless Children’s Playtime Project and Malcolm Leverett of Post Newsweek for his work with the Upper Valley Money Smart program.

A special thanks to Walter Sanderson of SiriusXM, Kathy Chow of Asian American Journalists Association, and Alfonso Rosales of Sirens Media for serving as our 2011 judges.

ACADEMIC AWARDS PRESENTED – 21 students were presented with the Foundation’s top academic award for earning a cumulative grade point average of 3.75 or higher during the 2010-2011 school year. Each award winner received a certificate and a cash award during the Foundation’s Awards Luncheon. Following is a list of the award recipients:

Meagan Aguayo, Univ. of Tampa, Brighthouse

Tiffany Bain, Florida A&M Univ., Comcast

Jennifer Brooks, Howard Univ., Hearst Television

Melissa Chavez, American Univ., Comcast

Katelin Chow, Univ. of Washington, Comcast

Alex Fonseca, Univ. of Miami, NBC

Jessica Fudge, NYU, NBC

Luisa Garcia, College of New Rochelle, CBS

Cassandra Lam, St. John’s Univ., FOX

Victor Ma, Univ. of Chicago, ABC

Shelby Maxwell, Fresno City College, ABC

Jameson Miller, Morehouse College, Comcast

Jennifer Peterson, Univ. of Minnesota, Comcast

Antonia Provost, Spelman College, Comcast

Lauren Ramirez, Colorado State Univ., Comcast

Candace Pugh, Syracuse University, Time Warner

Christopher Robinson, George Mason Univ., FOX

Michelle Secades, Univ. of Florida, Comcast

Sean Valentine, Howard University, Comcast

Apris Walker, Indiana Univ. PUI, CBS

Ian Yue, Wheaton College, CPB

EMMA BOWEN FOUNDATION STUDENT ADVISORY BOARD ELECTS NEW REPRESENTATIVES – The Foundation established a Student Advisory Board in 2007 to better serve the students and insure that the programs developed by the Foundation for students remain relevant both in topics and technology. Each class elects two representatives for a one-year term. The 2011-2012 Advisory Board includes:

Class of 2012 - Emily Ojuka / Michael Hale
Class of 2013 - Vanessa Menchaca / Flaviano Graciano
Class of 2014 - Chanel Tate / Malcolm Leverett
Class of 2015 - Jillian Duran / Dave Patel

Wrisë Booker

2011 NAVIGATING YOUR COURSE: TOOLS AND TECHNIQUES FOR ACCELERATING YOUR CAREER WEBINAR SERIES AND EXECUTIVE ROUNDTABLE – A webinar series designed specifically for Emma Bowen Foundation graduates and NAMIC members was conducted during the spring of 2011 to offer tools and techniques to help 45 young professionals assess their career goals and navigate their course for success. The program was designed by Wrisë Booker of Reid Dugger Consulting Group and offered six 90-minute, Saturday morning webinars touching on a wide range of topics including office politics, managing yourself, managing up, networking, mentors, and the challenges of professionals of color in the workplace. The program was funded through a grant from the Walter Kaitz Foundation.

Participants who opted for the “All Out Commitment” not only signed on for the full series, but also were required to complete a variety of personal exercises related to the course topics. An Executive Roundtable was the culmination of the program. The Roundtable was hosted by CBS in their New York offices. Fifteen mentees and seven executive coaches participated in the final 3-hour session facilitated by Wrisë Booker. The Roundtable offered mentees the opportunity to discuss topics covered during the webinar series one-on-one with senior level media executives. Executive coaches included: Robin Dunson of Cox Communications; Tony Ducret of Black Heritage Network; Gene Hawkins of Hallmark Channel; Michael Jack of NBC; Chris Lammers of Cable Labs; Jennifer Suarez of CBS; Diane Tryneski of HBO.

2011 LINK MENTORING PROGRAM – For the ninth consecutive year, the Walter Kaitz Foundation funded our Link Mentoring Program. In 2011, sessions were offered to students in Chicago on July 13-15th, and New York on July 20-22nd. The Link Intensive workshop is a 2.5-day professional development session that brings together industry executives with Foundations students to introduce such concepts as diverse work styles (utilizing the DiSC assessment tool), group dynamics, unspoken corporate rules, managing up, leadership when you are not in charge, and the challenges of professionals of color in the workplace. Guided by a professional facilitator, Wrisë Booker of Reid Dugger Consulting Group, mentors work with teams of 3-5 students to answer their questions and concentrate on strategies that build strong careers.

This year’s nearly sixty students worked with mentors included Deborah Brown of NBC, Barb Cowan of Comcast Spotlight, Deborah King of Turner Broadcasting, Chris Lammers of CableLabs, Becky Meyer and Michael Weiss of Katz Media, Willona Olison, PhD, of DePaul University and a Emma Bowen Foundation alumna, Juan Orta of Telemundo, Rochelle DiRe and Emerson Coleman of Hearst, Michele Koch of Hallmark, Saundra Thomas of ABC, Edwin Garcia of ESPN, Michele Scaringella of CBS, Sharon O’Sullivan of Discovery, and Jim Jones of NAMIC. Graduates in the New York and Chicago area were invited to participate in a Link event designed to highlight reception networking skills. Included among the Chicago graduates were Akeem Anderson of Cramer-Krasselt, and Angie Zavalla and Akudo Nwankpa of Comcast. In New York, Michael Benjamin and Jarred Hill of NBC and Jasmin Hashi and Michael Alvarez of CBS participated.

PARENTS’ NIGHTS – The Foundation hosted Parents’ Night events in Washington, DC, New York City, Philadelphia and Atlanta this summer. Parents of recently selected Emma Bowen scholars had the opportunity to learn more about the program and students were able to network with both staff and other Foundation scholars. The events were hosted by HBO in New York, Comcast in Washington, DC and Philadelphia and Turner Broadcasting in Atlanta. Emma Bowen Foundation alumnae and current students joined us in each city to offer advice and answer questions.

ARBITRON VISIT – Foundation President, Phylis Eagle-Oldson paid a visit to Arbitron’s headquarters in Columbia, MD to meet with current Foundation interns, Katy Li, Ashlee Banks, and Melika Riley. Katie is interning in the Organizational Effectiveness Department this summer, Ashlee is in Corporate Communications, and Melika is with the Engineering Department. Foundation alumnus, Malcolm Johnson, a project administrator in Service Control with Aribitron, joined the group for lunch, along with Arbitron executives Marilou Legge, Pam Crabill, Kevin Chittems, and Kim Meyers.

Jackie Burgos accepting the Hieskell Award from Jeff Bewkes, Chairman and CEO of Time Warner

FOUNDATION GRAUDATE RECOGNIZED FOR COMMUNITY SERVICE INITIATIVE BY TIME WARNER – Foundation alumna, Jackie Burgos, received the Hieskell Community Service Award for M.O.V.E. (Motivation, Opportunity, Viability, Enterprise) the organization she co-founded. M.O.V.E. is a three-year college preparatory program for inner city high students in New York. The first class of M.O.V.E. has received 24 acceptance letters to four-year colleges and universities. Jackie is a financial analyst with HBO.

EMMA BOWEN FOUNDATION SELECTED AS AN EXAMPLE OF “GOOD PRACTICES” FOR A STUDY SPONSORED BY THE WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM FOCUSING ON TALENT MOBILITY - The World Economic Forum and Mercer are working to create a community of interest - comprising representatives of government, business, academia, civil society, individuals and non-governmental institutions - to share first-hand experience and knowledge of specific “good practices” related to talent mobility.  The Emma Bowen Foundation was selected as example of the media industry’s “good practices.”  Included in the study’s broad definition of mobility are practices like the Emma Bowen Foundation’s program that “aim to increase labor market participation and/or the enhancement of skills and knowledge that make individuals more employable, perhaps in areas they might never have considered without such intervention.” The Foundation participated in an interview and case study profile to be included in the overall study.

EMMA BOWEN FOUNDATION PARTICIPATES IN INTERNATIONAL SOCIAL COHESION CONFERENCE SPONSORED BY THE U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT - The U.S. State Department invited the Foundation to participate in a US. – European Best Practices Exchange on the Role of Broadcast Media in Promoting Social Cohesion.  Media executives from Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Ireland, Morocco, The Netherlands, Norway and the United Kingdom joined representatives from the State Department, U.S. universities, Emma Bowen Foundation, NAMIC, NABEF, the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting, the Southern Law Poverty Center, Not in My Town, International Society of Diversity and Inclusion Professionals (ISDIP), the Maynard Institute, the Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM), MHz, New American Media, Telemundo, International Women’s Media Foundation (IWMF), and the Anti-Defamation League.  The day-long conference was designed as a forum for the exchange of experiences and successful programs to foster social cohesion.  One of our Foundation students, Victoria Fortune, a senior at Howard University and an intern at TV-One, attended the conference as well. 

THE FOUNDATION “FAMILY” ATTENDS THE 60^TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION OF THE ALLIANCE FOR WOMEN IN MEDIA - Foundation board members, students, graduates and staff attended the Alliance for Women in Media’s 60th Anniversary Celebration at the Marriott Marquis in New York City on November 3rd.  Phylis Eagle-Oldson, the Foundation’s president & CEO, was included among the Alliance’s Sixty@60 women recognized for achievements in the industry. 

NEW MEDIA AND TECHNOLOGY STUDENTS ATTEND SOCIETY FOR CABLE TELEVISION ENGINEERS CABLE/TEC EXPO IN ATLANTA – Five Foundation students from Cablevision, Hearst Television, Time Warner Cable, Turner Broadcast and Arbitron participating in our New Media and Technology track were invited to attend the SCTE Cable-Tec Expo in Atlanta on November 14-15^th.  Fu’ad Ibrahim,  Kenny Ng,  Mauricio Tellez Nava, Cheryl Nyangani and Melika Riley joined Foundation Tech Committee Chair, Chris Lammers of CableLabs, Ralph Brown (CableLabs), Zenita Henderson (Motorola), Michelle Ray (Walter Kaitz Foundation), Christina Anderson (NCTA), and Foundation president, Phylis Eagle-Oldson, for dinner on their first evening in Atlanta.  On Tuesday, November 15^th, they joined nearly 10,000 technology professionals at general sessions featuring Sanjay Jha, Chairman and CEO of Motorola Mobility, CTO’s from Bright House, Cablevision, Comcast, Cox and Time Warner and executives from industry suppliers such as Cisco, Motorola, Intel, Arris, and Samsung.   Foundation graduates TJ Dorsey and Cedric Jones of Turner and Will Johnson of Cox joined Foundation students for lunch and a roundtable discussion about careers in technology.   Students also had the opportunity to visit the trade show floor and discuss new developments with representatives from Cisco, Arris, Motorola, Commscope, SeaChange and Elemental Technologies.

The overall program was funded by a grant from the Walter Kaitz Foundation.  SCTE donated the registrations for students and graduates and CableLabs hosted the dinner.  A special thanks to Chris Lammers of CableLabs, Mark Dzuban of SCTE, Zenita Henderson of Motorola Mobility, Michelle Ray of Walter Kaitz Foundation and Christina Anderson of NCTA for their assistance in making this a successful first effort.

ALUMNAE HOLIDAY EVENTS - Mixers were held in Atlanta, Miami and New York to bring together Foundation alumnae for networking and a little holiday cheer.  Our thanks to Rokeia Smith in Atlanta, Gio Benitez  and Christine Portela in Miami, and Janella Senica, Kameko Jones and Erica Edwards in New York for organizing the events.  We also want to thank the Class of 2010 and the Class of 2011 for their contributions to help fund these events.  We hope the success of this first effort will result in annual events in cities across the country.