2007 SUMMER HIGHLIGHTS
Emma Bowen Foundation Conducts Largest Recruiting Season To Date - More than 1,700 applications were received by the Foundation in the spring of 2007 to compete for new work/study positions in the media industry. Eighteen of our corporate partners selected 90 new students in 40 cities throughout the United States in 2007. Thirty-six positions were replacements for graduating college seniors and the balance were newly created opportunities for minority youth. The current Foundation roster stands at 264 students and 229 graduates.
Public Service Announcement Created by Fox Television To Assist Foundation Recruiting - Through the generosity of Dennis Swanson, president of television operations for Fox Television, and the talent of the creative staff at WNYW-Fox New York, a 30-second public service announcement (PSA) was created to support the Foundation's recruiting efforts in 40 cities around the country. Broadcast television stations, cable operators and cable programmers aired the PSA in February and March, 2007. During that time period, visits to the Foundation's web site, www.emmabowenfoundation.com, increased significantly. The Foundation plans to use the PSA in 2008 and develop a Spanish language version as well.
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| Hoda Kotb with Foundation students. |
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| Kendra Hatcher of Mediavest. |
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| Foundation graduate, Rokeia Smith, an account executive with Fox. |
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| Alison Silver, Sr. VP Int'l. Physical Production for Focus Features Int'l. speaking with Foundation student Arnell Davis after her panel on programming. |
NBC Universal hosted a full day of speakers covering such topics as multiplatform digital innovation, programming and scheduling, and the transition from internships to full-time work. Michael Jack, President and General Manager of WRC-NBC 4, Perkins Miller, Senior Vice President, Digital Media and the Olympics, and Elana Nachmanoff, Vice President,
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| From left, Michael Jack, NBC, David Porter, Kaitz Foundation and Daniel Howard, NBC |
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| Rob Kennedy of C-SPAN with Ashley Brown, Media General. |
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| Jeanine Mendez, WJAR, with Dr. Everett Parker. |
As with any industry conference, it is advantageous to schedule a variety of meetings and events around the central meeting when attendees from around the country are available. The Emma Bowen Foundation Summer Conference was no exception. Seniors attended the annual Senior Dinner; first-time conference attendees participated in a New Student Orientation;
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| CBS executive, Peter Dunn, with Native American students from Minneapolis and Seattle. (Micki Ream, Cole Premo, Michelle Redberg and Christina Fairbanks). |
Acknowledgements - We especially want to acknowledge the Walter Kaitz Foundation for their ongoing commitment to the Foundation and sponsorship of the 2007 Summer Conference. In addition, the following companies, organizations and individuals helped in a variety of ways to make this conference possible: The Association of Cable Communicators for their ninth year of contributions, the Bresnan Family Foundation, Fordham University, Dr. Phil Napoli, Ethan Loney, and all our conference speakers. The following companies also donated gift items for our students: BMI, Bresnan Communications, Broadcasting and Cable Magazine, CBS, CNN, Comcast, Hearst-Argyle Television, Lifetime, NCTA, Oxgen, Sci-Fi Channel, Scripps Networks, Time Warner Cable and the TVB.
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| Lillian Santana. |
2007 Students of the Year Honored - Lillian Santana and Reggie Lott were named the Emma L. Bowen Foundation's 2007 Students of the Year at the annual Board of Directors/ Student Luncheon held in conjunction with the annual Student Conference in New York City. This award recognizes the achievements of an outstanding senior and serves as an incentive to other Foundation students to continue to strive for excellence. Criteria for the award include: 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. Lillian Santana is a graduate of Baruch College where she earned a degree in Finance. Lillian's corporate sponsor was ABC and she continues to work at ABC as a financial analyst with Good Morning America.
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| Chris Lammers of Cable Labs with Reggie Lott. |
Class of 2007 - In addition to our Student of Year Award Winners, we are equally proud of our other Class of 2007 graduates. At the end of the summer of 2007, twelve graduates have accepted fulltime positions in the industry in broadcast news, advertising, corporate marketing, sales and cable programming. One of graduates was accepted into the NBC Page Program and two are pursuing advanced degrees in law and business.
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| From left, Rebecca Wangard, Phylis Eagle-Oldson and Carlos Austin |
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| Michael Estimé. |
Academic Awards Introduced - While all Foundation students are required to maintain a minimum grade point average of 3.0, it is particularly noteworthy when students far exceed that requirement. The Emma Bowen Foundation's Academic Awards were established to recognize and reward students that have achieved a cumulative grade point average of 3.75 or higher while in college. Award recipients received both a certificate and a cash award. During the 2007 Board of Directors/Student Luncheon, the Foundation presented Academic Awards to the following students:
| Name | University | Corporate Sponsor |
| Jamie Atkinson | Howard University | Comcast |
| Nicole Barden | Spelman College | Comcast |
| Candace Barnes | Montclair State | Comcast Spotlight |
| Jeremy Battle | Morehouse College | FOX - WBRC 6 |
| Tiffany Blevins | Univ.of AL-Tuscaloosa | FOX-WBRC 6 |
| Ashley Brown | Evangel University | Media General |
| Autumn Bruton | New York University | Gannett Broadcasting (WUSA 9) |
| Javier Burgos | MIT | Nielsen Media Research |
| Michele Byrd | Hampton University | Turner |
| Stephanie Claytor | Syracuse University | Fox |
| Arnell Davis | Univ.of Texas at Austin | Arbitron |
| Joseph Flowers | Univ. Of Maryland | WAMU-FM/CPB |
| Jenna Hanchard | Rutgers University | NBC Universal |
| Joseph Hill | Montgomery College | NBC-WCAU 10 |
| Becky Ho | UCLA | NBC Universal |
| Lauren Jackson | Hampton University | NAB-WJLA (ABC-7) |
| Je-Anne Jarrett | Duke University | CBS-Baltimore |
| LeAnn Jenkins | Univ.of Texas at Austin | Fox |
| Adrienne Lucas | Univ.of Pittsburgh | FOX-WNYW 5 |
| Stephanie J.Martin | San Jose State | Comcast |
| Amber Nave | NC A&T State | Turner |
| Success Okoronkwo | Towson University | C-SPAN |
| Michael Orr | University of Miami | Cox Communications |
| Monique Robinson | Rutgers University | NBC News |
| Raquel Rodriguez | Univ. of Central Florida | FOX-WOFL |
| Savannah Squires | Lee University | Scripps Networks |
| Joseph Sutton | Oglethorpe University | Turner Broadcasting |
| Vanessa Valez | Iona College | Comcast |
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| The election process at work for the Class of 2008 |
Class of 2008 - Peter Martinez (CPB) and Michael Alvarez (CBS)
Class of 2009 - Rebecca Wangard (Time Warner) and James Presha (Turner)
Class of 2010 - Arnell Davis (Arbitron) and Kenneth Wright (Comcast)
Class of 2011 - Taylor Tomczyszyn (C-SPAN) and Joseph Hill (NBC)
2007 iLink Mentoring Program -
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| Miami Link mentees and mentors |
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| Chicago iLink |
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| Wrise Booker offering pointers to mentees. |
OTHER FOUNDATION ACTIVITIES
TVB Marketing Conference - For the fifth year, the Foundation was invited to participate in the Television Bureau of Advertising's Annual Marketing Conference in New York City on April 12, 2007. Students attending the conference learned about current advertising trends, view-tracking methodologies, sales techniques and career options from key industry executives.
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Parents' Night Events - Each summer, the Emma L. Bowen Foundation hosts orientation meetings for the parents of new students in our program. In 2007, Parents' Night events were held in New York at the offices of the Food Network; in Miami at NBC; and in Atlanta at Turner Broadcasting. Foundation graduates joined Foundation staff in explaining the goals and benefits of the Foundation's work/study program.
Spirit of Comcast - Fifty-seven students were invited to Comcast's corporate headquarters on July 12-13, 2007 for the third annual Spirit of Comcast session. These Emma Bowen Foundation students (including 41 new students) worked at Comcast facilities around the country and had the opportunity to participate in a 1.5 day session with Comcast executives to learn about business strategy, skill development and maximizing their internships. Included among the guest speakers was Chairman Wendell Holland of the Pennsylvania Public Utilities Commission.
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| Pat Harrison, Cheryl Halpern, and Phylis Eagle-Oldson with students and graduates. |
The Corporation for Public Broadcasting extended an invitation to all Foundation students and graduates working at public broadcast stations around the country for a Washington Summit. Students had the opportunity to meet with senior executives of the CPB including Pat Harrison, CEO, Vinnie Curren, COO and Cheryl Halpern, Chair of the CPB Board of Directors. Students learned about the history and funding of the CPB, programming trends, new technology and the challenges facing the public broadcast industry. They discussed the importance of diversity in programming and met Jennifer Lawson, the producer of the acclaimed Africa series. Students also toured National Public Radio and PBS facilities as well as WETA.
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| From left, Phylis Eagle-Oldson, Henry Rivera, and Gloria Tristani. |
Emma Bowen Foundation Graduates Gather in Los Angeles - The Foundation hosted a reception for Emma Bowen Foundation graduates on the CBS Studio City Lot on September 11, 2007. Grads shared experiences and contact information. Included with Foundation hosts Rita Torres, Sandra Rice and Phylis Eagle-Oldson, were (from left, front row) Becky Ho of ABC, Wrisë Booker (a consultant for the Foundation), Bobbie Bencio of Sander/Moses Productions; Brandi Wilson of NBC Universal, and Lynn Heymont of CBS (and an Emma Bowen Foundation board member). Second row from left: Kristin Vela of Universal Media Studios, Maria Loeza of ABC, Rita Torres, Ashley Rideau of ABC, Ashley Akins of Mark Burnett Productions, Niija Kuykendall of Fox Studios and Sandra Rice.
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| Christine and Giovanni. |





















