NAMIC Conference Concluded in New York City Highlighting Commitment to Diversity & Inclusion

Recipients of Mickey Leland Humanitarian Award, Next Generation Leaders, and Luminaries in Cable and Communications Industry Honored

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK, USA, September 20, 2019 /EINPresswire.com/ -- The 33rd Annual NAMIC (National Association for Multi-ethnicity in Communications) Conference, the premier event for diversity and inclusion in the cable and communications industry, concluded Wednesday in New York City. Nearly 400 people from across the United States and Canada attended the conference, which featured the theme “Breaking Barriers: The Multicultural Media Agenda.” The event included a fireside chat with Michael S. Steele, former chairman of the Republican National Committee and political analyst for MSNBC; remarks by honorary co-chairs Michael Powell, president and CEO of NCTA, and Pat Esser, president of Cox Communications; a series of panel discussions with industry notables; and educational breakout sessions on a variety of topics, ranging from emotional intelligence to 10G vs. 5G.

“The rapidly growing interest in our conference underscores the desire and commitment to expedite progress in fostering a more diverse and inclusive cable and communications industry,” said NAMIC President and CEO A. Shuanise Washington. “Individuals from the most celebrated multinational corporations, political and media luminaries, and industry experts joined forces to share best practices and guidance on how to advance this essential goal. We are deeply grateful to our speakers, sponsors, and conference participants for making our 33rd annual conference a resounding success.”

NAMIC honored Cathy Hughes, founder and chairperson for Urban One, Inc., with its Mickey Leland Humanitarian Achievement Award. Among the highest honors in the industry, this award recognizes individuals and companies representing the media, entertainment, and communications industry for their philanthropic achievements and commitment to advancing the concerns of people of color.

During its awards luncheon, NAMIC also honored its Next Generation Leaders and Luminaries. Next Generation Leaders included:
• Keith Holmes, senior vice president, residential sales, Cox Communications;
• Rashida Jones, senior vice president of specials, NBC News and MSNBC, NBCUniversal; and
• Satya Parimi, group vice president, enterprise data, products & smart cities, Charter Communications.

Luminaries included:
• Ricky Frazier Jr., division vice president, customer service strategy and retention, Comcast;
• Jae-Min Han, vice president, law, chief counsel, Charter Communications;
• Alexis Johnson, vice president, programming acquisition, Charter Communications;
• Camille Joseph, regional vice president, state government affairs, Charter Communications;
• Patricia Estrada Martin, senior vice president, service assurance, Cox Communications;
• Marcella Milliet Sciorra, vice president, ad sales & product marketing, Charter Communications; and
• Wayne Thompson, vice president, telecoms, connectivity and capacity management, Altice USA.

Veo, which enables soccer teams around the world to record their matches, was the winner of the annual Startup Pitch Competition, and Booty Me, a fitness app, was the runner-up. During the competition, now in its fourth year, five finalists presented their business ideas to a panel of diverse and progressive advisors, investors, and media executives, including: Amani Toomer, NFL Super Bowl Champion, NY Giants and business investor; Karen Hunter, SiriusXM radio host, Karen Hunter Show; Bobby Sharma, partner, GACP Sports & Founding Partner; Maria Weaver, chief marketing officer, Comcast Advertising; and Chris Witherspoon, entertainment correspondent.

NAMIC gratefully acknowledges this year’s conference presenting sponsor, Comcast | NBCUniversal, along with all of its 2019 annual corporate sponsors for their support:

Platinum
• Charter Communications
• WarnerMedia

Gold
• Disney and ESPN Media Networks
• Discovery
• Viacom

Silver
• Altice
• Cox Communications

Bronze
• A+E Networks
• AMC Networks
• CommScope
• HBO
• Showtime
• TV One

Other sponsors for this year’s conference included INSP, Mediacom, NCTA – The Internet & Television Association, Nokia, REVOLT, The Walter Kaitz Foundation, and Univision Communications Inc.

Next year’s conference will be held Oct. 6-7, 2020 at the New York Marriott Marquis.

For more information about this year’s conference, please visit http://conference.namic.com.

About NAMIC
NAMIC (National Association for Multi-ethnicity in Communications) is the premier organization focusing on cultural diversity, equity and inclusion in the communications industry. More than 4,000 professionals belong to a network of 18 chapters nationwide. Through initiatives that target leadership development, advocacy and empowerment, NAMIC collaborates with industry partners to expand and nurture a workforce that reflects the cultural richness of the populations served. For more information, please visit www.namic.com or follow @NAMICNational on Twitter.

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Lisa Fels Davitt
Succession Communications
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