NAMIC Announces AMC Networks, Bloomberg Mobile, Comcast Cable and NBCUniversal Executives as Recipients of the 2013 Next Generation Leaders Awards

NEW YORK, May 14, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Christine Bragan, vice president, Marketing and Communications, AMC Networks, Rich Jennings, regional senior vice president, Mile High, Comcast Cable, Michelle Hord-White, vice president, Talent Development and Pipeline Programs, NBCUniversal, and Dhanusha Sivajee, vice president, Marketing, Bloomberg Mobile, are the recipients of the 2013 Next Generation Leaders Awards to be presented by the National Association for Multi-ethnicity in Communications (NAMIC).  Honoring emerging executives for their professional acumen and their achievements in fostering multi-ethnic diversity and inclusion within the communications industry, the awards will be presented at the NAMIC Annual Awards Breakfast scheduled for June 12, 2013 from 8:30 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. EDT at the Grand Hyatt in Washington DC in conjunction with Cable Connection – Spring.

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Presented in partnership with Multichannel News, the Next Generation Leaders Awards honors executives of color age 45 and under in four categories: Cable MSO, Cable Programmer, Technology Company or Discipline and Creative Discipline.  Since the inception of the awards program in 2006, NAMIC has recognized 27 Next Generation Leaders and 61 NAMIC Luminaries.  Bragan (Programmer), Jennings (MSO), Hord-White (Creative Discipline) and Sivajee (Technology Company or Discipline) were selected from a group of distinguished nominees.  A member of the 2008 NAMIC Luminary class, Bragan is the award program's first two-time honoree.  In addition to this year's top four award recipients, the 2013 NAMIC Luminaries class includes eleven emerging executives selected by NAMIC for their business achievements and commitment to embracing NAMIC's mission to educate, advocate and empower for diversity and inclusion in the communications industry.    

"NAMIC maintains a steadfast commitment to recognizing leaders of color that are committed to advancing diversity and inclusion at their respective companies," said Dr. Nicol Turner-Lee, NAMIC president and CEO.  "We are pleased to announce this very talented group of professionals that are quite exemplary in their fields, and within their respective companies."

The 2013 NAMIC Luminaries class members are: Ivan Bargueiras, senior vice president, Advertising Sales & GM, Discovery US Hispanic, Discovery Networks Latin America/US Hispanic; Maureen Carter, vice president, Digital Brand Creative, Nickelodeon; Rafael Gomez, vice president, Business Affairs, NBCUniversal; Lisa Griffin, vice president, Finance, Turner Entertainment Networks; Kimberly Hulsey, vice president, Legal and Government Affairs, Scripps Networks Interactive; Charlon McIntosh, regional vice president, Business Class Customer Service, Time Warner Cable; Khadijah Sharif-Drinkard, vice president, Business & Legal Affairs, BET Networks; Marc Siry, senior vice president, Business Solutions Team, NBCUniversal; Puja Vohra, senior vice president, Marketing, Oxygen Media; Lisa Williams-Fauntroy, senior vice president, Business Affairs & Programming Legal, Discovery Communications; and Ritchie Yu, vice president, Ad Sales Research, Discovery Communications.

Matthew C. Blank, chairman and chief executive officer, Showtime Networks, Inc. is the honorary chair of the 2013 NAMIC Annual Awards Breakfast. This year's event will also honor Comcast and NBC Universal and U.S. Congresswoman Doris Matsui for their ongoing commitment to diversity and inclusion in media. The National Cable and Telecommunications Association, Univision, NewsCorp and Scripps Networks Interactive are some of this year's sponsors for the event.

For more information regarding the NAMIC Annual Awards Breakfast and the Next Generation Leaders Awards including questions pertaining to event sponsorship and ticket/table purchases, contact Sandra Girado, senior director of Meetings and Events, at NAMIC National, 212-594-5985. Online registration can be accessed at http://www.namic.com.

ABOUT NAMIC

NAMIC (National Association for Multi-ethnicity in Communications) is the premier organization focusing on multi-ethnic diversity in the communications industry. Founded in 1980 as a non-profit trade association, today NAMIC comprises 2,700 professionals belonging to a network of 16 chapters nationwide. Through initiatives that focus on education, advocacy and empowerment, NAMIC champions equity and inclusion in the workforce, with special attention given to ensuring that the leadership cadres of our nation's communications industry giants reflect the multi-ethnic richness of the populations they serve. For more information, please visit www.namic.com and stay connected to NAMIC on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter.

SOURCE NAMIC