Industry Leaders Kim Martin, WE tv, and Melinda Witmer, Time Warner Cable,
Added to Lineup of Dynamic Speakers at WICT Leadership Conference

Lorraine Bracco, Co-Star of TNT’s “Rizzoli & Isles,” to
Deliver Keynote at WICT Touchstones Luncheon

Suzanne Malveaux, Anchor, CNN, to Moderate Town Hall Meeting on Diversity
October 3-4 Conference Part of Cable’s Diversity Week in New York City

Chantilly, VA - Women in Cable Telecommunications (WICT) today announced that Kim Martin, President & General Manager, WE tv, and Melinda Witmer, Executive Vice President & Chief Video and Content Officer, Time Warner Cable, will join the lineup of cable industry and corporate leaders who will speak at the 2011 WICT Leadership Conference, October 3-4, in New York.

The WICT Leadership Conference is the preeminent conference for educating women in the industry and will focus this year on Innovations in Leadership. The conference will also feature The WICT Touchstones Luncheon, where the 2011 Woman of the Year and Woman to Watch honorees will be recognized.

Renowned actress Lorraine Bracco will deliver a keynote address to open the 2011 WICT Touchstones Luncheon on Monday, October 3. Bracco is co-star of TNT’s hit series, “Rizzoli & Isles,” and is perhaps best known for her role as psychiatrist Dr. Jennifer Melfi, who treated New Jersey Mafia heavyweight Tony Soprano on HBO’s hit series, “The Sopranos.” The role earned her multiple Emmy, Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild Award nominations. Additionally, Bracco is an Academy Award nominee for her performance as a mobster’s wife in Martin Scorsese’s “GoodFellas.”

The cable industry celebrates, for the second consecutive year, the return of Diversity Week to New York City, October 3-7, 2011. Diversity Week will feature multiple events held by cable's diversity organizations: WICT, the National Association for Multi-Ethnicity in Communications (NAMIC) and The Walter Kaitz Foundation. All three groups will celebrate and promote the critical role diversity plays in the cable telecommunications industry. The Association of Cable Communicators (ACC) and the Cable & Telecommunications Association for Marketing (CTAM) will also hold events in New York during this time.

WICT recognizes Comcast and the Comcast Foundation as the gold sponsors of the 2011 WICT Leadership Conference and Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. as the premier sponsor of the 2011 Touchstones Luncheon.

About WICT
For over thirty years, Women in Cable Telecommunications (WICT) has partnered with cable and telecommunications leaders to provide professional development programs, research and services that help advance women in cable media. With over 8,700 members, WICT is the oldest and largest professional association serving women in the cable telecommunications industry. WICT’s Strategic Touchstone Partners include Comcast, Time Warner Cable, Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., and AMC Networks/WE tv. Please visit www.wict.org or follow @WICT on Twitter for more information.

Conference Overview & Highlights

Event:  WICT Leadership Conference & Touchstones Luncheon

Date:  October 3-4, 2011

Location: Hilton New York (1335 Ave of the Americas)

Download complete conference agenda (PDF) 

Schedule of Events

Monday, October 3

8:30 am – 9:45 am  General session

• Welcome Remarks: Maria Brennan, President & CEO, Women in Cable Telecommunications, and 2011 WICT Chair Kathy Payne, Vice President, Content Acquisition, Cox Communications
• State of the Cable Industry: Michael Powell, President & CEO, NCTA
• Start your conference experience with a serving of "Morning Joe," as the hosts of MSNBC's hit show, Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski, join us to deliver remarks based on Mika's recent book, “Knowing Your Value.”

10:00 am – 11:10 am  Concurrent sessions

• Tracks: Career Savvy, Strategic Leadership, Cable Fundamentals
• Follow your own path depending on where you are in your career journey.

11:15 am – 1:15 pm  Touchstones Luncheon (advance registration required)

• Grand Ballroom, Third Floor 
• Honoring Nomi Bergman, 2011 Woman of the Year; Jennifer Dorian, Kathleen Finch, 2011 Women to Watch
• Actress Lorraine Bracco to deliver keynote

1:30 pm – 4:10 pm  Concurrent sessions

• Tracks: Career Savvy, Strategic Leadership, Cable Fundamentals

4:30 pm – 5:15 pm  General session

• Pearls of Wisdom: The Art of Imagining - Melinda Witmer will participate in “Pearls of Wisdom: The Art of Imagining,” where she and fellow luminaries will each share thoughts on elements of visionary leadership in sequential brief keynotes. Other “Pearls of Wisdom” presenters include  Dan Abrams, Legal Analyst for ABC News, Founder & CEO of the Abrams Media Network; Sunny Anderson, Host, "Cooking for Real," Food Network; and Joanna Barsh, Director & Co-author of “How Remarkable Women Lead: The Breakthrough Model for Work & Life,” McKinsey & Company.

Tuesday, October 4

8:45 am – 9:30 am  General Session

• Ursula Burns: Join Ursula Burns, Chairman & CEO of Xerox, as she kicks off day two of the 2011 WICT Leadership Conference with an inspiring keynote presentation. Burns first joined Xerox in 1980 as a summer intern and rose through the ranks to eventually become president in 2007, CEO in 2009, and chairman in 2010. Her incredible story will inspire, encourage, and remind you that you have sole control over your own leadership journey.

9:45 am – 11:15 am  General Session

• Town Hall Meeting on Diversity: Is There Progress in the Pipeline?
• Presented in partnership with NAMIC

How smoothly are women and people of color flowing through the pipeline and into the upper echelons of the media and entertainment industry? Results from the joint 2011 NAMIC and WICT employment survey will shed light on the state of industry diversity and the meaning for companies, talent and the consumers we serve. What are the challenges? The successes? The opportunities? Suzanne Malveaux, Anchor, CNN, will moderate our panel of industry leaders as they discuss key issues that impact diversity and career advancement.

Panelists include:

• Adria Alpert Romm, SEVP, Human Resources, Discovery Communications
  
• David L. Cohen, Executive Vice President, Comcast Corporation
  
• John Dooney, Manager, Strategic Research, Society for Human Resource Management (opening remarks)
  
• Mae Douglas, EVP & Chief People Officer, Cox Communications
  
• Jacqueline Hernández, COO, Telemundo
  
• Rob Marcus, President & COO, Time Warner Cable
  
• Chris Powell, EVP, Human Resources, Scripps Networks Interactive
  
• Kelly Regal, Executive Vice President, Turner Broadcasting System, Inc.

11:30 am – 12:45 pm  General session

• Rarified Air: Rarely is there a chance to get so much out of such a short period of time. We have brought together an eclectic and amazing group of women who have each attained remarkable success. Find out how they have stayed true to themselves and their vision despite obstacles and setbacks. Learn how you can do the same. Make sure to sit in on what is sure to be a career- and life-changing discussion.

Kim Martin joins an incredible roster of women leaders who have each attained remarkable success in their industries, and will discuss their experiences during the “Rarified Air Panel” on Tuesday, October 4. Other panelists include Jeannie Suk, Professor, Harvard Law School, and Laurel J. Richie, President, Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA). Cindy McConkey, SVP, Corporate Communications, Scripps Networks Interactive, will moderate the panel.

1:00 pm – 2:15 pm  L. Patrick Mellon Mentorship Program Luncheon

• Presented in partnership with NAMIC; sponsored by the Walter Kaitz Foundation.

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