Leadership & Staff

Our Staff

J. Max Robins

President & Executive Director

J. Max Robins is a veteran journalist, media analyst and producer with extensive editorial experience in a variety of sectors in the industry.  Before joining the Center for Communication in 2014, Max was the Vice President/Executive Director of the Paley Center for Media. Prior to this, Max was the editor-in-chief of “TV industry bible," Broadcasting & Cable. Before joining B&C,  Max was senior editor and columnist at TV Guide. Prior to TV Guide, he was TV editor and columnist at Variety.

Max’s work has appeared in myriad publications, including the Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times and New York. He has commented on media-related issues for many major news outlets, including NBC, CBS, CNN, CNBC, Fox News, MSNBC and NPR. You can follow Max on Twitter at @jmaxrobins.

max@centerforcommunication.org

Erin Gromen

Director of Partnerships

Erin leads the Center's fundraising and partnership efforts. She brings 20 years of experience to the organization, having worked with such nonprofits as the David Lynch Foundation, Outward Bound USA, and The Paley Center for Media, where she secured several federal preservation grants for its media collection and established relationships with some of the nation’s largest foundations. Erin began her career as an editor at Texas Monthly magazine, and received her B.A. in journalism from New York University.

erin@centerforcommunication.org

Kate Stanley

Program Director

Kate Stanley is a seven year veteran of the Center and is a seasoned producing and programming professional. Kate plans media site visits and career panels as professional development for college students. Before joining the Center she worked as an Associate Producer for Full Frontal Fashion, Reservations Required (VOOM HD Networks), The Fabulous Life (Vh1) and Fashion Police (Style Network).

kate@centerforcommunication.org

Camila Brango

Director of Community

Camila Brango is the Center’s Director of Community, leading our social media and outreach strategies. She is a multimedia journalist, producer, and host of Cami's Camera, a YouTube series that shares stories of people changing their lives from negative to positive.

Camila also has a background in marketing, advertising, and real estate. She has worked for AOL, Johnson & Johnson, Ogilvy, and UX Prox to establish some of their brands and build their social media presence.

Her past work also includes coordinating the expansion of J&J's global partnership with Costco and directing the opening of Avenues Real Estate as their former Chief Operating Officer.

camila@centerforcommunication.org

Melissa Fishman

Cooper Leibner Fellow

Melissa Fishman is a passionate and goal-driven journalist and media professional. With expertise in Copy-editing, Newsgathering, Photoshop, Premiere Pro, CANVA, and myriad other skills, she is an enthusiastic individual with diverse interests and values.

Melissa currently serves as a Cooper Leibner Fellow for the Center for Communication where she assists in creating and managing content for the Center’s newsletter and other media platforms in addition to assisting at the Center’s media events for young professionals. 

Prior to her time at the Center, Melissa majored in Journalism at Long Island University (LIU), graduating summa cum laude in May 2023. During her time at LIU, Melissa served from May 2021-May 2023 as Editor-in-Chief of Seawanhaka, LIU Brooklyn’s student-run newspaper.

  • Her professional background includes serving as a Media and Policy Intern for the New York City Council’s District 45 under the leadership of Councilwoman Farah Louis in 2021. In 2022, Melissa served as a Reporting Intern at the Hampstead and Highgate Express in London, England after receiving a Theodore A. Kruglak Fellowship from Long Island University.Since May 2023, Melissa has worked as a freelance reporter for Schneps Media with their newspaper, Brooklyn Paper.

    melissa@centerforcommunication.org

Mary
Amoroso

Cooper Leibner Fellow

Mary Amoroso, a recent University of Colorado graduate with honors in Film and Television, brings a wealth of experience as an Associate Producer for a daily morning talk show in Denver, featuring a 92-year-old woman. Mary is proficient in Adobe Suite, Microsoft Office, and social media marketing, and her passion lies in editing, producing, scriptwriting, and all aspects of media.

After attending the Center for Communications Diversity and Media Career Summit in May, Mary was inspired to apply for the Cooper Leibner Fellowship. She has eagerly relocated from the Rockies to the Big Apple and is thrilled to serve as one of two fellows with the Center for Communication.

She invites you to stay updated on Cen Comm's social media channels for the latest news on upcoming events and valuable job opportunities!

mary@centerforcommunication.org

Board of Directors

Shane Peros,
Chairman

Google

  • Shane is a technology and media sales executive with over 20 years of experience. He currently serves as the Managing Director of Google's Global Broadcast Partner Business Solutions responsible for strategic Broadcast, Entertainment and Distributions Partners Globally.

    In his role, Shane leads complex cross-Google initiatives working with key executives across the company to bring partners multi-service solutions that solve for the challenges presented by the convergence of Linear and Digital platforms in the Global TV business.

    Prior to joining Google, Shane served as the Vice President of Americas Publisher Sales for DoubleClick. While at DoubleClick Shane held several leadership positions including Team leads for Analytics and Marketing Automation. Shane also held roles at International Data Corporation (IDC), Giga Information Group and @plan media solutions. Shane attended Northeastern University in Boston with a major in Business Administration.

David J. Barrett,
Chairman Emeritus

Hearst

  • David J. Barrett serves as Chairman of the Center for Communication Board of Directors. He was previously the Chairman and CEO of Hearst Television and has been a trustee of the Hearst Family Trust, established under the will of William Randolph Hearst, and a director of the Hearst Foundations.

    Barrett joined Hearst in 1984 as general manager of the company’s Baltimore radio stations, later assuming general management responsibility for the Hearst Radio Group, and then for WBAL-TV in Baltimore.  He relocated to New York in 1991 as a vice president of the Hearst Corporation and deputy general manager of Broadcasting, with operating oversight for the company’s television and radio stations.  In 1997, Hearst Broadcasting merged with Argyle Television to form Hearst-Argyle Television, Inc., and Barrett was named executive vice president and chief operating officer of the new entity.  He was named president and chief executive officer in 2001.  Hearst-Argyle Television was publicly traded on the NYSE from 1998 until 2009, when it was taken private by Hearst Corporation and re-named Hearst Television. From 2012 to 2014, Barrett served as chairman and chief executive officer of Hearst Television Inc.

    Barrett previously served on the board of directors of the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB), as well as its executive committee, and the National Association of Broadcasters Education Foundation (NABEF). He also served on the boards of the Federal Communications Commission’s Media Security and Reliability Council (MSRC II), the International Radio and Television Society (IRTS) Foundation, the Advertising Council, the Emma L. Bowen Foundation, and the Broadcasters Foundation of America.  He is a past chairman of the Board of Governors for the ABC Television Affiliates Association and the Television Operators Caucus.

    Barrett has been the recipient of numerous industry honors. In 2004 he was named Broadcasting & Cable magazine’s “Broadcaster of the Year.” He was the recipient of The Media Institute’s American Horizon Award in 2005 and was also inducted into The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Management (NATAS) Hall of Fame. In 2008 he was inducted into the Broadcasting & Cable Hall of Fame, and in 2011 he received the First Amendment Leadership Award from the Radio Television Digital News Foundation (RTDNF). Barrett received the Broadcasters Foundation of America 2013 Golden Mike Award, and in 2014 The Library of American Broadcasting honored him as one of their “Giants of Broadcasting.”

Anthony Ambrosio

Rimetti Advisory Services

  • Anthony G. Ambrosio is a Strategic Advisor at Rimetti Advisory Services.  Prior to Rimetti Advisory Services, Anthony was the Senior Executive Vice President, Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) and Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO) for CBS Corporation, reporting to the Chairman and CEO.

    In his capacity as Chief Administrative Officer, Ambrosio oversaw a variety of functional areas worldwide, including corporate Real Estate and Facilities, Strategic Sourcing, Security and other corporate services. In addition, he oversaw CBS Corporation's Corporate Social Responsibility and philanthropic initiatives, including CBS CARES. He also managed a division of the company, CBS EcoMedia, an award-winning unit of the company dedicated to creating public private partnerships that generate funding for leading non-profits and creating tangible positive outcomes in the communities CBS serves.

    In his role as Chief Human Resources Officer, Ambrosio oversaw all human resources policies for the company worldwide and led all aspects of talent management for the firm, including talent acquisition, performance management, leadership and employee development, succession management, and employee engagement. In addition to hiring, he was responsible for all employee-related HR programs, including compensation  and benefits and performance management.

    Ambrosio is a past Chairman of the board of the Emma Bowen Foundation for Minority Interests in Media, and is a past member of the Board of the American Benefits Council. Ambrosio earned a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Political Science from the University of Pittsburgh and a Masters of Business Administration from New York University Stern School of Business.

Marc Brodherson

McKinsey & Co.

  • Marc has spent the last 10 years helping consumer and B2B media and information companies transform their business models and operations through digital technologies and advanced analytics. With extensive knowledge of advertising and marketing technologies and data science, he helps leading video, audio, and editorial content owners, distributors, and intermediaries strengthen their existing advertising-supported models and create entirely new businesses. Outside the media and advertising ecosystem, Marc also works with other B2B information-services and technology companies, investors, and end users—particularly in legal, regulatory, and financial services—to bring software-based innovation in artificial intelligence, automation, and experience redesign to professional services.

    Prior to working for McKinsey, Marc worked in the first wave of digital media production and distribution as a creative executive for Emerging Pictures and for 4th Row Films, producing independent feature films, documentaries, and video advertising. He also completed an externship with the Honorable John G. Koeltl, the US District Court Judge for the Southern District of New York.

    Marc currently serves on the boards of the Center for Communications and of Nielsen Social, a joint venture between McKinsey and Nielsen focused on creating the first standardized media-ratings metrics based on social media.

Forest Evashevski

The Wall Street Journal

  • Forest Evashevski is a senior-level creative and design director with nearly 20 years of industry-leading experience. He is well-versed in multi-platform storytelling, visual systems, and content creation.

    Currently Forest is at Dow Jones as Director of Experience Design for The Wall Street Journal. There he collaborates with product, technology, marketing, data, insights, and advertising teams to produce best-in-class UX across all digital platforms and apps while meeting business objectives simultaneously. In this role he leads and mentors a team of experience designers.

    Previously Forest was a design leader for key WSJ newsroom verticals and initiatives. From 2016 until 2022 he was the creative lead for coverage of fashion, travel, design, gear, and food under the Off Duty brand. In 2012 he was the creative lead for the development and launch of Mansion, WSJ’s nameplate for luxury residential real estate coverage. In 2011 he refreshed Money & Investing and in 2010 he held an integral role in the launch of Greater New York.

    Prior to Dow Jones, Forest was an art director and later a design director at Broadcasting & Cable, a magazine dedicated to the business of television. He started his career as an art intern at POZ Magazine, serving the those affected by HIV/AIDS.

    Forest is a graduate of the University of Iowa with a BA in Studio Art and a minor in Business.

Rita Ferro

Walt Disney Company

  • As President of Advertising Sales for Disney Media & Entertainment Distribution (DMED), Rita Ferro leads advertising sales for The Walt Disney Company's entertainment, news, sports and kids linear and digital TV ad-supported streaming businesses: ABC Entertainment, ABC Daytime and ABC News; Disney Channels Worldwide; ESPN Networks and ESPN+; Freeform; FX Networks; Hulu; and National Geographic Networks. She also leads the integrated sales team for Disney Digital, the Company’s online, mobile and social offerings. Additionally, Ferro directs National TV and Regional Ad Sales for ABC’s eight owned local TV stations. She has been in this role since September 2018.

    Under her leadership, Disney offers advertisers a one-stop approach to leverage the breadth of Disney’s portfolio and reach audiences across all of the Company’s media properties. Her direction has transformed Disney’s advertising strategy and influenced the industry at large – resulting in a consultative and insights-led sales approach that allows clients to drive maximum growth in their businesses. Across Disney’s robust portfolio of platforms, she champions advanced advertising and data science to push the boundaries of outcomes that marketers and advertisers can achieve in their campaigns.

    Among her many industry honors, Ferro made history as the first Latinx woman, and third woman in 35 years, to receive the prestigious Frank Stanton Award for Excellence in Communication. In 2018, she was named to Variety’s Power of Women New York Impact list, honoring women across all aspects of the entertainment industry who are making an impact. In 2017, she was recognized by The Hollywood Reporter’s Women in Entertainment Power 100, in addition to being featured on Advertising Age’s Women to Watch Power List, which celebrates the most powerful women in advertising. In 2015, Ferro was selected as part of Multichannel News’ Wonder Women – “Women to Watch,” and for eight consecutive years (2012-19), Ferro has been named one of the Most Powerful and Influential Latinos by the Imagen Foundation and was inducted into its Hall of Fame in 2019, honoring individuals in the entertainment industry who have dedicated themselves to excelling in their profession.

    Ferro began her career with The Walt Disney Company 22 years ago with ESPN International, where she held several posts including vice president, International Ad Sales, leading the ESPN International Ad Sales offices in Miami, Argentina, Mexico and Brazil. She ultimately added ad sales management for Disney Media Network’s kid-driven and family-inclusive portfolio – Disney Channel, Disney XD and then-named Playhouse Disney – in Latin America. Additionally, she has held the positions of executive vice president, Disney Media Sales and Marketing for Disney Channels Worldwide and vice president, Advertising Sales, Disneymedia+.

    In an industry historically dominated by men, Ferro is at the top of her profession and continues to be a disruptor and pioneer in the advertising space. In addition to her professional successes, her commitment to mentorship is paving the way for other women – especially Latinx women – to advance in the field.

    In addition to Center for Communication, Ferro currently sits on the board of VICE, MMA (Mobile Marketing Association), the Ad Council, IAB (Interactive Advertising Bureau), AAF (American Advertising Federation) and VAB (Video Advertising Bureau). She earned a Bachelor of Science in advertising and a master’s degree in International Business from Florida International University, and currently lives in Livingston, NJ with her husband and daughter.

Marianne Gambelli

Fox Corporation

  • Marianne Gambelli serves as President of Advertising Sales, Marketing and Brand Partnerships for Fox Corporation. In this role, she oversees Ad Sales efforts across the company’s portfolio of brands and platforms, including FOX Entertainment, FOX Sports, FS1, FS2, FOX Deportes, FOX News Media, which includes FOX News Channel and FOX Business Network, Tubi and TMZ.

    Recognized as a creative leader and trailblazer within the media and advertising industry, Ms. Gambelli has a successful history of furthering innovation and driving change in the ad marketplace. Throughout her tenure at FOX, the Ad Sales teams continue to provide advertisers new and compelling ways to reach and connect with audiences. Additionally, she’s emphasized the necessity to improve the overall ad experience for both consumers and marketers, which has led to the development, evolution and rollout of enhanced emerging media strategies, audience-based ad capabilities, the division’s brand studios for content development, cloud-based platforms and other groundbreaking next-gen resources. Under her leadership, FOX achieved unprecedented revenue during the 2022-23 Upfront, and the FOX Sports Ad Sales team delivered record-breaking revenue for Super Bowls LIV (2020) and LVII (2023).

    Throughout her career, Ms. Gambelli has developed and supported initiatives that mentor the next generation of leaders and drive meaningful change within the industry. In 2020, she launched the FOX Ad Sales Diversity and Inclusion Council with the mission to further build and enhance the culture of inclusivity within FOX Ad Sales by focusing on recruitment, education, development and retention.

    Before assuming her current role across the FOX Ad Sales portfolio in March 2019, Ms. Gambelli served as President of Advertising Sales for FOX News Media since May 2017. During her tenure, FOX News Media experienced record years in advertising sales. Prior to FOX, Ms. Gambelli served as Chief Investment Officer at Horizon Media, where she managed its $7 billion investment portfolio and a team of over 350 investment specialists to actively develop key new business acquisitions across top tier brands.

    Ms. Gambelli joined Horizon following a successful 22-year career at NBC Universal, where she held a variety of ascending leadership roles, culminating with the position of President of Sales and Marketing. Ms. Gambelli oversaw partnerships and strategy across NBC’s News, Sports and Entertainment brands, optimizing its $7 billion in media investments. Additionally, she was a member of GE’s Women’s Network, a Division NBCUniversal Leader and a Leader in the company’s Commercial Leadership Program. Ms. Gambelli began her career on the agency side at Grey Advertising and Backer Spielvogel Bates.

    Ms. Gambelli has been lauded with numerous professional awards during her distinguished career. Most recently, she was honored by the International Radio and Television Society (IRTS) Hall of Mentorship. She also has been named to the Adweek 50 list, recognized with the Multichannel News Wonder Women Award and cited by Advertising Age as one of the 100 Most Influential Women in Advertising, among others.

    Ms. Gambelli graduated from Pace University with a Bachelor of Business degree in marketing. In 2016, she was awarded an Honorary Degree from Pace Pleasantville Chapter of Beta Gamma Sigma. Currently, she serves as Chairman of the IRTS Foundation.

Karen Gray

A+E Networks

  • Karen Gray is Chief Administrative Officer and Chief Diversity Officer for A+E Networks Group.

    In this role, to which she was promoted in 2023, Gray oversees Global, Technology & Media Operations; the People Team; and Office Services & Facilities. She also leads the Executive Office and its outstanding team and continues to shepherd the company’s important DEI efforts. Prior to this position, Gray was Executive Vice President, Human Resources, a role that she held since June 2019 upon joining A+E Networks.

    Gray brings to A+E Networks a unique mix of human resources, legal and business expertise and serves on the executive management team, reporting directly to A+E Networks Group President Paul Buccieri. Under his guidance, Karen has established a dynamic and award-winning culture, initiating career pathing policies, mentorship programs and employee resource groups. She strives to make our workplace one that prioritizes authentic representation, transparency, DEI and total wellness — from the talent in front of and behind the camera, to the stories we elevate, to our internal culture.

    Gray comes to A+E Networks from Christie’s Inc., where she served the Americas as Senior Vice President, General Counsel, from 2008 to 2015; Chief Operations Officer from 2011 to 2016; and most recently, Head of Human Resources.

    Previously, Gray worked at Reuters as Senior Vice President and Principal Legal Counsel for the company’s business support group. Prior to Reuters, she was an attorney with the law firm of Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft.

    Gray is a graduate of Williams College and Harvard Law School.

Raeshem Nijhon

Culture House

  • Raeshem is a CLIO-, Shorty- and Webby-award-winning Producer/Director. As Founder and Executive Producer of Culture.House, she manages strategic partnerships and oversees end-to-end production across platforms. Select current projects include a doc-series about race and gender in America for Netflix , Girly, a doc-series developed with Refinery29 and actor/activist Rashida Jones and feature documentary, The Agreement, in partnership with the United Nations Foundation.

    Prior to Culture.House she held multiple creative leadership positions including Executive Producer of Viacom’s MTV World where she led nonfiction series such as Rebel Music, about young people using art for change in conflict zones, and The Music Experiment, featuring bands like Of Monsters and Men, Arcade Fire and Santigold. 

    Raeshem is a passionate advocate for women and girls, committed to educating women about sexual health and safety through a partnership with the NYU Department of Population Health. Raeshem sits on the Creative Council for EMILY'S List, the board for the New York Center for Communications and serves as a United Nations Global Accelerator Delegate.

Katherine Oliver

Bloomberg Associates

  • Katherine Oliver is currently a Principal at Bloomberg Associates, a philanthropic consultancy firm founded by Michael Bloomberg to provide advice and long-term solutions to cities worldwide. She served as Commissioner of the Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment in New York City from 2002-2013.

    During that time, New York’s film and television industry saw its strongest growth in history. Strategic initiatives such as the Made in NY marketing and branding program generated direct spending of $7.1 billion annually, an increase of more than 50%, and saw jobs climb to an all-time high of 130,000. Under Oliver, the City instituted the first and only municipal-based tax credit in the film industry, initiated a program to train minorities for work in film and TV production, appointed the City’s Chief Digital Officer, the first of its kind, and delivered a roadmap to establish New York City as the world’s top-ranked digital city. By the end of the Bloomberg Administration 300 feature films and over 100 TV shows were being shot each year in New York, and more than a quarter million people were employed in the tech industry.

    Prior to the Bloomberg Administration, Oliver was the General Manager of Bloomberg Radio & Television, where she launched and built the company’s global media operations.

Amilcar Perez

Nielsen Global Audience Measurement

  • Amilcar Perez is the Chief Revenue Officer (CRO) for Nielsen Audience Measurement, where he leads a global team responsible for customer retention, customer growth, new customer acquisition, revenue operations and customer success acquisition. He was appointed to this role in January, 2023.

    Amilcar has more than 25 years of global leadership experience working at Nielsen in various roles, including in Argentina and with teams across US, Latin America, China, India, Southeast Asia, the Middle East, Africa and Europe. Most recently, he was Executive Vice President of Sales and CRO for National Media Clients where he led a U.S. team responsible for customer retention, customer growth and new customer acquisition.

    Previously, he was Global CRO of Nielsen’s Gracenote and Sports/Esports, Music and Customer Experience, where he led global commercial and revenue strategy across all business units. Amilcar has also worked in tech/telecom, mobile product leadership, sales and marketing and client and retailer relationships.

    Amilcar serves as executive sponsor of the Nielsen Hispanic Organization of Leaders in Action (HOLA) employee business resource group.

    He holds a postgraduate degree in Telecom Business from the Universidad de San Andres, an MBA from Escuela Superior de Economia y Administracion de Empresas (ESEADE) and a Bachelor degree from the University of Buenos Aires. He resides in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Richard Sarnoff

KKR

  • Richard Sarnoff is Partner and Chairman of Media, Entertainment, and Education, Americas for KKR’s Private Equity platform in the Americas. Prior to this position, Sarnoff served as a Senior Adviser to KKR, working closely with both investment teams and portfolio companies.

    Until 2011, Sarnoff was Co-Chairman of Bertelsmann, Inc., and President of Bertelsmann Digital Media Investments (BDMI.) A longstanding senior executive at Bertelsmann, Sarnoff served as CFO and EVP of Random House beginning in 1998 and became the first US executive to serve on the Supervisory Board of Bertelsmann AG in 2002. Starting in 2006, he established and ran its corporate digital media investing arm, BDMI, and concurrently served as Chairman of the Association of American Publishers. He was named the publishing industry’s Person of the Year by Publishers Weekly magazine in 2009.

    Sarnoff graduated summa cum laude, from Princeton University in 1981 with a BA in Art and Archaeology, and earned an MBA from Harvard University in 1987. He serves on the Board of Directors of Activision Blizzard, Weld North, Cengage, and Chegg; and of not-for-profit organizations including the Bronx Lab School, Princeton University’s Center for Information Technology Policy and New Classrooms/School of One.

Savalle Sims

Warner Bros. Discovery

  • As the Executive Vice President & General Counsel for Warner Bros. Discovery, Savalle Sims leads Discovery’s global legal teams, managing lawyers and all legal issues on behalf of the company in nearly 20 worldwide offices. In her previous role as EVP, Deputy General Counsel, Sims managed Discovery’s Litigation and Trademark legal teams, handling all legal efforts around Discovery’s intellectual property, including trademark, patent and copyright portfolios. Sims joined Discovery in 2011 as Senior Vice President of Litigation and Intellectual Property.

    Previously, she was a partner in the commercial litigation department at Arent Fox, LLP, in Washington, D.C. In this role, she spent more than 10 years working on a broad range of complex commercial litigation and intellectual property matters, including several engagements with Discovery. As an experienced and talented litigator, Sims’ litigation skills have been recognized by various publications. Sims was named one of the “40 Top Lawyers Under 40″by Washingtonian Magazine and was the recipient of Washington Business Journal’s “Young Guns” honor. She also was named to the National Association for Multi-ethnicity in Communications’ Luminary Class in 2014 and Cablefax’s Most Influential Minorities in Cable list in 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016. Most recently, Sims was named to Multichannel’s 2016 class of Wonder Women. Sims is a graduate of Syracuse University and Notre Dame Law School.

Hilary Smith

Comcast NBCUniversal

  • Hilary Smith is the Executive Vice President, Corporate Social Responsibility for Comcast NBCUniversal. She is responsible for leading Comcast NBCUniversal’s global social impact strategy, philanthropic investments, and employee volunteer programs. In this capacity, she also works closely with business leaders throughout the company on important CSR initiatives in each division. Additionally, Smith oversees NBCUniversal’s award-winning public service announcement campaign, The More You Know.

    Prior to leading Corporate Social Responsibility, Hilary was the Executive Vice President of Corporate Communications overseeing NBCUniversal’s corporate media relations strategy and serving as a principal corporate spokesperson for the company. She supported all NBCUniversal corporate functions, provided strategic communications counsel to businesses across the portfolio, led employee communications and oversaw the corporate creative agency. 

    Previously, Smith was Senior Vice President of Communications for USA Network, where she led publicity for the network’s award-winning programming. She also served as the lead spokesperson for the network, managed talent relations, spearheaded awards campaigns and oversaw the press launches of several breakout series - including USA’s award-winning hit, “Mr. Robot.”

    Before joining USA, Smith oversaw communications for the NBCUniversal’s digital businesses including Fandango, iVillage and DailyCandy. She worked in NBCUniversal’s advertising sales division, leading consumer and trade marketing for company-wide initiatives such as “Women@NBCU” and “Green is Universal,” which provided themed sponsorships to ad sales partners across the entire portfolio of NBCUniversal brands.

    Earlier in her career, as Vice President of Media Relations in Corporate Communications, Smith was instrumental in managing the press for several of NBC’s major business transactions, including the NBC and Vivendi Universal Entertainment merger, as well as the acquisitions of the television networks Telemundo and Bravo. 

    Smith joined NBC in its news division as Senior Manager of Public Relations for the award-winning network news magazine “Dateline NBC” and served as the lead publicist for its anchors Jane Pauley and Stone Phillips. Before joining NBCUniversal, Smith was a Press Manager at CBS News, where she oversaw publicity for the news magazine “48 Hours” as well as “CBS News Sunday Morning”.

    Before her career in television, Smith worked at Citibank Securities Inc., where she completed the bank’s Management Associate training program and subsequently served as a Manager of Public Relations for the investment banking division.

    Smith is a director on the board of the Comcast NBCUniversal Foundation. She is also a member of the national board of Step Up, a non-profit organization which helps under-served teen girls become college-bound and career-focused, as well as a member of the board of The Center for Communications, a non-profit dedicated to bringing diversity to the media industry. Additionally, she serves on the advisory board for the USC Annenberg School Center for Public Relations. She graduated from Middlebury College with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and resides in Manhattan.

Radha
Subramanyam

CBS Corporation

  • Radha Subramanyam serves as President and Chief Research and Analytics Officer for CBS Corporation. She joined the Company as Executive Vice President, Chief Research and Analytics Officer of the CBS Television Network in November 2017, and was promoted to her current role after 18 months. Subramanyam oversees all research and analytics operations for CBS, including audience measurement, analytics, market research, program testing, and advertising research. She has extensive strategic and operational experience in all areas of the industry, including broadcast, cable, and digital, as well as radio, music, and social media.

    Most recently, Subramanyam served as President of Research, Insights and Data Analytics for iHeartMedia, where she developed and managed wide-ranging of efforts involving digital analytics, ratings and measurement, ad sales research, mobile measurement, programming analysis, music research, campaign measurement and marketing research.

    Prior to joining iHeartMedia, Subramanyam held senior executive research roles at Yahoo!, MTV Networks, and Nielsen, where she was one of that company’s early leaders of new analytics and consulting practice. Radha is also a certified Six Sigma “Black Belt” who has overseen and trained teams on process excellence. Before beginning her career in the media industry, she taught media and entertainment at Vassar College and New York University.

    Subramanyam serves on the board of directors of the International Radio & Television Society and the Advertising Research Foundation. She was named as one of Corinium’s Top 100 Innovators in Data and Analytics in 2018, a list highlighting business leaders, technologists and influencers who have accelerated the proliferation and understanding of data and analytics over the last 12 months. Subramanyam was also one of the power women in Variety’s 2019 Women’s Impact Report.

    Subramanyam is a graduate of Northwestern University, with a Ph.D. in radio, television and film.