Lucas brings industry leadership experience, expertise to The Cable Center Board of Directors
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 11, 2020
DENVER – The Cable Center announced today that its Board of Directors has elected Crown Media Family Networks’ President and CEO Wonya Lucas as its newest Board Member. Lucas oversees the company’s vast portfolio of entertainment brands, including linear networks Hallmark Channel, Hallmark Movies & Mysteries, and Hallmark Drama; subscription video on demand service Hallmark Movies Now; and publishing division Hallmark Publishing. Lucas will serve a two-year term on The Cable Center Board of Directors, joining the Class of 2022 and twenty-five well-known industry leaders and influencers.
The following Board Members have also been re-elected to serve another three-year term:
Nomi Bergman, Senior Executive, Advance
Paul S. Maxwell, Media-Max Advisors
Robert Stanzione, Former Executive Chairman and Chairman of the Board of Directors, ARRIS
David R. Van Valkenburg, Chairman, Balfour Associates, Inc.
K. Dane Snowden, Chief Operating Officer, NCTA – The Internet & Television Association
David M. Zaslav, President and Chief Executive Officer, Discovery Communications, Inc.
Jeffrey A. Zucker, Chairman, WarnerMedia News and Sports; President, CNN Worldwide
Jay Rolls (additional one-year term; Class of 2021), Former Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer, Charter Communications, Inc.
In addition, the following Executive Committee Members have been re-elected to serve another one-year term:
Michael S. Willner, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Penthera Partners, Inc.
Jeffrey S. DeMond, Founder and Managing Partner, Archtop Capital Management
David R. Van Valkenburg, Chairman, Balfour Associates, Inc.
Jerald L. Kent, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Cequel III
Jana L. Henthorn, President and Chief Executive Officer, The Cable Center
Bridget Baker, Chief Executive Officer, Baker Media, Inc.
Nick Davatzes, Chief Executive Officer Emeritus, A+E Networks
Chris Lammers, Chief Operating Officer, CableLabs
Paul S. Maxwell, Media-Max Advisors
Kyle McSlarrow, Senior Vice President Customer Experience, Comcast Corporation
Robert Stanzione, Former Executive Chairman and Chairman of the Board of Directors, ARRIS
Prior to joining Crown Media in August of 2020, Lucas was President and Chief Executive Officer of Public Broadcasting Atlanta, where she oversaw Atlanta’s NPR and PBS stations. Previously, Lucas was President and CEO for TV One with the distinction of being only the second African-American woman to hold the position of President and CEO of a cable television company. Prior to joining TV One, Lucas held several positions at Discovery Communications including Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer for Discovery Channel and Science Channel and Global Chief Marketing Officer with responsibility for marketing in 210 countries and over 130 networks.
Earlier in her career at Discovery Communications in 2008, Lucas served as General Manager and Executive Vice President of The Weather Channel Networks, where she was responsible for corporate strategy and development, strategic marketing for The Weather Channel, Weather Channel radio and weather.com. Before joining The Weather Channel in 2002 as Executive Vice President of Marketing, Lucas held several positions at Turner Broadcasting System, including Senior Vice President of Strategic Marketing for cnn.com, CNN radio and CNN Networks Worldwide, Vice President of Business Operations and Network Development for Turner Entertainment and Vice President of Entertainment Marketing for TNT.
“Our esteemed Cable Center Board of Directors and I are honored and delighted that Wonya has joined our Board,” said Jana Henthorn, President and CEO of The Cable Center. “Wonya’s knowledge and years of experience in the industry at numerous organizations and in various executive roles will help provide invaluable counsel to The Cable Center as it continues to grow and expand its unique programs focused on innovation and intrapreneurship.”
“It is truly an honor to be working with industry leaders like Wonya,” said Michael Willner, Board Chair of The Cable Center and President and CEO of Penthera Partners, Inc. “Our Board of Directors has been instrumental in helping to develop a strong strategic plan for the future of our organization and programs. We are excited to have Wonya join forces with us and we look forward to driving and implementing our Cable Center vision and strategy.”
Lucas currently serves on the Peabody Awards Board of Jurors and the Sundance Institute Board of Trustees. She also serves as a corporate Board Member for EW Scripps, and previously for JCPenney. Her other experience includes brand management roles for The Coca-Cola Company and The Clorox Company. Lucas began her career with Westinghouse Electric as a Product Engineer.
About The Cable Center
The Cable Center is an educational nonprofit serving the connectivity industry that advances future innovation by helping organizations develop connectivity innovators from within. Through our Intrapreneurship Academy, we enable companies to drive business growth by channeling the entrepreneurial drive of their greatest source of inspiration – their people. Our programs, expertise, and opportunity instill the leadership of our industry’s original innovators to empower a new generation of bold thinkers. Based in Denver, Colorado, The Cable Center is also the home of the Cable Hall of Fame, recognizing individuals for their outstanding contributions to the industry’s progress; and the Barco Library, the world’s largest collection of cable-related information and resources. Visit www.syndeoinstitute.org for more information.
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For more information, contact:
Geneva Rodriguez, Syndeo Institute
Email: grodriguez@cablecenter.org | Office: 720.502.7533
