The Cable Center
Board of Directors, Executive Committee, Secretary/Treasurer
2014 Cable Hall of Fame Honoree
2008 Oral History
David R. Van Valkenburg has served within the Cable Telecommunications industry since receiving his MBA in 1969. He conducted investment analysis of the industry at Ameriprise in the early 1970’s and managed the construction and development of new cable systems with American Television and Communications Corporation and United Cable Television Corporation during the 1970’s importing distant television signals to smaller markets.
As President of Cox Cable Communications, Paragon Communications, and MultiVision Cable Television Corporation during the 1980’s and early 1990’s, Mr. Van Valkenburg brought his focus upon excellent and reliable video service through well-trained employees who had the most critical impact upon customer’s perception of each company by their daily, first-hand interaction with the customers.
During his final executive management role as CEO/COO of Telewest PLC (UK), he led the integration of all service functions among video, data, and voice products and created competitively priced, customer-friendly bundles of these products. With the addition of rapidly growing data and voice services among small and medium sized businesses, Telewest’s customer service was recognized by J. D. Powers and its shareholder value was recognized through its listing on the London Stock Exchange and becoming a member of the FTSE 100 (Financial Times Stock Exchange 100 Index).
Since 2000, Mr. Van Valkenburg has served on many private and publicly-listed domestic and foreign corporate boards of Directors including start-up technology companies, cable telecommunications multiple system operators, telecommunications equipment manufacturing companies, various cable service providers, and telecommunications industry associations, including The Cable Center on whose Board he has served since 2003. Among his service on foreign boards of Directors was Moscow CableCom Corporation (MCCC). MCCC’s primary focus was on the residential and commercial telecommunications markets in Moscow. It was a NASDAQ-listed, USA Securities and Exchange Commission registered corporation whose majority shareholders were Russian businessmen. He successfully navigated the accounting challenges as Chairman of the Board’s Audit Committee.
Mr. Van Valkenburg was inducted into the Cable Hall of Fame in 2014 and is the 2023 Cable Hall of Fame William J. Bresnan Ethics in Business awardee.
Outside the cable telecommunications industry, Mr. Van Valkenburg served six (6) years as Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church’s (EPC) Benefit Resources Inc., which provides health and retirement benefits for the denomination’s ordained and lay leadership. He now serves on the EPC’s World Mission board.
Mr. Van Valkenburg has been married to Doris for over fifty-eight (58) years, has two (2) adult children, and three (3) grandchildren.
