NAMIC Set to Honor Next Generation Leaders and Luminaries at NYC Conference
From Left to Right: Tonya Walley, Noel Manzano, John Singleton, and Chin Wang
The National Association for Multi-ethnicity in Communications (NAMIC) has named its Next Generation Leaders and Luminaries to be honored at its upcoming national conference on October 11-12, 2022, in New York City. NAMIC, which was established in 1980, is the leading group for promoting multi-ethnic diversity in the communications sector.
The Next Generation Leader Awards honor four individuals who have excelled as thought leaders, trend-setters, and change agents and who have actively worked to improve multiethnic diversity in the business by informing, advocating for, and empowering individuals and organizations. The Next Generation Leaders include James Hendricks, Group Vice President, HR and Administration, at Spectrum Reach, who died on September 18, 2022, in an accidental drowning in New Jersey. The diversity organization is planning to memorialize Hendricks at the conference, which will take place at the New York Marriott Marquis.
The other Next Generation Leaders are:
Kia Painter, Executive VP, Chief People Officer, Cox Communications
Freddy Rolón, Senior VP, Programming and Scheduling, ESPN
Monica Williams, Senior VP, Digital Products & Operations, Content Distribution, NBCUniversal
The Luminary Awards recognize emerging leaders who possess the greatest potential to influence society in the future. These individuals are rising stars in their fields who exhibit excellent leadership qualities and support NAMIC's mission by advancing multi-ethnic diversity.
The Luminaries to be honored by NAMIC are:
Denise Bennett, VP, Brand Strategy & Idea Lab, iHeartMedia
Noel Manzano, VP, International Programming and Development, AMC Networks
Grace Moss, VP, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, Programs, Warner Bros. Discovery
John Singleton, VP, Operations, Charter Communications
Tonya Walley, VP, Field Operations Strategy, Cox Communications
Chin Wang, VP, Visual Storytelling, Digital Media, ESPN
Sophia Zeinu, VP, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, Workforce, Warner Bros. Discovery
The organization will eventually announce recipients of its Diversity In Technology Award and its Mickey Leland Humanitarian Achievement Award in the near future. NAMIC’s 36th annual conference takes place during the cable industry’s Diversity Week, which will feature in-person events for the first time since before the pandemic.