NAMIC, WICT To Host Joint Diversity Town Hall Meeting

NCTA president and CEO Michael Powell and CNN anchor Suzanne Malveaux will be among the key executives speaking during a joint National Association for Multi-ethnicity in Communications (NAMIC) and Women in Cable Telecommunications Town Hall Meeting on Diversity Oct. 8, the organizations announced Thursday.

The Town Hall Meeting -- part of cable’s Diversity Week festivities which kick off Oct. 7 – will address the latest findings of the joint NAMIC/WICT workforce diversity survey that will support bi-annual employment reports from NAMIC (AIM Survey) and WICT (PAR Initiative), said organization officials.

Powell will deliver the Town Hall meeting's keynote address, while Malveaux will moderate a panel of cable executives that will feature Discovery Communications senior executive vice president of human resources Adria Alpert Romm; Comcast Corp. executive vice president David Cohen; Mercer principal Gail Greenfield; and Travel Channel president Laureen Ong.

"NAMIC and WICT are thrilled to partner once again on this critical research,”  said WICT president & CEO Maria E. Brennan. “We use the results to educate our industry leaders as part of our collective mission to strengthen diversity and inclusion programs in cable companies." 

Added Alicin Williamson, Interim NAMIC Head: "Data is an essential component in making informed decisions about enhancing diversity. We appreciate having the highest levels of industry leadership engaged in a dialogue about the survey results."

R. Thomas Umstead

R. Thomas Umstead serves as senior content producer, programming for Multichannel News, Broadcasting + Cable and Next TV. During his more than 30-year career as a print and online journalist, Umstead has written articles on a variety of subjects ranging from TV technology, marketing and sports production to content distribution and development. He has provided expert commentary on television issues and trends for such TV, print, radio and streaming outlets as Fox News, CNBC, the Today show, USA Today, The New York Times and National Public Radio. Umstead has also filmed, produced and edited more than 100 original video interviews, profiles and news reports featuring key cable television executives as well as entertainers and celebrity personalities.