Washington, DC - The National Cable & Telecommunications Association (NCTA) today announced the appointments of Joe Waz, Vice President of External Affairs & Public Policy Counsel for Comcast Corporation, and Christine Levesque, Senior Vice President of Communication & Marketing for Rainbow Media Holdings, Inc. as co-chairs of the NCTA Public Affairs Committee, effective immediately.
Comprising a variety of senior-level representatives from cable multiple system operators and programming networks, NCTA's Public Affairs Committee offers strategic advice and counsel on the design and implementation by NCTA staff of industry-wide public affairs programs and projects.
"Joe and Chris bring a wealth of knowledge to the Public Affairs Committee. Their long-standing commitment to the cable industry and excellence in cable public affairs make them terrific candidates to serve as our co-chairs,” said NCTA President & CEO Robert Sachs. "NCTA and the industry will benefit greatly from their leadership."
At Comcast, Waz directs the company's federal government relations activities, manages its political action committees and charitable programs, and works closely with Comcast's state and local government relations and public relations professionals. He also serves as President of the Comcast Foundation and as Executive Director of the Comcast Corporation Political Action Committee. Waz is a member of NCTA's CablePAC Committee and is a KIDSNET board member (Washington, D.C.). He also is a past chairman of the Federal Communications Bar Association Foundation and a former chairman of the FCBA's Legislative and CLE Committees.
Levesque leads the development and implementation of Rainbow Media's communication strategy. Her responsibilities include media relations, corporate marketing, public and industry affairs and internal communication. Levesque serves on the board of the Cable Television Public Affairs Association (CTPAA) and also actively participates in many industry associations, including, Women in Cable and Telecommunications (WICT) and the Cable & Telecommunications Association for Marketing (CTAM). With a background in national and local politics, Levesque was a member of the Clinton/Gore press advance team as well as a senior press aide to Senator Dianne Feinstein.
NCTA is the principal trade association of the cable television industry in the United States. NCTA represents cable operators serving more than 90 percent of the nation's cable television households and more than 200 cable program networks, as well as equipment suppliers and providers of other services to the cable industry.
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