2005 Kaitz Foundation Dinner to Honor Slate of Diversity Champions and Advocates

Washington, DC – The Walter Kaitz Foundation will feature a new format for recognizing honorees at the 22nd Annual Walter Kaitz Foundation dinner, scheduled for September 14 in New York City.

Four Diversity Champions from the cable industry will be honored for their work to encourage diversity in the cable and telecommunications industry, and one Diversity Advocate, a prominent Member of Congress, will be honored for his national leadership in promoting equality and justice for African Americans.

The Diversity Champion Awards honor individuals in the cable industry whose inclusive leadership exemplifies a commitment to creating a climate in which diversity flourishes. The Champions act as catalysts for diversity throughout the industry or in their respective organizations. They motivate the cable industry to live up to its commitment to embrace and value diversity by serving as role models, inspiring and encouraging excellence, removing barriers that hinder progress, and empowering others with opportunities.

The Diversity Advocate Award is presented to an individual external to the industry who has demonstrated unwavering commitment to diversity. Through leadership in diversity, this individual has directly or indirectly fostered a more embracing and inclusive environment for the cable industry.

"We have expanded the number of people honored at our annual dinner to recognize that diversity in our industry is the result of the efforts of many people, working at all levels," said Debbie A. Smith, Executive Director of the Walter Kaitz Foundation. "This year's honorees provide an excellent example of how all of us can help foster diversity in our workplaces."

2005 Diversity Champions

The Kaitz Foundation will recognize the following individuals as 2005 Diversity Champions:

Glenn A. Britt, Chairman & CEO, Time Warner Cable
Glenn Britt is being recognized as a Diversity Champion for providing courageous leadership, influence and authority in establishing a firm direction for the future of the Walter Kaitz Foundation, thereby enhancing diversity efforts within the cable industry.

Mae A. Douglas, Senior Vice President and Chief People Officer, Cox Communications, Inc.
James A. Hatcher, Senior Vice President, Legal and Regulatory Affairs, Cox Communications, Inc.
Sherryl D. Love, Vice President of Materials Management, Cox Communications, Inc.

This team of leaders from Cox was chosen because they have inspired and encouraged excellence by seamlessly integrating the goals of diversity into the work plan for each of their respective departments and divisions, resulting in an organizational shift toward understanding and embracing the value of diversity.

Mae Douglas is being recognized for her unwavering pursuit and excellence in identifying, recruiting, developing and retaining ethnic minorities and women at Cox Communications. Douglas serves on the Board of Directors of the National Association for Multi-ethnicity in Communications (NAMIC), is a former Board member of Women in Cable & Telecommunications (WICT) and Cable Positive, a 2003 Multichannel News Wonder Woman of the Year, and a founding member and current Co-Chair of the Cox Diversity Council.

Cox was honored by the Minority Corporate Counsel Association earlier this year as an "Employer of Choice" in large measure due to Jim Hatcher's commitment to diversity in the corporate legal department. Not only is the Cox legal department a model of diversity with over 70 percent of its members female and over 40 percent people of color, Cox also requires a commitment to diversity from its outside law firms. Hatcher has served as a member of the Strategic Review Committee for the Walter Kaitz Foundation, is a former Board member of the Georgia Diversity Council of the State Bar of Georgia and was one of the original members of the Cox Diversity Council.

Sherryl Love is being recognized because of her efforts at Cox to create a formal supplier diversity initiative and develop performance metrics around supplier diversity. She also is credited with strong annual growth in purchases made with minority- and women-owned businesses, typically exceeding her annual 5 percent growth goal. Love was nominated as Executive of the Year by the Georgia Minority Supplier Development Council and is a frequent speaker at Kaitz Foundation Supplier Diversity Workshops. Love is a member of WICT, NAMIC and the National Minority Supplier Development Council.

2005 Diversity Advocate

The Kaitz Foundation will honor the following individual as its 2005 Diversity Advocate:

U.S. Rep. Mel Watt (D - NC, 12th District)
Chairman, Congressional Black Caucus

Rep. Watt is being honored for his leadership in providing a unified voice for people of color for equality and justice and for focusing on the concerns of African-Americans throughout the nation. He has been Chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus since January, 2005, and serves on the House Financial Services and Judiciary Committees.

2005 Dinner Details

The 2005 Kaitz Foundation dinner will be held on September 14, 2005, at the Hilton New York as the anchor of the cable industry's annual Diversity Week activities. NBC News and MSNBC anchor Lester Holt will serve as Master of Ceremonies for the event. The Co-Chairs for this year's Dinner are Brian Roberts, Chairman & CEO, Comcast Corporation and George Bodenheimer, President, ESPN and ABC Sports. The event is being managed by Debbie A. Smith, Executive Director, Walter Kaitz Foundation, and the staff of the Foundation and the National Cable & Telecommunications Association.

The 2004 Kaitz Foundation dinner raised $1.4 million and attracted more than 1,400 participants.

Those planning on attending the Kaitz Foundation dinner should make hotel reservations early because the dinner is being held the same week as the opening of the United Nations General Assembly, and hotel rooms are expected to sell out quickly.

Ticket order forms and hotel reservation forms are now available on the Kaitz Foundation website, www.walterkaitz.org, or by contacting the Walter Kaitz Foundation at 202/775-3611.
 

# # #