SPECIAL REPORT: WOMENCABLE TV IN PIONEERS THE GAME 54TH CABLE PIONEERS CLASS SCALES

acre wildlife preserve with the Teton mountain range as the backdrop. With production support from New England INDUSTRY HEIGHTS Sports Network, the class of 2020’s induction was televised Dec. 4 by Wyoming’s Teton Range provided a majestic C-SPAN3 and C-SPAN.org. Fellows and Kanouff welcomed 22 backdrop for 2020’s virtual ceremony honorees, who joined the more than 700 colleagues inducted since 1966. And for those who didn’t catch the live just before the start of the SCTE-ISBE telecast, the induction ceremony will Cable-Tec Expo in October. But be streamed on cabletvpioneers.com By Erica Stull [email protected] like every other industry celebration starting Monday, Dec. 7 . ● this year, the Cable TV Pioneers 54th annual induction didn’t involve din- he Cable TV Pioneers have made ner in a convention center ballroom. history again. For 50 years, the or- Instead, the 2020 Pioneers were honored ganization’s induction ceremony virtually, direct from Jackson Hole, was held in conjunction with the Wyoming. annual NCTA–The Television & Pioneers Dave Fellows and Yvette Internet Association convention. Kanouff hosted the televised and TWhen that show folded its tent, the streamed ceremony from Spring Pioneers who tuned into the virtual ceremony also Pioneers induction moved to Denver, Creek Ranch, a resort set in a 1,000- received some champagne for a toast. Piranka/Getty Images

36 Multichannel.com SPECIAL REPORT: WOMEN IN THE GAME SPECIAL REPORT: CABLE TV PIONEERS

fiber transmission equipment. point of view on a wide variety of project manager with Henderson He entered cable at the United issues related to delivery of voice and Cable, Daniel Greiner oversaw Kingdom-based consulting company broadband services. He also leads plant buildouts and installation PA Consulting Group, where he NCTA’s telecommunications group. workflow. Three years later, he worked on the satellite antennas for Beyond his industry work, moved to GS Communications, the launch of British Satellite Cimerman holds a leadership role where he oversaw multiple Broadcasting, a predecessor to with the Internet Education dwelling unit construction, BSkyB. With two other engineers and Foundation. high-speed data construction and a $15,000 investment, he launched a capital budgeting. His next stops startup whose first order was for were at EchoStar Communications radio-frequency upconverters that as operations manager and then enabled the delivery of six TV , where he oversaw cable, channels on Aberdeen Cable’s old 250- voice, and data deployments in Jeff Berenson MHz system. Today, Technetix, Richmond, Virginia. In 2009, An early advocate of advanced video which is affiliated with Liberty Global Greiner was named sales manager, technology, Jeff Berenson’s expertise Ventures, serves cable operators MSO for JDSU (Viavi Solutions), has been invaluable to small cable across Europe, the Americas and the where he worked until 2017. Today, operators seeking to make the most Asia-Pacific region. as director of sales for 4th Wave of their DOCSIS networks. Broadhurst holds 17 patents. He Technologies, he is responsible for Berenson’s career has seen his has held leadership positions with regional and corporate account involvement in a wide range of SCTE Europe and contributed to its management. national and international projects, initiatives. Outside of his industry Greiner has held a number of including video-on-demand, work, he supports Chestnut Tree leadership positions with the set-top box improvements and House, a children’s hospice in the Robert Foote Society of Cable Telecommunica- billing and provisioning technolo- U.K., and serves as a council When Bob Foote joined mom-and- tions Engineers. His spare time is gies at Digital Equipment, Spyglass/ member of the Confederation of pop operator Ipswich in devoted to volunteer work with OpenTV, Bearing Point and Vidiom, British Industry. 1980 as a technician, formal training community groups including as well as consulting on integration was not widely available. He learned Little League, Boy Scouts and of large acquisitions for Comcast on the job and relied on the Society of homeless shelters for veterans. and . He Cable Telecommunications Engi- With Tuckahoe (New York) Little was senior VP of engineering and neers as an educational resource. His League, he coached and worked on then SVP of product management involvement with SCTE grew along the group’s annual Challenger for guide products with Rovi, where with his career. He became opera- Day event for children with he filed several patents. tions manager at Ipswich, and then disabilities. As president of consulting firm moved to the supplier side of the ITV Partners, Berenson continues business as a regional sales rep for to assist cable TV vendors and Arris in 1986. He became sales VP at operators and other startup Arris, then joined TriNet Communi- companies in the broadband, OTT, cations as sales VP. In 2012, he was telecom and satellite industries. named assistant VP, MSO sales at A guest lecturer on the video KGPCo, where he continues to industry at Harvard University, support cable operators. Berenson has also addressed Rick Cimerman Foote has served on the SCTE New Institute of Electrical and Electron- A former public utilities telecom England chapter board since 1989, ics Engineers members and MBA director, Rick Cimerman joined including three years as chapter students at Southern New Hamp- NCTA–The Internet & Television president. He received multiple SCTE shire University on pro sports Association in 1995 to help member chapter awards, and was inducted broadcast rights and marketing. companies navigate state telecom into the SCTE national Hall of Fame policy. His expertise was critical in in 2016. In addition to his work in the helping cable companies address industry, Foote volunteers with Big Steve Kaplan the complicated regulatory Brothers and Big Sisters of America. As a subcontractor with requirements involved in entering TelePrompTer in the late ’70s, the telephone business. Steve Kaplan was involved in the Cimerman, now NCTA’s VP, company’s return to franchising external and state affairs, works after many years with the first with member companies’ state- cable system in North Ridgeville, government relations teams to Ohio. In 1983, he founded Multi- coordinate industry policy and build link, a designer and manufacturer coalitions. He also plays a critical of equipment for broadband role with state associations, holding operators worldwide. Under regular advisory meetings with their Kaplan’s leadership as CEO, the government relations leaders. company has grown from a Often representing the industry handful of employees to more than Paul Broadhurst before state legislators and regula- 300. Products include power Starting with a small investment 30 tors, Cimerman testifies across the supply modules and fiber-optic years ago, Paul Broadhurst built U.S. on issues such as network products, fiber distribution Technetix Group into a leader in the neutrality. He has been a strong voice Daniel Greiner hub cabinets and architectural manufacture of headend and access for the cable industry, presenting its Earning his industry stripes as raceway molding. Multilink now

37 Multichannel.com Multichannel.com 37 SPECIAL REPORT: WOMENCABLE TV IN PIONEERS THE GAME

holds more than 40 patents. cable history happened. In DirecTV. O’Brien was named Kaplan has been involved with 1980, when she was Louise CEO of HSA, a public high-speed the Society of Cable Telecommuni- Rauscher, she joined HBO to ISP, and led the sale of the cations Engineers throughout his publicize the young network’s company to Charter Communica- career, and has been a board original shows. She then founded tions in 2002. His next move was member of its Alaska chapter for public relations firm Rauscher and CEO of Brief Original Broadcasts 12 years. An active community Associates, with MTV as an early and then chairman of Digital- volunteer, he developed programs client. She established cable smiths, which TiVo purchased in for the Elyria (Ohio) Kiwanis Club, programming with the Television 2014. He now leads Mediashift, a built facilities for the city of Critics Association and helped data aggregator for content Elyria, and built an internet launch the Walter Kaitz streaming companies and system for a local Boy Scouts Foundation. advertisers. camp. Kaplan has also managed As NCTA’s vice president of O’Brien has served on a the local cemetery for 23 years. Ann Montgomery industry communications in 1984, number of NCTA committees and From her early days as a billing Mooney created cable’s first the WICT Foundation board. He is installation consultant with national public-relations program an active adviser with the Compulink to her current position and launched the industry’s first Blackstone Entrepreneurs leading field operations as area VP, national consumer research. In Network-Colorado. central at Charter Communi- 1988, she helped create Cable in cations, Ann Montgomery has the Classroom, and became its delivered results. She oversaw the first CEO after she and NCTA introduction of Tele-Communica- president Jim Mooney announced tions Inc.’s customer service philoso- their engagement. phy, sparking an industry-wide Mooney co-founded JLM transition to focus on customers. Partners in 1998, serving broad- Promotions at TCI and executive band, wireless, consumer roles with Adelphia Communica- electronics and digital media tions and Comcast followed. companies. Throughout her At Liberty Global in Amsterdam, career, she has offered pro bono Craig Leddy she standardized business practices support to the Cable & Telecom- Journalist and entrepreneur for offices in multiple countries, munications Association for Craig Leddy entered the industry work that included consolidating 68 Marketing and other industry in 1982, covering regulatory affairs outsourced call-center vendors into nonprofits. She also volunteers in Washington for Cablevision four partner companies. At Charter, with Seattle nonprofits Common Elaine Partridge magazine. He was the first she launched Advanced WiFi in 2019. Purpose and Mary’s Place. Elaine Partridge learned the cable Washington bureau chief for Montgomery received the NCTA ropes as executive assistant to the Electronic Media, and as news Vanguard Award for Cable Opera- CEO of Galaxy Cablevision. She editor increased its coverage of tions Management, and was a WICT went on to be named the com- cable. He returned to Cablevision Woman to Watch and a Wonder pany’s director of programming to become its longest-serving Women honoree. On the WICT and marketing. She joined newly editor. Foundation board, she was formed NewWave Communica- Leddy analyzed Time Warner’s instrumental in launching the tions in 2006 as director of Full Service Network project and organization’s PAR(Pay Advance- programming, helping create a went on to conduct market ment & Resources) Initiative. department from scratch. analysis for the Myers Group. He Montgomery was also vice chair for NewWave promoted her to VP of then founded Interactive TV the Rocky Mountain Children’s Law programming in 2013, and she Works, a company that provides a Center and membership director facilitated due diligence for 24 variety of analysis and communi- for the Boy Scouts of America in merger and sale transactions. cations services to a wide range of Amsterdam. In 2017, Partridge joined Vast industry clients, in 2000. He has Broadband as VP of special developed multiple courses on the Daniel O’Brien projects. Her work on the industry for the Cable & Telecom- Starting as a general manager company’s e-commerce channel munications Association for with , Dan led to a 400% increase in sales and Marketing, Women in Cable O’Brien rose through the ranks to revenue. She served on the WICT Telecommunications and other VP of business development with and Missouri Cable Telecommuni- organizations. Warner Cable, where he intro- cations Association boards and is In 2011, Leddy founded the duced pay-per-view. As Cincinnati currently vice chair of the NCTC Interactive Case Competition, an VP, operations for Time Warner board. The Mid-America Cable annual student case-study contest Cable, he oversaw the turnaround Telecommunications Association for teams comprised of MBA of the company’s worst-perform- honored Partridge with its 2017 students. Now in its ninth year, ing division. Pathfinder Award. the competition has welcomed Moving up the ladder, O’Brien Partridge volunteers with the more than 300 student competi- was named president of Time YMCA and other local charities, tors. In addition, he frequently Warner Satellite. As PrimeStar and created a Vast-sponsored volunteers in support of local, Louise Mooney president and chief operating community event in conjunction national and international Behind-the-scenes communica- officer, he oversaw a six-way with the local Jaycee Bootheel charities. tions professional Louise Mooney merger that culminated in a sale Rodeo. has often been in the room where of the satellite TV platform to

38 Multichannel.com SPECIAL REPORT: WOMENCABLE TV IN PIONEERS THE GAME

focused on downstream transmis- Catholic Charities of Denver, director for General Electric sion of digital TV and bidirectional Kilimanjaro Technology Founda- Cablevision’s local channel in transmission of high-speed data. He tion and Boys and Girls Clubs of Decatur, Illinois, Dick Rohm was then senior VP and chief Metro Denver, among other groups. embraced the young industry and scientist at Terayon and VP and chief became a cable installer. He made technology officer with Broadband his way through increasingly Communications; and a Broadcom responsible jobs with cable fellow, set-top box and cable modem systems in Illinois and Wisconsin group. He was instrumental in before joining (Spark- establishing DOCSIS 2.0, 3.0, 3.1 and light) in 1997. As a regional full duplex (FDX) cable data engineer, he was responsible for standards. Prodan is currently a systems in eight states, overseeing Comcast fellow in the Next Genera- rebuilds, fiber deployment and tion Access Networks group. implementation of fiber-to-the- Shane Portfolio In addition to his many techno- home architecture. Former U.S. Army platoon Sgt. logical contributions, Prodan holds As director of engineering for Shane Portfolio has brought military 76 patents and is an IEEE Life Fellow Sparklight’s West Division since discipline to his cable career, starting for leadership in the development of 2001, Rohm developed a tool to as a call-center agent for Tele-Com- high-definition TV and broadband keep records of networks and munications Inc./AT&T Broadband. networks. He is an SCTE Rocky Zak Raley assets up-to-date. He is currently He advanced to senior director of Mountain associate board member. An industry advocate in the U.S. and engineering a 187-mile backbone network operations for Comcast, Volunteer work outside the industry abroad, Zak Raley began his cable for data services in underserved moved on to regional VP/engineering has included involvement with career in 1996 in Japan, where he rural Arizona communities. roles, and then senior VP of engineer- YMCA Indian Guides, the Hawaii opened the sales office for Times Actively involved with the ing. He is concurrently working on a Tropical Fruit Growers Association Fiber Communications, a subsidiary Society of Cable Telecommunica- Ph.D. at North Central University and teaching at Cooper Union. of Amphenol. After returning to the tions Engineers and Women in with a focus on women and people of U.S., he ultimately became TFC’s Cable Telecommunications, he color in the technology industry. president and CEO. In 2007, he added was instrumental in the growth of Portfolio is also an active an Amphenol title to his business SCTE chapters in central Illinois volunteer. He was Region 1 director card. As SVP/VP of Amphenol’s and Idaho. He volunteers with for the Society of Cable Telecommu- RF, optics, and broadband divisions UNICEF, Wounded Warriors and nications Engineers and vice and TFC president and CEO, Special Olympics, among others. chairman of its advanced engineer- Raley is responsible for 20 global Rohm also serves on the board of ing group. He served as vice chair of operating units. DanceMotion Performing the Women in Cable Telecommuni- Raley is fluent in Japanese, and Company, a Phoenix nonprofit. cations National Board and has been promotes cable at trade shows and a popular speaker for the National technical training seminars Association for Multi-Ethnicity in domestically and overseas. A Communications, WICT and SCTE/ dedicated member of the SCTE, he ISBE. Beyond the industry, he serves also sponsors broadband and on multiple boards of directors, engineering internships for new including Big Brothers Big Sisters of Joe Quane technology graduates and MBA America, Metropolitan State After 10 years as a high school candidate business development University and the Denver Founda- teacher and coach, Joe Quane joined internships with broadband and tion. In addition, he is a committed the Scientific Atlanta sales force wireless companies. philanthropist for Autism Speaks, — one of the first non-engineers to He also volunteers as a teacher the United Way and the Red Cross. do so. Over 15 years with SA, he with K-9 charter school Rocky advanced to Western regional Mountain Academy, and provides manager and then national account therapy animals for paraplegic VP with SA/Cisco Systems. When patients at Craig Hospital through cable went digital, he built relation- Bear-Paw Therapy Animals. Jeff Ross ships that led to partnerships to A veteran of New England build set-tops with competitors Pace Telephone, Jeff Ross began his and Pioneer. He was also instrumen- cable career as director of tal in the early deployment of HDTV operations for Time Warner at . Cable’s Raleigh-Durham, North Quane founded consulting firm Carolina, division, where he led Interim Solutions Group in 2009, the deployment of a regional fiber and joined EdgeConneX as VP of network. As VP, national opera- strategic accounts in 2013. tions, he was responsible for An enthusiastic supporter of TWC’s joint venture with US industry nonprofits, Quane helped West. In 1998, he joined UPC, the involve technology companies in predecessor of Liberty Global. Richard Prodan Adaptive Spirt, the annual Colorado During three years in Amsterdam, Richard Prodan brought years of event originally known as SkiTAM, he launched residential phone electrical engineering experience to which raises funds for the U.S. service in the Netherlands, CableLabs in 1990. As senior VP and Paralympic Ski Team. He also Dick Rohm France, Norway and Austria, and chief technical officer, he led a team volunteers with Reel Recovery, Starting in 1973 as a producer/ went on to serve as president of

40 Multichannel.com SPECIAL REPORT: WOMENCABLE TV IN PIONEERS THE GAME

UPC’s French cable operator. content and interactivity. As a sen- commercial enterprise customers. Ross returned to the U.S. in 2003 ior VP with Cablevision Systems, An active Society of Cable as president of private cable she developed an enterprise-wide Telecommunications Engineers operator Armstrong Utilities, big-data strategy. She holds two member for 23 years, Williams where he has been a champion of patents for methods of using served on the Deseret chapter customer service and new set-top box data to measure board and is currently an associate technology. audience viewing patterns. board member with the Rocky A committed volunteer within In 2016, she founded Tone Mountain chapter. He helped and outside the industry, Ross has Networks, a content, data and create an MSO consortium served on the boards of the over-the-top platform company focused on extended spectrum. He National and online community of women also volunteers with community Cooperative, ACA Connects and helping women. organizations that help homeless the Pennsylvania Cable TV Toner is a past chairperson of people. Association. He supports multiple Charles Segars the Cable & Telecommunications charitable organizations, includ- With a resume worthy of a feature Association for Marketing, held a ing Armstrong’s Healing Heroes, film, Charles Segars is a writer and number of chapter leadership which provides trained service public servant as well as a CEO and positions and was honored with a dogs for disabled veterans. board member of Ovation. He CTAM TAMI Award. She is also a began his cable career as director past board member of Women in of programming for , and Cable Telecommunications and advanced to executive roles at CBS was honored as one of the and Dreamworks SKG. As Multichannel News Wonder Dreamworks Animation’s digital Women in 2012. strategy adviser and head of Since 2016, Toner has served on YouTube Nation, Segars counseled the board of Concern Worldwide, Jeffrey Katzenberg. a 50-year-old international Segars also moonlighted as a humanitarian organization screenwriter, creating the partnering with local communi- National Treasure series of films. ties to assist people living in Ronald Wolfe Segars supports industry extreme poverty. Forty-year cable veteran Ron organizations as a speaker, Wolfe, most recently senior sponsor and legislative advocate. director of engineering and He was also a deputy reserve architecture at Charter Communi- Peter Ruben sheriff for Los Angeles County, cations, died Nov. 25 in Aurora, Peter Ruben interned at Warner and from 2009-2016 was a White Colorado at 63, following a Amex Satellite Entertainment and House associate and advance team month-long battle with COVID-19. got his first marketing job with leader for the Office of the Wolfe started in the industry Warner Amex Cable in 1983. He President and Vice President of installing cable with Warner Cable advanced through several posts in the United States. He supports in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, eventually operations marketing to become arts organizations including becoming responsible for materials VP of sales and marketing with Americans for the Arts and the evaluation and approval at Warner’s Paragon Cable in Los Angeles and Alvin Ailey Gala. This year, he national division. He joined ATC/ New York. sourced and secured sponsorship Time Warner Cable in 1987, leading Moving to the programming of 10 million N95 masks for the company’s Denver training side in 1994, Ruben joined USA inner-city hospitals. center. As director of plant engineer- Networks as VP, national accounts John Williams ing, he supported TWC’s national and then senior VP, affiliate John Williams brings a front-line HFC deployment. He led network relations. When USA was sold in perspective to engineering systems integration and affiliate 2001, Ruben built affiliate relations leadership at Charter Communica- relations for @Home Networks, and for HSN. He helped take the tions. He started out digging service then moved on to Aurora Networks company public in 2008, launched laterals by hand as a Falcon Cable and BigBand Networks. He joined HSN2 and worked with HSN until installer in 1982. He went on to work Charter in 2014. it was sold in late 2017. After as a contract installer, and then as A Society of Cable Telecommu- earning a master of science degree technical operations manager for nications Engineers senior in business analytics, he briefly an Arizona cable system through member, Wolfe served on several led Ion Media’s distribution several ownership changes. national committees and the relations team. Williams joined Charter in 2006 Rocky Mountain chapter board. Ruben is a founding member of as engineering manager, advanc- He has been honored as SCTE the CTAM Educational Founda- ing to senior director in Southern Member of the Year. tion, and worked to involve HSN before moving to As a volunteer, Wolfe worked in the Women in Cable Telecom- Gemma Toner Denver as senior director with the with the Muscular Dystrophy munications PAR (Pay Advance- Situated at the intersection of big company’s advanced video Association, the Susan G. Komen ment & Resources) Initiative. He data, technology and digital engineering group. Today, as VP of Foundation and the American now serves as volunteer chief media, Gemma Toner got her start engineering and architecture, he Lung Association, among others. operating officer of the Interna- selling advertising at Rainbow oversees all aspects of the hybrid At the time of his death, he was in tional Professors Project, a largely Media. In leadership positions fiber coaxial outside plant from the early stages of founding a virtual worldwide volunteer with AMC Networks, she directed headend to home, as well as nonprofit to help at-risk young- network of professors. the development of new-media engineering for Charter’s sters who lost their fathers. ●

42 Multichannel.com