The T. Howard Foundation -- which has been lining up internships for minorities and women primarily at satellite companies and the programming networks they deliver -- is looking to expand its reach into the cable, wireless, film and consumer-electronics industries.
The foundation, named after satellite pioneer Taylor Howard, has decided to cast its net wider given that the majority of its funding comes from programming networks that are now carried on a number of different platforms, from cell phones to computers.
T. Howard Foundation Chairman Curtis Symonds says the company will look to companies like Comcast, Verizon, Sony, Microsoft and others to step up. "It's critical for these companies to have minorities at all levels of their business," he says.
The foundation was launched in 1993. Taylor Howard is credited with launching the direct-broadcast satellite revolution in 1976 when he built the first American direct-to-home system from spare parts in his garage. He was killed in a small plane crash in November 2002.
