The Cable Center CEO Jana Henthorn said Tuesday that she will retire at the end of the year, ending a 17-year run at the industry organization. A replacement has not yet been named.
Henthorn joined the Cable Center in 2004 after serving as VP of affiliate sales for A+E Television Networks and earlier, as VP of operations and service fulfillment for Jones Intercable. She became CEO of The Cable Center in 2016. During her tenure as CEO, Henthorn made strides in helping the industry think tank expand its offerings and cultivate and inspire new leaders, forming the Intrapreneurship Academy in 2017 and creating the Cable Center’s 5-year strategic plan in 2021.
According to the Cable Center, as of July, the Intrapreneurship Academy has graduated more than 150 industry intrapreneurs from 30 different industry organizations and has expanded its curriculum into four, value-driving courses: Driving Innovation; Leading with Agility; Leading with Agility: Executive Intensive; and Leveraging Customer Experience.
“Upon becoming CEO, Jana spearheaded the next evolution for The Cable Center, ushering in the era of intrapreneurship and innovation. Jana’s legacy will be her creative, compassionate leadership and impact on our industry’s future leaders through the Intrapreneurship Academy,” said Cable Center board chairman and CEO of Penthera Partners Michael Willner. “The Cable Center’s total assets are at the highest point in the past decade and beyond, and we are positioned for continued growth and success. It has been such a pleasure to collaborate with Jana. She is truly a trailblazer.”
During her watch, Henthorn also advanced the Center’s mission of honoring and celebrating the industry’s many entrepreneurs and founders, sharing their stories and expertise through programs like the Barco Library and Hauser Oral and Video History Project; the Cable Center Customer Centric Consortium (C5); the Edward Breen Technical Archives, and the Mavericks Lecture Series.
“The Cable Center has achieved tremendous growth and success over the last few years. I am extremely proud of all our programs, and the development and launch of our newest program, Intrapreneurship Academy,” Henthorn said in a press release. “Grit, determination, and hard work are the principles upon which our great industry was founded, and I believe that we have been entrusted with the responsibility to inspire the next era of innovation.
“I want to thank my industry colleagues, our wonderful board of directors, our esteemed honorary board of directors, our Cable Center ambassadors, our generous donors, and my many mentors and guides along the way," she continued. "I am incredibly proud of my dedicated Cable Center team of collaborators and ambassadors. We have been able to accomplish so much together due to the collective support, agility, enthusiasm, and diligence of our staff.”
Henthorn will continue as CEO of the Cable Center through the end of the year. Upon her retirement, she will remain on the board of directors as the immediate past president. The board has begun the process of naming her successor.
