Sara Clarke, a Showtime executive and active member of the New York chapter of Women in Cable Telecommunications, is the first named recipient of the WICT New York Career Catalyst Award. She will receive the award at the upcoming 20th anniversary Wonder Women luncheon in New York, the annual Multichannel News event that WICT New York co-sponsors. For more about the 2018 class of Wonder Women and the celebratory event on March 22 at the Ziegfeld Ballroom, visit mcnwonderwomen.com.
WICT New York created the award to salute a chapter member who has demonstrated exemplary mentorship in the industry and in the New York metro area. The honoree must have a history of mentoring individuals, participating in or leading organized mentoring programs and being a champion for mentorship. Clarke, who is senior vice president, corporate strategy, analysis and collaboration at Showtime Networks, has mentored more than a dozen women in WICT and she more than fulfills that criteria, according to chapter president Monica Bloom.
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"Sara Clarke, one of our most dedicated members, has demonstrated outstanding devotion to helping women recognize their potential and positioning them for success," Bloom told Multichannel News. "She has held leadership roles within our organization and has developed partnerships that allow us to pay it forward into the community as well. She is a true role model of effective mentoring and we are excited to honor her this year.”
Clarke, the chapter said, led its Prime Access Mentoring program from 2011 to 2014, created a new mentoring program for entry level members called Mentoring Circle in 2013, has been actively involved in the Young Women’s Leadership Network for 12 years and has coached eight women at the Grace Institute. Her philosophy on mentorship aligns with the WICT mission to empower others to reach their potential, the chapter said. Clarke describes her approach as being a "mentoring multiplier," directly assisting mentees and encouraging others to lend their expertise and time.
As part of the award, a donation will be made to Grace Institute on the honoree's behalf, WICT New York said. Grace Institute is an employment center that "empowers low-income women in the New York area to achieve employment and economic self-sufficiency by providing job-skills training, counseling, placement services and continuous learning opportunities that lead to upwardly mobile employment," according to its website.
