The Women in Cable Telecommunications (WICT) Southern California chapter has recruited actress, writer and comedian Jodi Miller to emcee this year’s “LEA Awards: Honoring Excellence” event. The awards honor seven outstanding individuals for achievements in the areas of Leadership, Education and Advocacy, contributions to the telecommunications industry and support of WICT. Miller has been a staple on the national and international comedy scenes for almost two decades. She was featured on Season 9 of NBC’sAmerica’s Got Talentwhere she received a standing ovation from all four judges. She has also entertained U.S. troops in Afghanistan during four overseas military tours.
The 22nd Annual LEA Awards will be presented Tuesday evening (Nov. 11) at the Taglyan Complex in Hollywood.
These are the 2014 honorees.
BRITNEY GORDON: Rising Leader
Britney Gordon is currently a sales support supervisor for media sales at Time Warner Cable. Britney graduated as a UC Regent Scholar from the University of California, Irvine, where she holds a bachelor of arts in Spanish literature and linguistics. She is an active member of WICT, NAMIC and an executive board member of OUT@TWC — SoCal, a Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender employee organization, where she played a leading role in its 2013 establishment.
KATHERINE McDONALD: Inspirational Woman of the Year
Katherine McDonald is currently the manager of community investment for Time Warner Cable. Her award-winning work in the Southern California market includes securing the company’s multimillion-dollar sponsorship of Space Shuttle Endeavour’s arrival in Los Angeles. She also secured TWC’s multimillion-dollar sponsorship of the Citizen Science program at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, bringing free WiFi service to all visitors for the next five years. She completed her undergraduate work at the University of California, Berkeley where she earned a bachelor’s degree in English literature with a minor in education and an emphasis in dramatic arts. She earned her master’s degree in spiritual psychology at the University of Santa Monica. In addition to her role at TWC she also maintains a part-time practice as a professional coach.
ANNE DROSTE: Executive Leadership
Anne E. Droste helms distribution and marketing strategy for Universal Sports Network, an Olympic, endurance and action sports network that launched in 2012 and is now in front of 65 million homes. Anne works to guide both young and seasoned professionals through the often turbulent waters of the ever-changing media landscape. She is passionate about helping the emerging leaders of today become the industry leaders of tomorrow.
MILINDA MARTIN: Advocate Champion
Milinda Martin, currently vice president of community investment, oversees all national community investment efforts for Time Warner Cable. Martin was born in Pasadena, Calif., and attended Tufts University and the London School of Economics. She has served or is currently serving as a member of the following organizations and nonprofit boards: the Los Angeles Urban League, WICT, the Association of Cable Communicators, Southern California Grantmakers and the City Scholars Foundation.
JILL STEPHENSON: Technology Innovator
Jill Stephenson currently serves as a strategic partner manager on the Google Fiber content licensing team. She spent four years at the University of California, Berkeley, where she was a scholarship soccer player and a two-time member of the Pac-10 All Academic team, and a Golden Bear and Coaches Award winner. She earned her bachelor’s degree in American Studies there, and went on to earn her MBA from San Diego State University.
LAURA KOESTER: Outstanding Contribution in Marketing
Laura Koester is vice president of subscriber acquisition for Time Warner Cable. An advocate of developing leaders, Koester co-chairs the TWC Women’s Collective in Southern California and is actively involved in the Girl Scouts of America. She is also a graduate of the WICT Betsy Magness program. Laura holds an MBA from Loyola Marymount University and a Bachelor’s degree from University of California, Santa Barbara.
ANDREA ARCHER: Southern California WICT Board Member of the Year
Andrea Archer currently serves as the vice president of business development for American Support. She has led the development of the WICT So Cal Mentoring Program for the past eight years. She is a graduate of San Diego State University, where she earned her bachelor of arts degrees in marketing and psychology.
