Bio
Tim Armstrong
Tim Armstrong has served as Chairman and CEO of AOL since 2009. In December of 2009, he took the company public on the New York Stock Exchange. AOL serves over 200 million consumers a month and is one of the world's biggest consumers brands.
Prior to joining AOL, Tim served as President of Google's Americas Operations and served on the company's operating committee. Prior to Google, Tim served as an executive of multiple Internet and media companies, including Snowball, Disney's ABC/ESPN Internet Ventures, and Paul Allen's Starwave Corporation. Tim also has started or co-founded multiple companies during his career including Associated Content (sold to Yahoo) and Patch (sold to AOL).
He is a graduate of Connecticut College, home of the Camels.
Glenn Britt
Glenn A. Britt is Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Time Warner Cable. He began serving as Chairman of the company's Board of Directors in March 2009. He was named President and CEO in 2006 and has served as the company's chief executive since August 2001.
Mr. Britt has been the driving force behind the company's aggressive deployment of advanced video services, such as video-on-demand, high-definition television and digital video recorders. Mr. Britt has guided the growth and increased penetration of Time Warner Cable's residential high-speed data product and has overseen the efforts of Road Runner Business Class, the company's commercial broadband service. He has also championed the launch and growth of Time Warner Cable Digital Phone and development of new wireless products such as Road Runner Mobile.
Mr. Britt also has focused on creating a customer service-oriented organization. He has championed the cable industry's efforts to work more closely with consumer electronics manufacturers and other related groups to develop compatible standards for the deployment of integrated communications products.
Mr. Britt became President of Time Warner Cable in January 1999. Previously, he served as President and CEO of Time Warner Cable Ventures, the company's new business arm. There he oversaw the launch of Road Runner, the country's first high-speed Internet service, as well as the creation of Time Warner Telecom, a fast-growing provider of local telecommunications services. He had been EVP of Time Warner Cable since 1990 and was previously SVP and Treasurer of Time Warner Inc. Prior to the merger between Time Inc. and Warner Communications, Mr. Britt was VP and CFO of Time Inc., a position he held starting July 1988.
Mr. Britt joined Time Inc. in 1972 in the Controller's Department and rose to VP and Treasurer of Manhattan Cable Television, Inc. (1974), Finance Director for Time-Life Books' Iran Project (1977), VP of Network and Studio Operations for Home Box Office, Inc. (HBO), and Director of Business Development of Time Inc.'s video group (1980).
Mr. Britt became SVP of Finance for American Television and Communications Corp., Time Inc.'s cable television unit, in 1981, SVP of Finance for Time Inc.'s Video Group in 1984, and SVP and CFO of Home Box Office later that year. He was elected as VP of Time Inc. in October 1986 and Treasurer the following month. He became VP of Finance for Time Inc. in February 1988.
Mr. Britt serves on the board of the National Cable & Telecommunications Association (NCTA) and is a member of its Executive Committee. He is also a board member of CableLabs, Pearl Harbor Memorial Fund, Xerox Corporation, The Paley Center, Cardinal Health, FIRST Robotics and the Manhattan Theatre Club.
In December 2009, Mr. Britt was one of five corporate executives appointed by President Obama to a task force charged with strengthening America's economic competitiveness through leadership in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education. The "Educate to Innovate" initiative strives to increase the scale, scope and impact of private-sector and philanthropic support in improving American students' STEM proficiency. In conjunction with the White House initiative, Mr. Britt championed Time Warner Cable's launch of Connect a Million Minds (connectamillionminds.com), the company's $100 million, five-year philanthropic initiative to inspire students to pursue STEM-related education and career opportunities.
Mr. Britt has received many industry honors, including induction in Broadcasting & Cable's Hall of Fame; Cable Positive's Joel G. Berger Award; the NCTA's Vanguard Award for Distinguished Leadership; The Media Institute's American Horizon Award; the NAMIC Stanley B. Thomas Jr. Lifetime Achievement Award; and the Kaitz Foundation Diversity Champion Award. In 2010, he was named Humanitarian of the Year by the UJA-Federation of New York.
He received a B.A. in economics from Dartmouth College, where he graduated magna cum laude. A member of Phi Beta Kappa, Mr. Britt received an M.B.A. from the Amos Tuck School of Business Administration at Dartmouth, where he sponsors the Britt Technology Impact Series. The program series examines various aspects of the growing impact of technology on corporations and individuals, and the business strategy issues surrounding new technology.
Time Warner Cable is among the largest providers of video, high-speed data and phone services in the U.S., and connects more than 14 million customers to entertainment, information and each other.
Erin Burnett
Erin Burnett is anchor of Erin Burnett OutFront, a nightly news program that reports on the people, places, and events that lead the global conversation. In her trademark casual and confident style, whether out on the road or in front of the headlines, Burnett delivers a show that is in-depth and curious.
Erin Burnett OutFront airs weeknights on CNN at 7 and 11 pm Eastern and CNNi at 11pm Eastern.
Erin Burnett will also serve as the network's Chief Business and Economics Correspondent. She joined CNN from CNBC where she anchored Street Signs and co-anchored Squawk on the Street from 2005 to 2011. During her tenure at CNBC, Burnett provided her viewers with in-depth and unbiased coverage of global financial news, with broadcasts from several continents including special reports from Iran, China, and Cairo during the Egyptian revolution. Burnett also produced and anchored several documentaries: India Rising: The New Empire, City of Money and Mystery, The Russian Gamble, On Assignment: Iraq, and Dollar and Danger: Africa, The Final Frontier.
In addition to her anchor role at CNBC, Burnett also reported for MSNBC's Morning Joe, NBC Nightly News, and Meet the Press. She also substitute anchored the Today Show for Meredith Vieira and appeared on NBC's popular primetime series The Apprentice as a boardroom advisor to Donald Trump.
Erin Burnett began her career at Goldman Sachs as an investment banker, but soon followed her passion for journalism and joined CNN's Moneyline. She left her position as a writer on the program to serve as vice president at Citigroup, building an online media business. Following Citigroup, Burnett joined Bloomberg Television as Stocks Editor and anchor.
Burnett is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, and was selected as one of Fortune magazine's "Top 40 Under 40."
Phil Kent
Phil Kent is chairman and chief executive officer of Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. (TBS, Inc.). He is responsible for a portfolio of news, entertainment and animation, young adult & kids and sports networks and businesses including CNN/U.S., CNN International, CNN.com and HLN; TBS, TNT, Turner Classic Movies and truTV; Cartoon Network and Adult Swim; and Turner Sports. Globally, Turner Broadcasting operates more than 130 channels in some 30 languages in more than 200 countries.
Kent was named to his current role in February 2003. Earlier, he served as president and chief operating officer of CNN News Group, where he oversaw a strategic reorganization of the news division. His career at TBS, Inc. also includes broad international experience as president of Turner Broadcasting System International (TBSI), the division overseeing Turner's business activity outside the United States. At the helm of TBSI, Kent led a regionalization strategy that introduced local-language versions of CNN and the Turner entertainment networks around the globe, further strengthening the company's position in critical international markets.
Kent joined Turner Broadcasting in 1993 as president of Turner Home Entertainment, the former division comprised of the company's home video, new media, licensing & merchandising, international theatrical distribution and book publishing operations. Previously he spent six years with Creative Artists Agency (CAA) as a packaging agent in that company's television department. In 1981, he helped launch Blair Entertainment, the television syndication division of John Blair & Co., where he began his career.
Kent earned a bachelor of arts degree in economics at Lehigh University. He serves on the board of directors of the National Cable & Telecommunications Association; is a past chair of the board of trustees of Atlanta's Woodruff Arts Center; is a member of the Dean's executive board of UCLA's School of Theatre, Film & Television; and serves on the Atlanta Committee for Progress. He is a member of the Broadcasting & Cable Hall of Fame.
Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., a Time Warner company, creates and programs branded news; entertainment; animation and young adult; and sports media environments on television and other platforms for consumers around the world.
Governor Deval Patrick
Deval Patrick was reelected to a second term as Governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in November 2010, renewing his commitment to expanding opportunity and prosperity in Massachusetts. Governor Patrick's life has charted a path from the South Side of Chicago to the U.S. Justice Department, Fortune 500 boardrooms, and now the Massachusetts State House. In each of these capacities, Governor Patrick has been guided by the advice of his grandmother: hope for the best and work for it.
First elected in 2006 on a platform of hope and change, Governor Patrick entered office propelled by an unprecedented grassroots campaign. Despite a challenging economic environment, the Patrick administration maintained or expanded the state's investment in critical growth sectors while delivering timely budgets and cutting state spending. Governor Patrick funded public education at the highest levels in the history of the Commonwealth and its school reform initiatives earned Massachusetts the top spot in the national Race to the Top competition. And through targeted initiatives that play to the Commonwealth's unique strengths, like his landmark 10-year, $1 billion program to promote the state's life sciences industry, the Governor has positioned the state as a global leader in biotech, bio pharmaceuticals and IT, and as a national leader in clean energy, including making Massachusetts home to the country's first offshore wind farm.
Governor Patrick committed the state to renewing its aging and neglected infrastructure and oversaw the expansion of affordable health care insurance to over 98% of Massachusetts residents. The Patrick administration also accomplished major reforms that had eluded decades of other elected leadership, reforming the state's pension systems, ethics laws, and transportation bureaucracy.
Patrick came to Massachusetts in 1970 at the age of 14. A motivated student despite the difficult circumstances of poor and sometimes violent Chicago schools, he was awarded a scholarship to Milton Academy through A Better Chance, a Boston-based organization. From that time forward, it has been Massachusetts people, schools, and institutions that have given Governor Patrick the opportunity to excel. He sees his service as governor as pay-back for the opportunities the Commonwealth has given him.
Governor Patrick is a graduate of Harvard College, the first in his family to attend college, and of Harvard Law School. After clerking for a federal judge, he led a successful career in the private sector as an attorney and business executive, rising to senior executive positions at Texaco and Coca-Cola. In 1994, President Clinton appointed Patrick as Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights, the nation's top civil rights post.
Diane and Deval Patrick have been married for more than twenty-five years and have two adult daughters.
Michael Powell
Michael K. Powell is the President and CEO of the National Cable & Telecommunications Association. NCTA is the policy trade association for the cable operator and cable programmer industries. Prior to joining NCTA, he served as a Senior Advisor with Providence Equity Partners and served on the boards of Cisco Systems, Aol and EDMC. Mr. Powell served as the Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, from 2001 to 2005, having served as a Commissioner for several years prior.
Prior to his tenure at the FCC, Powell served as the Chief of Staff of the Antitrust Division in the Department of Justice where he advised the Assistant Attorney General on substantive antitrust matters, including policy development, criminal and civil investigations, and mergers. He also served as an associate in the Washington, D.C., office of the law firm of O’Melveny & Myers LLP and clerked for the Honorable Harry T. Edwards, Chief Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.
Before his legal career, Powell served as a policy advisor to the Secretary of Defense. His experience also includes military service as an armored cavalry officer in the United States Army, retiring after being seriously injured on duty.
Powell serves on a number of non-profit boards, including the Mayo Clinic, the Aspen Institute and America’s Promise, where he co-chairs Grad Nation—an effort to end the high school dropout crisis. Powell also has served as the Rector of the Board of Visitors of the College of William and Mary, and has taught, as an adjunct professor, at the Catholic University Law School.
Powell graduated from the College of William and Mary with a degree in Government and earned his J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center. He is married and has two sons.
Neil Smit
Neil Smit serves as President and Chief Executive Officer of Comcast Cable Communications and Executive Vice President of Comcast Corporation, one of the world's leading media, entertainment and communication companies. In this role, Mr. Smit is responsible for all business aspects of the Company's cable operations.
Mr. Smit joined Comcast in March, 2010 from Charter Communications where he served as Chief Executive Officer and Director since 2005. Prior to joining Charter, Mr. Smit was the President of Time Warner's America Online Access Business overseeing Internet access services, including America Online (AOL), CompuServe and Netscape ISPs. He also served at AOL as Executive Vice President, Member Services, and Chief Operating Officer of MapQuest. Mr. Smit also was a regional president with Nabisco and served in a number of management positions at Pillsbury. For five and a half years, Mr. Smit served on active duty with the Navy SEAL Teams and retired from the service as a Lieutenant Commander.
Mr. Smit serves on the boards of CableLabs, the research and development consortium for the cable industry, and C-SPAN. He is also a member of the Board of Visitors for Nicholas School of the Environment at Duke University, and previously served on the board of the National Cable and Telecommunications Association (NCTA).
Mr. Smit earned a bachelor's of science degree from Duke University and a master's degree from Tufts University's Fletcher School. He resides in Philadelphia with his wife and sons.
David Zaslav
David Zaslav sets the strategy and oversees all operations of the world's #1 nonfiction media company that reaches more than 1.8 billion cumulative subscribers in 218 countries and territories. Discovery Communications is dedicated to igniting curiosity and delivering the thrill of discovery through 155 worldwide television networks and a diversified portfolio of digital media properties, including leading Internet video production company Revision3.
Since taking the helm at Discovery in January 2007, Zaslav has executed a number of initiatives that have focused the organization on growth, performance and operational efficiency. Under his leadership, in September 2008, Discovery began trading as a public company on the Nasdaq stock exchange and he has directed a strategic effort to clarify and strengthen Discovery's world-class brands, including a renewed focus on creativity and a two-fold increase in investment in original content.
As part of this strategy, in 2008, Discovery launched Investigation Discovery, which has been one of the fastest-growing cable networks in the U.S. since its debut, and the company has premiered such iconic programming as the award-winning natural history trilogy Planet Earth, Life and Frozen Planet. Discovery also has partnered with Oprah Winfrey to launch OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network, Hasbro to launch The Hub children's and family network, and with Sony and IMAX to launch 3net, the first 24x7 3D television network.
Internationally, under Zaslav's leadership, Discovery has rolled out TLC as an international female-targeted flagship network, now available in more than 150 markets and the most widely distributed female-targeted entertainment and lifestyle channel brand in media. Additionally, in 2013, Discovery expanded its international operations with the acquisition of SBS Nordics, a top-three portfolio of television brands across Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Finland that feature leading nonfiction content, as well as locally produced entertainment programs, sports and the best scripted series and movies from major studios. The company also has focused on investing in resources and talent to strengthen its global content pipeline, including the acquisition of UK-based independent production house betty.
In 2009, Zaslav was honored by the by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) with its Forces for Nature award for his vision and leadership in driving Discovery's ongoing commitment to embracing "green" as a corporate value and developing the highest quality programming that celebrates the wonders of our planet for audiences around the world. He also has spearheaded Discovery Impact, the company's corporate social responsibility programs, which leverage the power of Discovery's brands, businesses and employees to give back and make a difference in the communities where they live and work through initiatives such as the annual Discover Your Impact Day of global employee volunteerism.
Prior to Discovery, Zaslav had a distinguished career at NBC Universal. As president of Cable and Domestic TV and New Media Distribution, Zaslav oversaw content distribution to all forms of TV, led negotiations for cable and satellite carriage of NBC Universal networks, and forged innovative new-media partnerships, including a pioneering video-on-demand deal with the leading cable operator, Comcast. Zaslav also brought films and TV shows to consumers through new paths including the Internet, cell phones and other wireless devices.
Zaslav joined NBC in 1989 and was instrumental in developing and launching CNBC that same year. He played a key role in creating MSNBC in 1996. His responsibilities extended to Bravo, CNBC World, SCI FI, ShopNBC, Sleuth, Telemundo, Telemundo Puerto Rico, mun2, Trio, Universal HD, USA Network, NBC Weather Plus and the Olympics on cable. Zaslav also oversaw NBC Universal's interests in A&E, The History Channel, The Biography Channel, National Geographic International, the Sundance Channel and TiVo.
Before joining NBC, Zaslav was an attorney with the New York firm of LeBouef, Lamb, Leiby & MacRae. He graduated with honors from Boston University School of Law. Zaslav serves on the boards of Sirius XM Radio, Inc., Univision Communications, Inc., the National Cable & Telecommunications Association, The Cable Center, Center for Communication and Skills for America's Future. He also is a member of the Board of Trustees for the Paley Center for Media, the Mt. Sinai Medical Center and previously served as an adjunct professor at Fordham University, where he created and taught a graduate-level course on the business of cable television.
In 2007, Zaslav received a Trustees Award for Lifetime Achievement from the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences.
