Our 2008 Event Chairwomen
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DEBRA
L. LEE
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
BET Networks
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Debra Lee is the Chairman and Chief Executive
Officer of BET Networks, a unit of Viacom (NYSE:
VIA, VIA.B), and the pre-eminent entertainment
brand serving African Americans and consumers
of Black culture – on a global basis.
As the head of one of the world’s most
influential media and entertainment companies,
she oversees diversified operations and an array
of assets including linear and non-linear cable
television, internet, mobile, and a music festival/events
business. She is leading the company in current
growth initiatives including continued expansion
into filmed entertainment, a home entertainment
business, and international distribution of the
brand.
Prior to her being named CEO, Ms. Lee was President
and COO for almost 10 years where she guided the
company to consistent increases in viewership,
revenue and earnings. She first joined BET as
vice president and general counsel in 1986 after
serving over five years as an attorney with Washington,
DC-based Steptoe & Johnson, a corporate law
firm. Prior to that, she served as a law clerk
to the late Honorable Barrington Parker of the
United States District Court for the District
of Columbia.
Her achievements in a 20+ year career at BET
Networks have earned her numerous accolades from
across the cable industry, as well as recognition
as one of this country’s most respected
business executives. She serves on the corporate
board of directors of Revlon, Marriott, Eastman
Kodak, and Washington Gas & Light. Her business
acumen and strategic approach to management make
Ms. Lee a popular speaker and lecturer on a range
of business topics.
Affiliated with a number of professional, civic,
and cultural organizations, Ms. Lee is also a
member of the national board of directors for
the National Cable & Telecommunications Association
(NCTA), Alvin Ailey Dance Theater, Girls Inc.,
National Symphony Orchestra, Center for Communication,
and the Kennedy Center’s Community &
Friends Board. She is also a member of the Board
of Trustees for Brown University and also serves
on the boards of the Museum of Television and
Radio and the Grammy Foundation.
Ms. Lee earned her juris doctorate at Harvard
Law School, while simultaneously earning a masters
degree in public policy from the John F. Kennedy
School of Government. She graduated from Brown
University with a bachelors degree in political
science with an emphasis in Asian politics.
Ms. Lee resides in Washington, DC with her two
children.
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Holly D. Muldoon
Holly Muldoon is the Chief Executive Officer of
Glocal Forum, US, a non-profit organization and
World Bank affiliate program headquartered in
Rome, Italy. The Glocal Forum brings together
the world’s large city mayors, public institutions
and private sector leaders in what is referred
to as the “new diplomacy of cities”.
Holly’s role as CEO is to advance the program’s
agenda and further membership of US mayors and
participation and support of US businesses. She
is also responsible for all legal, fiscal and
staff management of the program.
Before joining the Glocal Forum, Holly has been
advancing her career in the non-profit and institutional
sector. She was the Executive Director of the
Congressional Award, and prior to that was the
International Program Director of the World Alliance.
She spent six years in Europe first working as
an interpreter for the United Nations and then
moving into the NGO departments of the UN where
she was a program director for UNICEF. Holly was
educated in Europe and holds a degree from the
University of Hamburg, Germany and a graduate
degree in German Literature and Translation from
the University of Vienna, Austria.
Washington, DC has been Holly’s home for
the past twenty years, where she has been actively
involved with local charities and political fundraising.
In 2006, she chaired Knock Out Abuse, raising
over $550,000. She presently serves on committees
for The National Ballet, Best Friends and the
Piedmont Environmental Council. Holly’s
political fundraising has been primarily focused
on the MD gubernatorial election and the 2008
presidential campaign. Holly resides in Potomac,
MD with her husband, Hale Boggs and her 14 year
old son, Michael.
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Ann Walker Marchant
is the founder and CEO of WMG. She has over 20
years of agency, government and nonprofit public
relations experience and has worked at some of
the largest public relations firms as well as
the White House. Ann founded WMG to provide clients
with senior-level strategic counsel.
Ann leads a team of talented counselors who deliver
senior-level strategic communications counsel
to premier national corporate brands. She
has provided corporate communications and crisis
management counsel for Fortune 500 companies across
a broad spectrum of issues. Ann also specializes
in strategic partnership development to address
issues impacting target audiences. She is
recognized for her ability to craft and execute
communications plans that increase awareness,
raise executive visibility in strategic areas,
and protect and insulate brand equity with stakeholders.
Ann is a graduate of Sarah Lawrence College.
She serves as a director on the boards of the
Washington Ballet, The Decatur House National
Historic Trust and Preservation, Planned Parenthood
of Metropolitan Washington and the Greater Washington
Urban League, and was the 2005 chair of Knock
Out Abuse Against Women.
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Holidae Hayes
Holidae Hayes is a Senior Vice President, Wealth
Advisor and Investment Consultant with Morgan
Stanley. Holidae graduated from college and law
school at the University of Kentucky. Prior to
joining Morgan Stanley, Holidae worked at the
Federal Reserve and the U.S. Senate Banking Committee.
She lives in Washington, D.C. and Palm Beach,
Florida and is involved in numerous community
and charitable efforts.
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Norma C. Ramsey
is the Director of The Ramsey Foundation, a private
charitable foundation dedicated to children, education
and healthcare. Ms. Ramsey is involved with many
charitable causes including Venture Philanthropy
Partners, Big Brothers/Big Sisters of the National
Capital Region, the Boys and Girls Clubs, the
Make A Wish Foundation, Fight for Children, School
Night and Knock Out Abuse Against Women.
In 2004, Ms. Ramsey was awarded the Larry King
“Spirit of Life Award.” This award
honors an individual for extraordinary and lasting
contributions in philanthropy.
Ms. Ramsey serves as a trustee of the Inova
Health System Foundation Board, the Make-A-Wish
Foundation of the Mid-Atlantic, The Potomac School
in McLean, Virginia, and The Larry King Cardiac
Foundation.
A Maryland native, Ms. Ramsey attended the University
of Maryland. She is a member of Kappa Delta Sorority
and Phi Kappa Phi. Ms. Ramsey’s professional
career was focused in the design and construction
of custom homes.
She and her husband Russ live in Great Falls,
Virginia. They have four children: Bailey (16),
Eric (14) Mark (11) and Paige Alexandra(1). She
enjoys tennis, biking, running, oil painting and
professional sports.
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