PHILADELPHIA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Comcast Corporation (Nasdaq: CMCSA, CMCSK)/NBCUniversal, one of the nation’s leading providers of entertainment, information, and communications products and services, today announced it has created a Joint External Diversity Advisory Council to advise the senior executive teams at Comcast and NBCUniversal as the company takes steps to become an industry leader in diversity.
The Joint Diversity Council consists of four, nine-member Diversity Advisory Councils, representing the interests of African Americans, Asian Americans, Hispanics, and Women, respectively. The Joint Diversity Council also has members representing veterans, Native Americans, people with disabilities, and the lesbian/gay/bisexual/transgender (“LGBT”) community, as well as representatives of Comcast’s and NBCUniversal’s internal diversity councils. They will provide advice on the five Focus Areas stipulated in the Memoranda of Understanding entered into by the companies and various national diverse leadership organizations: (1) Corporate Governance; (2) Employment/Workforce Recruitment & Retention; (3) Procurement; (4) Programming; and (5) Philanthropy & Community Investment.
“We are thrilled to have established the Joint Diversity Council to advise us on our diversity initiatives,” said David L. Cohen, Executive Vice President and Chief Diversity Officer at Comcast Corporation. “One of our key goals when establishing the Council was to achieve a cross-section of viewpoints from multiple groups, including business, entertainment and media, and civil rights organizations. We believe we have achieved that with the Council’s members and we look forward to working together to become a model on diversity for the communications and entertainment industries.”
Comcast said the Joint Diversity Council will conduct its first meeting in May 2011 and will meet formally semi-annually.
Editors Note: Please see accompanying list of members of the Joint Diversity Council.
About Comcast Corporation
Comcast Corporation (Nasdaq: CMCSA, CMCSK) (www.comcast.com) is one of the nation's leading providers of entertainment, information and communications products and services. Comcast is principally involved in the operation of cable systems through Comcast Cable and in the development, production and distribution of entertainment, news, sports and other content for global audiences through NBCUniversal. Comcast Cable is one of the nation's largest video, high-speed Internet and phone providers to residential and business customers. Comcast is the majority owner and manager of NBCUniversal, which owns and operates entertainment and news cable networks, the NBC and Telemundo broadcast networks, local television station groups, television production operations, a major motion picture company and theme parks.
About NBCUniversal
NBCUniversal is one of the world’s leading media and entertainment companies in the development, production, and marketing of entertainment, news, and information to a global audience. NBCUniversal owns and operates a valuable portfolio of news and entertainment television networks, a premier motion picture company, significant television production operations, a leading television stations group, and world-renowned theme parks. Comcast Corporation owns a controlling 51% interest in NBCUniversal, with GE holding a 49% stake.
Joint External Diversity Advisory Council Members
National African American Advisory Council
- Marc H. Morial, Council Chair, President & Chief Executive Officer, National Urban League (New York, NY)
- Harold Epps, Vice Chair, President & Chief Executive Officer, PRWT Services, Inc. (Philadelphia, PA)
- Drew Berry, Chief Executive Officer, Drew Berry and Associates (Baltimore, MD)
- Roslyn M. Brock, Chairman, NAACP National Board of Directors (Elkridge, MD)
- W. Don Cornwell, Former Chairman & Chief Executive Officer, Granite Broadcasting (Brooklyn, NY)
- Carla A. Harris, Managing Director, Morgan Stanley Investment Management (New York, NY)
- Christine James-Brown, President & Chief Executive Officer, Child Welfare League of America (Washington, DC)
- W. Franklyn Richardson, Senior Pastor, Grace Baptist Church (Mount Vernon, NY)
- Julieanna L. Richardson, Founder & Executive Director, The HistoryMakers (Chicago, IL)
National Asian American Advisory Council
- Karen Narasaki, Council Chair, President & Executive Director, Asian American Justice Center (Washington, DC)
- Don H. Liu, Vice Chair, Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary, Xerox Corporation (Norwalk, CT)
- Joseph J. Centeno, Partner, Obermayer Rebmann Maxwell & Hippell LLP (Philadelphia, PA)
- Jadine Chin Nielsen, President, Asian American Small Business PAC (Honolulu, HI)
- Daphne Kwok, Executive Director, Asian and Pacific Islanders with Disabilities of California (Oakland, CA)
- Ken Lee, President, Organization of Chinese Americans (Duluth, GA)
- Daniel Mayeda, Member of the Board, East West Players (Los Angeles, CA)
- S. Floyd Mori, National Executive Director/CEO, Japanese American Citizens League (Arlington, VA)
- Ajay Raju, Partner, Reed Smith LLP (Philadelphia, PA)
National Hispanic Advisory Council
- Lillian Rodriguez Lopez, Council Chair, President, Hispanic Federation (New York, NY)
- Alba E. Martinez, Vice Chair, Principal, Vanguard (Philadelphia, PA)
- Martin J. Chavez, Executive Director, ICLEI Local Governments for Sustainability USA (Washington, DC)
- Guarione M. Diaz, President & Chief Executive Officer, Cuban American National Council (Miami, FL)
- Beni Matias, Educator, Filmmaker (New York, NY)
- Janet Murguía, President & Chief Executive Officer, National Council of La Raza, Incoming Chair, HACR Board (Washington, DC)
- Alex Nogales, President/Chief Executive Officer, National Hispanic Media Coalition (Pasadena, CA)
- Javier Palomarez, President & CEO, United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (Dallas, TX)
- Brent Wilkes, National Executive Director, League of United Latin American Citizens (Washington, DC)
National Women’s Advisory Council
- Judith M. von Seldeneck, Council Chair, Chairman & Chief Executive Officer, Diversified Search (Philadelphia, PA)
- Rosemary Turner, Vice Chair, President, UPS Chesapeake District (Philadelphia, PA)
- Vernice Armour, Founder & Chief Executive Officer, VAI Consulting and Training, LLC (Stafford, VA)
- Terry D'Alessandro, E.V.P., Director of Community Banking, Firstrust Bank (Conshohocken, PA)
- Lydia Hernández-Vélez, Deputy Managing Director for Aging, City of Philadelphia (Philadelphia, PA)
- Sheryl Lee Ralph, Actress (Philadelphia, PA)
- Ingrid Saunders Jones, Senior Vice President, Global Community Connections, The Coca-Cola Company (Atlanta, GA)
- Judy Spires, CEO, AG Supermarket Holdings, Kings/Balducci Gourmet Markets (Parsippany, NJ)
- Vacancy [appointment pending]
Members At Large
- Jarrett Tomás Barrios, President & CEO, Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (New York, NY)
- Helena Berger, Acting President & CEO, American Association of People with Disabilities (Washington, DC)
- Mark Segal, Publisher, Philadelphia Gay News (Philadelphia, PA)
- Sonny Skyhawk, Chairman, American Indians in Film & Television (Pasadena, CA)