WICT Greater Philadelphia’s annual award winning fundraising event, WICT Philly Gives Back (WPGB), raises funds for our own chapters scholarship fund as well as for Girls Inc. by holding an elegant dinner with a silent auction of donated items from our WICT Sponsors.
Girls Inc. is a fabulous organization that encourages young girls to be smart, strong, and bold. They encourage young girls to grow and develop, with an emphasis on encouraging girls to become interested in math, science, and technology. In 2016 we were able to sponsor their summer camp program with $15,000 in funds we were able to raise.
The WICT scholarship fund assists women in our industry to attend training and events to further their careers.
WPGB is also an opportunity for the chapter to recognize outstanding women in the cable industry who are making a difference and paving the way for future women leaders during our Leadership Award ceremony that takes place at the event.
Our annual fundraiser, WICT Philly Gives Back, will take place on Tuesday, November 7, 2017 at Hyatt at the The Bellevue. Registration is forthcoming. WICT Philly Gives Back (WPGB), raises funds for our own chapter’s scholarships as well as for Girls Inc. by holding an elegant dinner with a silent auction of donated items from our WICT Sponsors.
WPGB is also an opportunity for the chapter to recognize outstanding women in the cable industry who are making a difference and paving the way for future women leaders during our Leadership Award ceremony that takes place at the event. Award nominations are now being accepted. We will be recognizing four amazing women with Catalyst, Educator, Inspire & Communicator Awards.
Congratulations to the 2017 winners of the WICT Philly Gives Back awards:
The Communicator Award
TONYA ADAMS
Executive Director, Business Services Operations at Comcast
Tonya M. Adams has been a Comcast employee for more than sixteen years. During her tenure, she has held various leadership positions and currently holds the title of Executive Director of Business Services, Reliability Engineering. As an Executive Director, she manages a 24x7x365 environment comprised of highly technical network engineers and management staff that proactively monitors, troubleshoots and resolve issues for IP transit, Carrier Ethernet, cellular backhaul, video backhaul, metro ethernet, wholesale enterprise and software defined wide area network (SD-WAN) services throughout the United States. She supports the rapidly growing $5+ billion commercial business in which the largest commercial customer rates Comcast #1 in the industry. Ms. Adams support of commercial business growth and various internal organizations solidified her leadership abilities and created invaluable networking circles.
Tonya M. Adams has acquired a diverse background during her sixteen-year career at Comcast. She commenced her career in 2001 as a Network Engineer. In 2005, Ms. Adams transitioned to become a Voice Engineer where she, along with her fellow colleagues, launched the first Comcast digital voice services for the company. After having successful years as an Engineer, in 2008 she modified her career path to become a Senior Project Manager. She excelled as a Senior Project Manager and received a promotion to Manager of Strategic Planning, where she continued to support video and lead other Project Managers on her team. Ms. Adams’ ambition and dedication to succeed despite impediments, affords her current role, Executive Director of Business Services, Reliability Engineering, and proves she is an effective and transformational leader.
Tonya is a proud and active member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated, Upsilon Delta Omega, as she is an advocate of community service and volunteers her time in various areas. Tonya also served as a youth leader for her church (Becoming a Young Lady of Excellence). In 2015, she received recognition from Comcast for her involvement with “Preparing Our Girls for a Sound Economic Future” STEM conference for the National Coalition of 100 Black Women, South Jersey Chapter. Her presentation educated young girls and their parents on the importance of Information Security and social media etiquette. On March 19, 2016 the National Coalition of 100 Black Women, South Jersey Chapter honored Tonya with the Candace Award, Corporate Trailblazer. Ms. Adams is an active participant for Comcast college recruitment which provides future and recent graduates an opportunity to gain entry level engineering positions. Her motto: I believe in helping others because someone helped me and I can do all things through Christ that strengthens me.
Ms. Adams is a member of Women in Cable and Telecommunications (WICT) and National Association for Multi-Ethnicity in Communications (NAMIC). She is a 2013 graduate of the NAMIC leadership seminar program, a 2014 graduate of the Foundations of Organizational Leadership (FOL) program and a 2017 graduate of the Betsy Magness Leadership Institute.
In 2012, Ms. Adams and a fellow colleague were instrumental in organizing the Xfinity Communicators Toastmasters Club in which she served as President. The club’s motto: Leading by Example while embracing the International principals “Where Leaders are Made”.
Tonya obtained her Bachelor of Science in Communication Management from the University of Dayton and a Master of Science in Information Systems from DePaul University.
The Inspire Award
Carol Ann Sweeney
Senior Manager, Business Operations at ARRIS
Carol Ann Sweeney is Senior Manager of Business Operations at ARRIS in the Procurement organization. She is currently focused on large projects affecting the company’s strategic initiatives. When Carol Ann first came to ARRIS, she had a role in the growing Global Services organization. She had responsibility for international vendor relationships with 3rd party partners and contract management. She was actively involved in the sourcing, onboarding, and reporting of the contractor workforce.
Carol Ann worked at Comcast Cable Communications for 8 years, most recently as Senior Manager, Procurement. In this role, she worked with Comcast’s vendors negotiating the most optimal terms & conditions, and pricing for Comcast. She also monitored vendor compliance to contractual commitments.
Prior to joining the cable industry, Carol Ann worked with a national sales team of a distribution and service company. She has more than 10 years of management experience in contract negotiations, budgeting, and communications.
Carol Ann has been an active member of WICT for almost 10 years and has served on the WICT Greater Philadelphia board for over 8 years. She is a graduate of WICT National’s Rising Leaders program.
Carol Ann earned her Bachelor of Science degree from The Pennsylvania State University. She resides in Doylestown, PA with her husband and 3 children.
The Educator Award
Michelle Hunt
SVP, Finance at Comcast
Michelle currently serves as the Senior Vice President of Business and Financial Operations for Comcast. In her current role, she oversees finance for multiple organizations including Customer Experience and Operations, Enterprise Business Intelligence, Digital, and Systems Engineering.
Prior to joining Comcast in 2012, Michelle spent thirteen years at Aol leading a variety of financial operations overseeing the company’s marketing spend, including partner relationships, supply chain, and web analytics. Michelle led efforts to transition Aol to a shared services model with both offshore and outsourced operations, and holds certifications in process improvement and Six Sigma programs. Michelle holds a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from George Mason University. She is a graduate of the Betsy Magness Program as well as the CTAM Cable Executive Management Program at Harvard, and participated in the 2013 Leadership Philadelphia Executive Program.
Michelle currently lives in Philadelphia with her husband Aaron and two children.
The Catalyst Award
Martha Soehren
SVP, Chief Learning Officer & Chief Talent & Development Officer at Comcast
Martha spent 25 years with the Defense Industry, 13 years as an adjunct professor, and is in her 17th year at Comcast. She serves on the Doctorate of Learning Advisory Board for the GSE/Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and is the current Chair of the Board of Directors for Women in Cable and Telecommunications. Martha is the Selection Committee Chair for the Association of Talent Development’s (ATD) Board of Directors, and served as the 2014 Chair of the ATD Board. Martha served on the Board of Directors for the Society of Cable Telecommunications Engineers (SCTE), is on i4cp’sCLO Board, and serves on two advisory boards working to close the skills gap between higher education and the business world. Additionally, Martha is a Learning Leader with the Elliott Masie Consortium, and an Executive Champion for the Comcast Veteran’s Employee Resource Group.
The Board Recognition Award
Jennifer Yohe
SVP, Procurement at Comcast
Ms. Jennifer Yohe Wagner has successfully served the business and financial needs of prominent cable-related organizations for more than a decade. Her strong leadership and entrepreneurial attitude have consistently generated innovative ideas that impact heavily on the cable industry. Through her application of dynamic strategies along with her exceptional negotiation skills, Ms. Yohe Wagner has been credited with saving hundreds of millions of dollars throughout the years. Characterized as savvy, ambitious and a tough negotiator, she has used her skills to lead companies through periods of transformation and change, productively establishing and launching enduring business dealings.
Ms. Yohe Wagner joined Comcast in October 2007. In her current role as Senior Vice President, Procurement, Ms. Yohe Wagner utilizes her keen ability to effectively translate company objectives into clearly defined goals. Her vision, coupled with exceptional communication skills, have helped to enhance the performance of cable and engineering operations and given her recognition as a top-producing executive. An ethical professional, Ms. Yohe Wagner possesses a unique talent for analyzing problems, simplifying procedures and uncovering groundbreaking solutions. Uncompromising in her pursuits, she carefully navigates operations and activities making sure to reach desired corporate results.
Through strong internal and external partnerships, and her relentless negotiation of large complex technology deals, she delivers the desired corporate results and savings while developing new approaches to deal structure. Her experience in core infrastructure hardware and software deals is unmatched in the industry.
Prior to joining Comcast, Ms. Yohe Wagner spent nearly 10 years with Time Warner Cable in several roles, including VP of Business Affairs.
Prior to joining Time Warner Cable, Ms. Yohe Wagner worked for Mr. Jack Kent Cooke, well-known entrepreneur and successful businessman. She handled a multitude of responsibilities related to the Washington Redskins, Jack Kent Cooke Stadium, Los Angeles Daily News, Chrysler Properties and Elmendorf Farms.
Ms. Yohe Wagner attended the University of Pittsburgh. She is a member of both Women in Cable and Telecommunications (WICT) and the Society of Cable Telecommunications Engineers (SCTE). She is active on the local Philadelphia WICT board as well as supporting the WICT National Board. Ms Yohe Wagner is a participant in the BBBS Beyond School Walls Program and an active member on the BBBS Independence Region board. Ms. Yohe Wagner has received a number of awards including 2010 WICT Seasoned Professional Award and was named to the 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, and 2016 list of The Most Powerful Women in Cable, Top Women in Technology and was the winner of the prestigious 2012 Women in Technology award named by SCTE, WICT and Communications Technology Magazine. She also received the WICT Chapter Advisor of the year award in 2016. Ms. Yohe Wagner resides in Newtown Square, PA.
For more information please contact:
Name: Czarina Agravante
Email: czarina.agravante@pureintegration.com