Dolly Wolf

President, ODI

Dolly Wolf is an experienced program creator/director with an outstanding program and project management track record. She is able to bridge diverse communities, resulting in high-impact collaboration and communication among all participants. After nearly 20 years in the cable industry, Dolly founded One Day Immersion, now One Diverse Industry, in 2012, with the mission of fostering relationships between executives and students. One Diverse Industry strives to offer unprecedented access to top diverse media executives for college students representing all communities. The non-profit organization produces forums where executives share their paths to their current positions, and provide insights and opportunities into the innovative and fast-moving industry.

Evan Shapiro

Adjunct Professor
Fordham University's Gabelli School of Business, President, eshapTV

Emmy and Peabody Award-winning producer, professor of Media Studies at NYU and Fordham University, unofficial official Cartographer of the Media Universe. Shapiro leads change agency ESHAP.

Dr. Lerzan Askoy

Interim Dean and Professor of Marketing
Fordham University’s Gabelli School of Business

Dr. Lerzan Aksoy is Interim Dean and Professor of Marketing, at Fordham University’s Gabelli School of Business. From 2015 to 2022 she served as Associate Dean of Undergraduate Studies and Strategic Initiatives. She is the 2022 recipient of American Marketing Association’s Christopher Lovelock Career Contributions to the Services Discipline Award. Dean Aksoy’s scholarship focuses on customer loyalty and she has co-authored 5 books one of which is the NY Times bestseller The Wallet Allocation Rule.  Dr. Aksoy is a global nomad having lived in seven countries growing up, is a Fulbright scholar, and has a PhD in marketing from University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill, MBA from George Mason University and BS in Business Administration from Hacettepe University, Turkey.

Dr. Bozena Mierzejewska

Associate Professor of Communications and Media Management
Fordham University's Gabelli School of Business

Kathryn Addo

Global Brand Director of Nike,
Wieden+Kennedy

Kathryn leads the global Leadership team for Nike at Wieden+Kennedy, managing the team in Portland HQ and overseeing the direction, growth and opportunity for the Nike teams across our 8 offices. Her nearly 20-year global career spans multiple Wieden offices, including Amsterdam, London and Portland, as well as several of W+K's flagship clients— Nike, Visa, Meta and Instagram to name a few.
She has been recognized as one of Ad Age’s Women to Watch Europe 2020, and in 2021 she was made a member of W+K Amsterdam’s Leadership Advisory Board. Most recently, she was named one of Campaign US’ 40 over 40 honorees. Kathryn has been a firm advocate for diversity and inclusion throughout her career and in 2021 she became a tutor for the Netherland’s first industry-wide creative marketing careers program for Black, Asian and underrepresented talent.

Emory Walton, Moderator

VP, Sales Distribution
A+E Networks

Emory Walton is Vice President, Content Distribution at A+E Networks. With over 20 years of experience in the cable television and entertainment industry, Walton is one of A+E Network’s distribution team leaders, overseeing business strategy and relationships with U.S. and International based content distributors. His role involves the procurement of partnerships and managing the distribution and marketing for A+E’s dynamic brand portfolio, which includes A&E, History, Lifetime, and Vice-tv. Walton also leads A+E’s Multicultural Advisory Council, where he is responsible for advising the company’s programming executives on the development and promotion of multiculturally focused programming to maximize its reach to all audiences. Most recently in this role he spearheaded the marketing strategy for the launch of the highly acclaimed JANET JACKSON docuseries and consulted on History’s Emmy Nominated TULSA BURNING and A&E’s original series THE SECERT ORGINS OF HIP HOP.In addition to his work at A+E Networks, Walton is a dedicated to upholding the importance of diverse representation in media. He’s a member of the National Board of NAMIC, an organization whose mission is to educate, advocate and empower for multi-ethnic diversity in the communications industry. He has also been honored as a ‘NAMIC Luminary’ which recognizes media business leaders for their commitment to fostering diversity in the workplace. Furthermore, he was recognized by CableFax as one of the ‘Most Influential Executives for Diversity and Inclusion in Media’  Walton attended UCLA where he received a BA in Communications Studies with a specialization in Business and holds an MBA from LMU where he was inducted into the Beta Gamma Sigma international honor society for business schools.

Nik Whitcombs

Casting Director, Artist, Producer, Educator, DEI Advocate

Nik Whitcomb is a theatre artist, casting director, producer, educator, and equity & inclusion advocate that has spent the majority of his life in the entertainment industry. Nik has worked in various capacities with nonprofit arts institutions across the country such as Guthrie Theater, Hennepin Theatre Trust, Goodman Theatre, Northlight Theatre, Actors Theatre of Louisville, and Omaha Performing Arts among others. He is a member of the American Alliance for Theatre & Education where he serves as a mentor for the Leaders of Color Institute and a reader on the Distinguished Play Committee. Nik developed, mentored, and produced the Puppeteers of Color Incubator in Chicago, managed education programs at both the Omaha Community Playhouse & The Rose Theater, and consults with creative organizations around the nation on strategic planning and implementation of sustainable business models. He is the Resident Director with the Twenty-Sided Tavern, an Ensemble Member with the Performing Arts Collective at The Union for Contemporary Art, the Education Coordinator with The Stillwell Institute for Contemporary Black Art, the Entertainment & Community Strategist for The House of Afros, Capes, & Curls, an Associate Member of the Stage Directors & Choreographers Society, and was named a “Theatre Worker You Should Know” by American Theatre Magazine in April of 2020.

Jennifer Zaurov

MBA programs in Business & Marketing Management, Pace University

Jennifer Zaurov recently completed a dual MBA program inBusiness and Marketing Management with a concentration in Entertainment fromPace University. She has extensive knowledge in social media management, theatre arts, and casting. Her professional goals include holding a leadership position in a career within film, television, and the entertainment industry, particularly in creative development. Jennifer holds professional membership within One Day Immersion (ODI), FUTURE NOW Media Foundation, the AmericanMarketing Association (AMA), and T. Howard Foundation. She is a conscientious, driven individual who describes herself as a “feisty redhead,” and loves to incorporate humor in her day-to-day life.

Maria Weaker

President
WMX at Warner Music Group

Maria Weaver is the President of WMX the global artists and label services division at Warner Music Group, home to artists such as Bruno Mars, Lizzo, Coldplay and Cardi B. She leads the growth of Warner’s network of owned-and-operated consumer brands and oversees the day-to-day operations including streaming account management and playlisting, direct-to-fan and merchandising operations, consumer acquisition, content creation, legal & business affairs, and finance.

Maria has over three decades of experience leading marking and media teams. Previously, she was the Senior Vice President& Chief Marketing Officer at Comcast Advertising where she created a strong, international marketing organization to support the company’s growing business needs. Maria was responsible for all facets of marketing and branding for the company’s advertising sales division, Effectv, including leading its rebrand from Comcast Spotlight. She also oversaw its full-service creative agency Mnemonic, as well as FreeWheel, which provides advertising software and solutions for the television ecosystem. Additionally, she helped provide relief to Black-owned small businesses that were affected by COVID-19 through launching the Comcast RISE program.

Prior to Comcast, Maria was one of the founders of Interactive One, the digital division of Urban One (formerly Radio One).Maria held various senior marketing and creative services roles at HBO where her content marketing and acquisition strategy led to several of HBO's programming successes, including the launch of The Wire, Def Poetry, and many others.
Maria received the National Association forMulti-ethnicity in Communications Award of Excellence, the Council of UrbanProfessionals Catalyst Award, and multiple honors from The Telly Awards and theCable & Telecommunications Association for Marketing. She serves on the boards of She Runs It, The Frederick Douglass Family Initiative, Figure Skating in Harlem, and the International Radio and Television Society. Maria holds aBachelor of Arts in Communications and Media Studies from Pace University and aMaster of Professional Studies from Pratt Institute.
In addition to her television career, Turner also has a passion for health and fitness. She founded MAD COOL FITNESS, an inclusive, multicultural healthy lifestyle brand that uses holistic, behavior-based wellness initiatives to foster long-term healthy lifestyle change in everyday people. As part of this mission, Turner went back to school and received a Doctor of Public Health (DrPH) specializing in Health Education and Behavioral Science from Rutgers School of Public Health. She holds a Master of Business Administration from Stanford University, a Bachelor of Finance from the Wharton School of Business of the University of Pennsylvania, and a Bachelor of Japanese Language also from the University of Pennsylvania.

Adriana Loh

Multi-media Journalist
Spectrum News

Adriana Loh joined the Spectrum News 1 team as an MMJ in August 2022.Adriana decided she wanted to be a journalist in middle school, when realizing she had a passion for writing, uncovering the truth, and shining a light on underrepresented communities. As early as age 10, she would attend mock press conferences, meet local reporters and write her own news pitches and stories. She’s thrilled to be living her childhood dream.A New York native, Adriana graduated from SUNY Oswego with a bachelor’s degree in Broadcast and Mass Communications. She then went on to complete her masters at the Newhouse School at Syracuse University. It was during her time at Newhouse that Adriana joined the Spectrum News team, as one of the company’s first fellows. She also had the opportunity to serve as a Washington, D.C. correspondent for her capstone project.One of her most impactful experiences was when she covered the rise in hate-crimes committed against Asian communities a few years ago. She had the opportunity to speak with activists and cover local protests.Adriana has fallen in love with so many things about Rochester, but her favorite part is the diverse and exciting food scene. Her favorite thing to do in her free time is shop. From grocery shopping at Wegmans to splurging at the nearest shopping plaza – she loves it all.

Rahdiah Barnes

Pride Global
Diversity Partnership Liaison

Rahdiah Barnes is the Strategic Diversity Partnership Liaison at Pride Global and President of the New York Chapter of The National Association of Multi-Ethnicity in Communications (NAMICNY), the leading diversity organization for People of Color in the Communications Industry.During her 20- year career in the telecom industry, she has worked for Verizon, Time Warner Cable, XO Communications, and Charter/Spectrum. As a top performer, she has received prestigious awards including, The Presidents Club and The Achievers Cup for outstanding sales achievement. In addition to excelling in her sales roles, she has developed and implemented community outreach programs for a variety of businesses and organizations.As the New York Chapter President of The National Association of Multi-Ethnicity in Communications (NAMICNY) Rahdiah oversees six committees that provides high-quality professional development programming geared to educate, advocate & empower for multi-ethnic diversity in the communications industry.Serving as a change agent in designing and developing cutting-edge workforce strategies, she is a strategic partner to senior business and HR leadership. She has lent her expertise to Media companies with their planning, strategizing, and execution of D&I initiatives and recruiting. Under her leadership, her Chapter has planned and executed over 100 corporate events and community outreach initiatives, ranging from large-scale corporate events to intimate panel discussions and workshops. She particularly takes pride in creating Social Responsibility Initiatives and Community Outreach events.She has a Bachelor of Science in Business Management from St. John’s University and credits the school for implementing in her the love of volunteering.Rahdiah founded and Executive Director of Pappy's Heart, a nonprofit organization that is dedicated to bringing comfort to the homeless by providing bags filled with essential items that ease the burden of hunger. In 2019 she was awarded the Outstanding Community Service Award by the Shannon's Share Foundation.Born in New York City, and raised in upstate New York, she now lives in Harlem. She loves to travel, having visited over 20 countries and 100’s of eateries all over the world. She enjoys watching documentaries, listening to 90’s Hip Hop, and living life to the fullest. A big-time foodie, she runs a fun food blog that documents her love of diverse cuisines and cultures.

Julia Ururahy Pinto, Moderator

Student Star, ODI
Graduate, Media Management
Gabelli School of Business
Fordham University

Julia is a Brazilian professional with a double master's degree from Fordham University - she graduated from Marketing Intelligence in 2021 and is in her last term in theMedia Management program. With a background in branding and PR, fields that she worked for 5 years in Brazil, she is currently part of the IntelligenceStrategy team at Havas Media Group, where she combines her two areas of study.

Kathleen Finch

Chairman & Chief Content Officer
U.S. Networks Group, Warner Bros. Discovery

Kathleen Finch assumed the newly created role of Chairman and Chief Content Officer, US
Networks Group, at Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc. in April 2022. The new consolidated
organization comprises close to 30 US networks that reached more than 145 million viewers per month and held six of the top 10 spots in primetime in Q2 2022. Networks in Finch’s group include: Discovery, HGTV, Food Network, TLC, TBS, TNT, Investigation Discovery, Cartoon Network/Adult Swim, OWN, TRVL, TCM and others that together account for 35% of P25-54/P18-49 primetime cable viewing. She also leads the Digital Lifestyle Studios Group
which is responsible for producing video and social content.
Following Discovery’s acquisition of Scripps Networks Interactive in 2018, Finch was named
Chief Lifestyle Brands Officer and led the company’s 12-network portfolio of lifestyle
networks. In 2021, driven by this leading collection of brands, Discovery networks delivered a 21% share of all Pay-TV Primetime viewing by W25-54 and was the #1 Most-Watched PayTV Portfolio in the US among W25-54, P/W 18-49 and P/W18+.
During 2021, HGTV, ID and Food Network were the Top 3 cable networks in Total Day among W25-54. In 2021 Prime, TLC ranked as the #1 cable network among W25-54, while HGTV and Food were ranked as the #3 and #5 non-sports cable networks in the demo. Finch’s lifestyle group delivered more hit freshman shows among W25-54 than any other network group in 2021. And, so far, in 2022-to-date, her portfolio also has outperformed the industry
with more top-rated freshman series than any other network group.
Finch’s Discovery lifestyle portfolio contained some of the biggest hits on television,
including HGTV’s Home Town and Celebrity IOU; Food Network’s Tournament of Champions and Buddy vs. Duff; ID’s On the Case with Paula Zahn and Evil Lives Here; TRVL’s Ghost Adventures; and the #1 program for women on Sunday nights, TLC’s 90 Day Fiancé franchise.

Dolly Wolf, Presentor

President, ODI

Dolly Wolf is an experienced program creator/director with an outstanding program and project management track record. She is able to bridge diverse communities, resulting in high-impact collaboration and communication among all participants. After nearly 20 years in the cable industry, Dolly founded One Day Immersion, now One Diverse Industry, in 2012, with the mission of fostering relationships between executives and students. One Diverse Industry strives to offer unprecedented access to top diverse media executives for college students representing all communities. The non-profit organization produces forums where executives share their paths to their current positions, and provide insights and opportunities into the innovative and fast-moving industry.

Lucy Holsonbake

Professor
Northern Virginia Community College

Lucy Holsonbake begins her fiftieth year in the classroom as ODI turns ten.  If you count the years playing school with stuffed animals and her dad, ever the bad boy, she has been teaching ever since she could talk!   Her career spans secondary, university, Department of Corrections,Single Sex, private and public.  She began as a theatre director and forensics coach and loved directing musicals and plays as well as coaching debates.  She is also proud to have pioneered The Talented and Gifted as well as working at Dallas' High School for Performing Arts. A lifelong learner, Lucy will complete her Certification from TheJohns Hopkins School of Education in Mind, Brain and Teaching, this December. She also holds a master's in performance studies and AmericanPublic Address from The University of North Texas, as well as certification from University of Washington in Master Teaching of Acting. Her undergraduate degree is from Baylor University in Theatre and Communication. Lucy is grateful to the ODI Board, for creating the best outreach program for students she has ever had the opportunity to work with. She can testify and will, if you ask her, to the growth and pride that this program instills in those students who actively seek it. She is equally appreciative of Northern Virginia CommunityCollege, in particular the Alexandria Campus, which is comprised of students from over 154 Nationalities. Lucy celebrates NOVA's Mission to be a learning centered organization that promotes student success. Like ODI, NOVA always puts students first. Shout out to Dr. Jim Mcclellan, Provost Annette Haggray and to President Anne Kress for their support and encouragement for Lucy, theSTARS and ODI.

Lucy Holsonbake

Professor, NOVA Community College

Lucy Holsonbake begins her fiftieth year in the classroom as ODI turns ten.  If you count the years playing school with stuffed animals and her dad, ever the bad boy, she has been teaching ever since she could talk!   Her career spans secondary, university, Department of Corrections,Single Sex, private and public.  She began as a theatre director and forensics coach and loved directing musicals and plays as well as coaching debates.  She is also proud to have pioneered The Talented and Gifted as well as working at Dallas' High School for Performing Arts. A lifelong learner, Lucy will complete her Certification from TheJohns Hopkins School of Education in Mind, Brain and Teaching, this December. She also holds a master's in performance studies and AmericanPublic Address from The University of North Texas, as well as certification from University of Washington in Master Teaching of Acting. Her undergraduate degree is from Baylor University in Theatre and Communication. Lucy is grateful to the ODI Board, for creating the best outreach program for students she has ever had the opportunity to work with. She can testify and will, if you ask her, to the growth and pride that this program instills in those students who actively seek it. She is equally appreciative of Northern Virginia CommunityCollege, in particular the Alexandria Campus, which is comprised of students from over 154 Nationalities. Lucy celebrates NOVA's Mission to be a learning centered organization that promotes student success. Like ODI, NOVA always puts students first. Shout out to Dr. Jim Mcclellan, Provost Annette Haggray and to President Anne Kress for their support and encouragement for Lucy, theSTARS and ODI.

Jake Cameron

Marketing Manager, Activations
Video Advertising Bureau

Jake’s professional career has always centered within the media landscape, specializing in activating marketing campaigns for brands across multiple platforms and properties including NBCU, Disney-ABC, Viacom-CBS, and Fast Company. Throughout both his professional and educational career, Jake has consistently been involved in networks and committees that connected those with diverse backgrounds to their peers and professionals in the industry to continue pushing the industry forward in DEI. Currently he is at the VAB (Video Advertising Bureau) as the Activations Marketing Manager, Jake’s purpose is to communicate VAB’s key messages to the broader marketing industry through various different initiatives inclusive of events, conferences, webinars, podcasts, etc.By day, he’s a Marketing ‘Jake of all trades’, but in his spare time he can be found at home cooking a new recipe, enjoying a NYC show with his friends (on any stage), or walking the beaches of the Jersey shore. His mantra derives from his favorite show Parks and Recreation, “Go find your team and get to work.”

Bernard Rodgers

Marketing & Communications Specialist
Rochester Institute of Technology

Bernard Rodgers Jr. is a Marketing and Communications Specialist at Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT). His work involves building inclusive communities for RIT students through virtual spaces, assisting various departments in building strategic marketing and communications plans; and managing the @RITStudentLifesocial media team. Embedded in all of his expertise are his passions for providing access and representation for diverse groups to succeed, strategic problem solving, and using multimedia to build relationships with broader audiences. Bernard is a graduate of Rochester Institute of Technology(RIT) ’17. He majored in Communication with a professional core in Business and minored in Social Inequalities. He also received a professional certificate inDigital Marketing & Multimedia from Monroe Community College (MCC) '19. 

Crystal Williams

Development Coordinator
9 Story Media Group

Proudly hailing from Eastern and Western Upstate New York, Crystal Williams isa part of the 9 Story Development Team in NYC. She’s a passionate storyteller with a heart for issues surrounding community, representation, and building the next generation of kids. Crystal’s background is rooted in broadcasting and audio engineering. Before receiving her master’s degree in television atSyracuse University, she was a news producer for Spectrum News and went on to work in television and movie distribution at iNDEMAND. In 2015, she was accepted into Norway’s prestigious post-grad fellowship, specializing in documentary and sound design. She loves writing and playing with her new camera, swimming, snowboarding, flying planes, and just about any life-threatening, crazy activity.

Evan Shapiro

Media Pundit, Producer, Professor
ODI Chairman

Emmy and Peabody Award-winning producer, professor of Media Studies at NYU and Fordham University, unofficial official Cartographer of the Media Universe. Shapiro leads change agency ESHAP.

Rahdiah Barnes

Pride Global
Diversity Partnership Liaison

Rahdiah Barnes is the Strategic Diversity Partnership Liaison at Pride Global and President of the New York Chapter of The National Association of Multi-Ethnicity in Communications (NAMICNY), the leading diversity organization for People of Color in the Communications Industry.During her 20- year career in the telecom industry, she has worked for Verizon, Time Warner Cable, XO Communications, and Charter/Spectrum. As a top performer, she has received prestigious awards including, The Presidents Club and The Achievers Cup for outstanding sales achievement. In addition to excelling in her sales roles, she has developed and implemented community outreach programs for a variety of businesses and organizations.As the New York Chapter President of The National Association of Multi-Ethnicity in Communications (NAMICNY) Rahdiah oversees six committees that provides high-quality professional development programming geared to educate, advocate & empower for multi-ethnic diversity in the communications industry.Serving as a change agent in designing and developing cutting-edge workforce strategies, she is a strategic partner to senior business and HR leadership. She has lent her expertise to Media companies with their planning, strategizing, and execution of D&I initiatives and recruiting. Under her leadership, her Chapter has planned and executed over 100 corporate events and community outreach initiatives, ranging from large-scale corporate events to intimate panel discussions and workshops. She particularly takes pride in creating Social Responsibility Initiatives and Community Outreach events.She has a Bachelor of Science in Business Management from St. John’s University and credits the school for implementing in her the love of volunteering.Rahdiah founded and Executive Director of Pappy's Heart, a nonprofit organization that is dedicated to bringing comfort to the homeless by providing bags filled with essential items that ease the burden of hunger. In 2019 she was awarded the Outstanding Community Service Award by the Shannon's Share Foundation.Born in New York City, and raised in upstate New York, she now lives in Harlem. She loves to travel, having visited over 20 countries and 100’s of eateries all over the world. She enjoys watching documentaries, listening to 90’s Hip Hop, and living life to the fullest. A big-time foodie, she runs a fun food blog that documents her love of diverse cuisines and cultures.

Michael Smith, Moderator

CMO, National Public Radio

Michael Smith, NPR's Chief Marketing Officer, brings more than 30 years of experience in entertainment brand marketing, content, digital, and revenue generating brand extensions.  Previously he was SVP, GM Digital Channels for Scripps Networks, where he developed strategies to reach younger and more diverse audiences on new digital streaming platforms. Earlier, Smith was SVP, GM Cooking Channel and Food Category Brand Extensions. He oversaw marketing, brand strategy, and programming for the Cooking Channel, a network he helped create and launch.

Dr. Jennifer Turner

EVP,
TriStar Television

Dr. Jennifer Turner is EVP of TriStar Television where she works to expand the creative universe for TriStar Television, canvassing both coasts for fresh perspectives and projects that align with the label’s mission to champion diverse, authentic characters and underrepresented voices.  Previously, Turner was SVP of Scripted Programming for SPT, overseeing creative for shows including acclaimed drama series The Good Doctor, The Blacklist, The Boys, For Life and Woke.  Prior to this, Turner was Vice President, Licensing and Strategic Partnerships for NBC Universal, where she established business development departments for Bravo Media and Oxygen Media and was responsible for extending the networks’ brands into revenue-generating businesses. For the preceding two years, she was Vice President, Drama Programming for NBC Universal, where she developed drama series and managed creative of critically acclaimed series Friday Night Lights and Crossing Jordan. Before that, Turner was Director, Current Programming for ABC Entertainment and had creative oversight of hit dramas Desperate Housewives, Grey’s Anatomy and Lost. She started her creative career in television as Director, Daytime Programming for ABC.

In addition to her television career, Turner also has a passion for health and fitness. She founded MAD COOL FITNESS, an inclusive, multicultural healthy lifestyle brand that uses holistic, behavior-based wellness initiatives to foster long-term healthy lifestyle change in everyday people. As part of this mission, Turner went back to school and received a Doctor of Public Health (DrPH) specializing in Health Education and Behavioral Science from Rutgers School of Public Health. She holds a Master of Business Administration from Stanford University, a Bachelor of Finance from the Wharton School of Business of the University of Pennsylvania, and a Bachelor of Japanese Language also from the University of Pennsylvania.