Women in Cable Telecommunica ons
New Mexico & Arizona
December 2012
In this issue
President’s Message
Q4 WICT NM‐AZ President’s Message
P. 1
WICT NM‐AZ Members Help
Hello WICT New Mexico & Arizona Members!
Give Women a Fresh Start P.
As fourth quarter comes to a close, most of us are
s ll in shock how fast this year went. As I think
back to this me last year, the 2012 Board was s ll
just forming and preparing for our strategic plan‐
ning session. WOW! Since last December, we have
come a long way, baby! 2012 was a significant year
for our Chapter and we have much to celebrate!
Here are just a few of the milestones our Chapter
hit this year.
2‐3
Do You Have a Mentor?
P. 4
New Members
P. 5
•
•
Mentoring in Ac on Golf
P. 6‐7
•
•
•
Living the Touchstones
•
Event
P. 8
•
Save the Date: Take Charge of
Your Development Execu ve
Luncheon
P. 9
•
2012 WICT Most Improved Chapter!
Number 1 in the na on for membership
growth! We began the year with 109 members
and we are closing the year with over 200!
Crea on of a member quarterly newsle er.
Member survey to iden fy member needs
New venue and format for the Execu ve
Luncheon and the Golf Event.
Conducted two webinars: one on the topic of
Leadership and one on marke ng to Hispanic
millennials.
Held a community service event where we
served as mentors to the women served by
Fresh Start Women’s Founda on, a non‐profit
organiza on dedicated to helping empower
women.
Holding our first recogni on event which is
designed to celebrate our accomplishments as
a chapter and recognize our volunteers and
members.
As I look back on all of these accomplishments
as a Chapter, I am in awe. None of this would
have been possible without each of you. Thank
you for all of your support and involvement
throughout the year. I am confident that with
dedicated members who believe in the mission
and values of WICT we will con nue on the
road to success!
I look forward to another breakthrough year in
2013, and I hope each of you consider becom‐
ing even more involved in WICT.
Happy Holidays!
Nancy Murphy, President,
WICT NM‐AZ
WICT NM‐AZ Volunteers Help Give Women a
The WICT NM‐AZ board and 25 member
volunteers gathered early one Friday morn‐
ing in November at a downtown Phoenix
resource center to host a career develop‐
ment session for women. A small crowd
had assembled outside in an cipa on,
wai ng for the gates of Fresh Start Wom‐
en’s Founda on to open and the WICT ses‐
sion to begin.
Fresh Start Women’s Founda on is an Ari‐
zona‐based non‐profit organiza on that
provides resources to women in transi on.
Offering programs on career and personal
development and finance, Fresh Start is
dedicated to helping empower women
through the services of the Jewell McFar‐
land Lewis‐Fresh Start Women’s Resource
Center. This Center, the first comprehensive
self‐help center for women in the country,
opened in October 2002 and currently pro‐
vides resources to more than 2,500 women
a month.
The WICT group’s event included a panel
discussion on searching for employment in
the cable telecommunica ons industry,
moderated by WICT NM‐AZ Vice President
Kimber Hanrahan, followed by a Q&A ses‐
sion and free mingling me for the
FRESH START
a endees to visit booths on mentoring, net‐
working, and career path and explora on,
facilitated by WICT volunteers.
Hanrahan and the panel of WICT members
Carol Kratz, Michele Ornoski and WICT NM‐
AZ President Nancy Murphy, touched and
mo vated the crowd by sharing their own
personal stories of overcoming obstacles on
their paths to success. The panel fielded
ques ons from the audience and gave advice
and ps on job‐hun ng, interviewing, re‐
sume wri ng and much more.
“Volunteering at the Fresh Start organiza on
was a perfect match with WICT’s touchstone,
Inspire: Help those around you achieve their
full potenƟal with a helping hand that paves
the way for future leaders,” said Murphy.
“Having the opportunity to reach out and
help other women to be er themselves was
indeed inspiring. This event served as a re‐
minder that even one small act of kindness
can make a difference in a person’s life. “
Following the panel, the WICT booths gave
the audience and volunteers a chance to talk
and get to know one another, all while high‐
ligh ng the importance of mentoring and
networking. WICT volunteers met special
women, including one who had woken up
Above, top: Carol Kratz shares her story.
Below, panel members Kratz and Michele
Ornoski answer ques ons from event
a endees. Next page: Kimber Hanrana‐
han moderated the panel session.
Thank You Volunteers!
A big thank you to our volunteers whose passion, me and dedica on made this event successful. Thank you for your contribu‐
on. You are what make this chapter excep onal.
Kim Bassinger
Kim Mayo
Carol Kratz
Michelle Ornoski
Janice Sheeran
Karla Whalen
Kimber Hanrahan
Shelly Pemberton
Karen Masco
Julia Bogen
Terri Castaneda
Lori Pappas
Kris ne Hedlund
Nanci Doucet
Agata Polanska
Brenda Hunt
Mary Celle
Amal Elhag
Valerie Cross
Kris Carter
Kerry Reas
Joy Crane
Sandra Chaney
Kris ne Hedlund
Nanci Doucet
Agata Polanska
Brenda Hunt
Mary Celle
Julie Vance
And a very special
thanks to
Diane Villegas,
who flew in from
New Mexico for this!
Fresh Start Service Event
late, but raced to get there and drop off
her child in the center’s free childcare fa‐
cility, only to hover outside the session’s
doors, too afraid she was underdressed to
come in un l the very end. Another wom‐
an had been unemployed two years a er
being laid off from her job of 24 years and
learned how having a network of contacts
could help her. Another asked how she
could ever get a job in the cable telecom‐
munica ons industry as she had been ap‐
plying for 10 years with no luck.
All of the women using Fresh Start are in
some type of transi onal phase in their
lives, either facing career or personal
crossroads. They may be out of work,
changing careers, facing divorce, child cus‐
tody or family changes, or moving on fol‐
lowing a health or medical situa on.
Fresh Start offers courses and webinars in
personal development for women to ac‐
quire the tools to reach their fullest poten‐
al, from personal empowerment to com‐
munica on and leadership skills.
Some lucky session a endees also walked
away with $30 TJ Maxx gi cards or purs‐
es.
Learn more about Fresh Start and
how to get involved by visi ng
www.wehelpwomen.com.
WICT
Scene &
Heard
Do You Have a Mentor?
By Kimber Hanrahan,
Vice President of the WICT NM‐AZ Chapter
Do you have a mentor? Why does everyone al‐
ways ask that and what is so important about
having a mentor anyway? How do mentoring
rela onships work, and more importantly how do
you find the right mentor?
The list of ques ons about the importance of
mentoring and whether or not you need one
could fill the pages of this ar cle and then some.
The real ques on is not whether you need one,
but how to make sure you have the right one.
WICT New Mexico & Arizo‐
na President Nancy Mur‐
phy a ended the WICT
Southern California Chap‐
ter’s 20th Annual LEA
Awards in Beverly Hills Oct.
25.
Save The
Date!
WICT NM‐AZ will hold
2013 Kick Off events in
mul ples loca ons
across Arizona and in
New Mexico on Jan. 23,
2013 from 7:30 to 9
a.m. More details to
follow!
Research shows that most mentoring rela on‐
ships develop informally and that the lack of
structure o en deteriorates the rela onship to an
occasional lunch or coffee in which nothing is re‐
ally accomplished –for either party. So then, how
and why do you develop a mentoring rela onship
that is meaningful for both par cipants?
Let’s begin by answering the ques ons we do
have:
Do you have a mentor?
If the answer is no – get one. The reason every‐
one always ask that is that having a mentor shows
just how commi ed you are to your own profes‐
sional and personal development; and it also
shows how open and willing to receive feedback
you truly are.
Really?
Yes. Mentoring is about helping you develop pro‐
fessionally, true, but it is also about pu ng your‐
self out there—being willing to be vulnerable and
suscep ble to feedback that may not necessarily
stroke your ego, or make you feel good about
yourself. Believe it or not, a true mentoring rela‐
onship will begin to shi the way you show up
professionally and personally—to say you have a
mentor will not be enough it will be measured by
your ac ons and behavioral shi s.
If this concept of mentoring is so important to
your professional growth, how then do you find
the right one?
This is different for every person because individu‐
ally we are the only ones that know what we real‐
ly need and we only know this if we are brutally
honest with ourselves. According to most profes‐
sionals finding a mentor who is most unlike you
will be the most beneficial to you. This is because
they will challenge your status quo and make you
look at things differently.
Now, let’s assume that we all know what a mentoring relaƟonship should be and who we should
have mentor us—how then do we find one?
The answer is actually easier than you might think.
For some, we see people in the workplace who
impress us in certain situa ons and think, “I could
really learn from them” and we just ask them.
Some mes, they say yes and some mes they are
actually good at mentoring. For others, we need a
guide, a process, a place to go to find that perfect
match. A mentoring match.com, if you will.
Most organiza ons have a mentoring program in
place, you need only to ask your Talent Develop‐
ment teams if such a program exists and then fol‐
low the process that it outlines for you. If your
own organiza on does not have a program, re‐
search professional organiza ons that do. For
instance, our own WICT chapter will be organizing
and launching a more robust mentoring program
than ever before in 2013 that will allow members
from all over to connect with professionals in and
outside of their network to really develop their
bench strength.
Other sources for connec ng with professionals
include LinkedIn and even your college alumni
associa ons. What all of these have in common is
that you, the professional, must do the research
and follow up to find the program that works for
you and again, that is not really a bad thing.
Meet New Member
Joy Crane
Joy Crane is a senior
manager of IT at Cox
Communica ons in
Phoenix.
Meet New Board Member
Will Martinez
A Q& A with Will Mar nez, Univision’s Western Region, Account
Manager for the Distribu on Sales and Marke ng team
Why did you join the WICT board and what do you hope to accom‐
plish?
“I’ve only been a WICT
I am new to the cable industry, having moved from the Ad Sales
member for about two
world earlier this year, and I wanted to be a part of a professional
months (if that). Howev‐ organiza on the industry offers. I was looking into all of the different
er, I have benefited from organiza ons, and to be honest, just the name itself, at first shunned
it because I have already me off. As I read more about the organiza on and soon started
signed up as a mentor for the Fresh Start
hearing more from my peers in the industry (both men and women),
organiza on and I am building rela onships
I learned that it was a good organiza on filled with great networking events and services for
with women in other organiza ons (i.e. Di‐
those looking to climb the corporate cable “fiber.” As I am one who likes to be very involved
ane from New Mexico show shares the same in what I commit myself to be in, I wanted to see how I can be a part of the WICT board. As
great taste in music and concerts!!).”
the Membership Chair, I plan to make it known to people that this is an organiza on that is
meant to benefit all of those who want to truly take advantage of it, not just women.
Joy has been in the cable telecommunica‐
ons industry since 1996 and is currently a
How many years have you been in the industry?
Senior IT Manager focusing on organiza onal I have been in the media industry for over three years, and in cable for about six months.
projects.
Please tell us something fun or unique about yourself.
Joy has recently returned from a Caribbean
I am addicted to travelling – I think I need to go to “Travelling Rehab.” Next trip is St. Peters‐
rock cruise, featuring all her favorite heavy
burg for the White Nights fes val.
metal bands.
WELCOME New Members
WICT NM‐AZ extends a warm welcome to our newest members, who have joined since January 1, 2012. Please try to meet them at our
upcoming events and help them start enjoying the benefits of the chapter’s comprehensive resources for cable telecommunica ons
professionals.
Shavonne Janay Russel, Internet Call Center Supervisor, Cable ONE
Dina Scalone‐Romero, Community Rela ons Manager, Cox Communica ons
Andrea Katsenes, Media Rela ons Director, Cox Communica ons
Eric Van Wagner, Cable ONE
Samuel Paul Wagner, Director of Inbound Sales, Cable ONE
Kimberly Monroe‐Adrian, Execu ve Assistant, Cox Communica ons
Joe Felbab, VP, Marke ng, Cable ONE
Tish Nieman, Public Rela ons Manager, Cable ONE
Mary Savery, Business Marke ng Manager, Cable ONE
Shasta Franklin, So ware Specialist, Cable ONE
Tina Strahan, Retail Market Manager, Cox Communica ons
Brad Dorsey, General Manager, Cable ONE
Susan Anable, VP of Public Affairs, Cox Communica ons
Congratula ons to the winner of the $100 gi card for the membership drive—
Janice Moczydlowski of Cable ONE! Referring members pays off!
SEPTEMBER 20, 2012
WESTIN KIERLAND, SCOTTSDALE
WICT TOUCHSTONES: How I’m Living the Touchstones
By Shelly Pemberton
The WICT Touchstones of Leadership form the founda on for all of WICT's ini a ves. They serve as our compass along the path of stra‐
tegic and effec ve leadership development. We encourage you to leverage the WICT Touchstones as a mo va onal tool on your jour‐
ney.
Through my years as a Woman, Business Professional, Friend,
Wife, Mother, Care‐Giver, Significant Other, I have always put oth‐
ers before myself. This truly brings me joy! Many have told me
through these years that I also need to take care of myself. It’s
the taking care of myself part that has always fallen on deaf ears,
that is, un l two years ago. It was then that I began to dig deep
and ask the simple ques ons of:
which led me to become more anxious to answer the three
ques ons above. It was during this me that a family member
said to me, “Control what you can, let go what you can’t.”
Let go? Didn’t she know how hard this was for me? But I began
to implement this saying into my daily life and again while not
easy at first, I did begin to see my limita ons. I was beginning to
know ME!
Who Am I? What do I want? How am I going to get there?
The second year became an ‘All About Shelly’ year. I began to
see the change within myself, a level of confidence rising. Rela‐
onships were enhanced. Work performance exceeded expecta‐
ons. Goals were within reach. Tremendous growth emerged
which led to a new direc on in my career path. All posi ve out‐
comes from the decision I made at that fork in the road two
years ago and the perseverance I had in con nuing down that
road despite any bumps or road blocks.
Three simple ques ons should be easy to answer but were ex‐
tremely difficult for me. I had a fork in the road and knowing I
could go le or right would both bring different results. The deci‐
sion was quick as I knew only the most posi ve outcome would
make me happiest, but I also knew that this could be a long road
of trials and tribula ons.
So the journey began…..
It started with the referral of a mentor who proved to be more of a
Life Coach than she will ever know. She was pa ent with me, un‐
derstanding of me and most of all suppor ve of me. Me… this was
all about me! Something I was certainly not used to. The first year
was spent exploring every aspect of my life including my personal
and business rela onships, percep ons by and of others, my ac‐
ons and reac ons. But more importantly, how I saw and treated
my own self.
I smile now as I think back to the first days of affirma ons in the
mirror. The grimace on the face that looked back would have me
instantly cracking myself up. That’s when I learned it was okay to
laugh at myself, to be open to fail but also to try again. The affir‐
ma ons got easier over me and I began to see my inner self
I can honestly say I now know who I am, what I want and how I
got there. I challenge you to choose 2013 to be an ‘All About
You’ Year.
Shelly Pemberton is a technical trainer at Cox Communica ons
and has been newly elected to the 2013 WICT NM‐AZ Board of
Directors as the Chair of Project Management.
The WICT Touchstones are Know Yourself, Communicate, Lis‐
ten, Connect, Be a Catalyst, Be Fearless and Inspire.
Know Yourself
Know what you stand for. Know where you're going.
You must understand who you are before you can decide who you want to be. So take stock of your strengths and your weaknesses.
Know your limita ons. Set realis c goals for yourself, keeping in mind that a balance between work and life makes for a healthy lead‐
er. And, above all, know what you stand for. Maintain your own morals, values and ethics, so you can hold yourself ‐ and others ‐ to
the standards you set. Then unleash the leader within you. Take your career by the horns and steer it in the exact direc on you want
it to go.