The Board of Directors

2007-2008

Fred Cohen (Chair)
Fred Cohen is Chairman of the International Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. Prior to this position, he served as President of King World International Productions for 13 years as well as Executive Vice President of CBS Broadcast International until his retirement. His previous positions included President, HBO International; President Time-Life Films; Director of Cultural Programming and International, PBS (Washington, DC), and Special Assistant to the Chairman as well as a Commissioner at the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in Washington, DC.

The International Academy of Television Arts and Sciences is an organization of global broadcasters from 61 countries and over 250 companies. It was founded in 1969 to promote excellence in international television programming and is the organization that presents the International Emmy Award to the best television programs produced and initially aired outside the U.S. There are eight program categories for the International Emmy Awards: Arts Programming; children and Young People; Comedy; documentary; Drama Series; News Coverage; News Coverage; Non-scripted Entertainment; and TV Movie/Mini-series.

Rita Fredricks Salzman (Vice Chair)
Rita Fredricks Salzman lives in New York City, after living in Paris for a number of years, where her husband was the U.S. ambassador to the (OECD) The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. She is a graduate of the Dalton School in New York City and of Bennington College in Vermont. She also attended the Juilliard School of Music in New York City.

Ms. Fredricks is an actress; she studied acting in New York with Stella Adler, Harold Clurman and Lee Strasberg. She was a member of Stella Adler’s Acting Company and appeared in the celebrated production of “ Alice in Wonderland.” Ms. Fredricks’ appearance in several early films were followed by roles on Broadway and on tour in “Dear Ruth”, “The Fifth Season”, and “See Naples and Die” with Betty Field. She appeared in featured roles for a number of television series including “Studio One,” “Playhouse 90,” “As the World Turns,” “Edge of Night,” “Love of Life,” “First Love,” and “Car 54 Doesn’t Answer,” among others. She also appeared in “Watch your Mouth” a series for National Educational Television. Her feature film work includes “Justice for All” the Al Pacino film directed by Norman Jewison as well as “Mistral’s Daughter”, “I’ll take Manhattan”, and “What Alice Found.”

Mrs. Salzman also has many credits as a Producer. She produced for the New York stage as well as a number of films. Most recently she was the Executive Producer of the featured film “What Alice Found” starring Judith Ivey. The film won a special award at Sundance and won the Grand Prix at the Deauville Film Festival in France. Ms. Fredricks also appeared in the film. Before this film she co-produced a feature film called “Betrayed” released in 1979.

For the stage she produced “Boccaccio,” a musical, on Broadway, and Vivaca Lindfors’ one woman show “I Am a Woman” in New York and for the national tour. She Co-PRoduced “The Kitchen” by Arnold Wesker, “A Hand is on the Gate” featuring James Earl Jones, Moses Gunn, Roscoe Lee Brown, Loen Bibb, Cicely Tyson and Josephine Premice, and a European tour of “Black New World” and “the Emperor Jones” starring James Earl Jones. She also brought Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton to Broadway in an evening of poetry entitled “World Enough and Time.” She Co-Produced Leroi Jones’ plays “The Slave” and “the Toilet” in New York, and “Dutchman” with Shirley Knight and Al Freeman, Jr. in Los Angeles.

She was a Co-Founder with Theresa Hayden of the Equity Library Theater and The Equity Community Theater. She is at present on the Board of the American University of Paris, The Stella Adler School of Acting, and The Gateway School in New York City. She is also a founding member of The Special Music School of New York and serves on that Board as well.

Ambassador Alexander F. Watson (Treasurer)
Ambassador Alexander F. Watson joined Hills & Company, an international consulting firm led by former United States Trade Representative Ambassador Carla A. Hills , in 2002. Hills & Company assists U.S. businesses expand their trade and investments abroad through strategic planning, identification of potential partners, negotiation on clients’ behalf, and resolution of commercial disputes.

For six years prior to that, Ambassador Watson was with The Nature Conservancy. Initially, he was Vice President for the Latin American and Caribbean Region. In July 1998, he assumed responsibility for the full range of the Conservancy’s work abroad, as Vice President and Executive Director for Intern ational Conservation, managing programs in 27 countries in the Asia-Pacific Region, Canada , Latin America and the Caribbean , as well as the Conservation Finance, Institutional Development, Intern ational Science, and Climate Change Programs.

Previously, he was a career foreign service officer for over thirty years, serving in his last assignment as Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs from 1993 to1996. Ambassador Watson served as United States Deputy Permanent Repre­sentative to the United Nations with the rank of Ambassador from 1989 until 1993. He was Ambas­sador to Peru from 1986 to 1989 and Deputy Chief of Mission in Brasilia , Brazil (1984-86), Bogotá , Colombia (1981-84), and La Paz , Bolivia (1979-81).

Early assignments were in Santo Domingo and Madrid , followed by service in the Depart­ment of State as an intelli­gence analyst. From 1969 to 1973 Ambassador Watson served in Brasilia , and in Salvador da Bahia, Brazil . He then returned to the State Department as Brazil desk officer, and then as Special Assistant for Legislative and Public Affairs in the Bureau of Econom­ic and Business Affairs and, subsequently, as Director of the Office of Development Finance. Mr. Watson was decorated by the governments of Bolivia , Brazil , Colombia , El Salvador and Perú.

Ambassador Watson is a m ember of the Council on Foreign Relations, the American Academy of Diplomacy, the American Foreign Service Association, and the Inter-American Dialogue. He is on the boards of Population Communications Intern ational, the Maryland/D.C. chapter of The Nature Conservancy, and the Pan American Development Foundation where he served as president, and on the Policy Council of the Una Chapman Cox Foundation. He is a m ember of the United States Trade Representative’s Trade and Environment Policy Advisory Committee and the United Nations Association of the United States Advisory Board and served as a m ember of the Department of Defense Regional Centers’ Board of Visitors.

Ambassador Watson is a graduate of Harvard College and the Universi­ty of Wiscon­sin . His foreign languages are Spanish and Portu­guese. He is married and has two children.

Georgina Corona Morales (Secretary)

Georgina Corona has over twenty years of experience in the Account Service Area for both national and international ad agencies. She is currently managing a Business Incubator for new foreign enterprises establishing new subsidiaries in Mexico www.cosmexico.net .  She is responsible for strategic communications planning, population communications, demographic surveys, budget and implementation of advertising campaigns, media analysis, and market research.  Founder of Testa, Creative Agency, Ms. Corona has developed and executed communication, promotional, and media strategies for both nonprofit organizations and large corporations. She has contacts in the world of advertising, radio, and television in Mexico , and has an interest in using media for promoting reproductive rights and population issues. Ms. Corona earned a Bachelor’s degree in Advertising and is from Mexico City ; since 4 years ago moved to Monterrey , Mexico .

Stephen Davis

Stephen Davis is president of mobile and online media, where he is responsible for managing InfoSpace's (NASDAQ:INSP) mobile and online businesses worldwide, including content licensing and production, marketing, public relations, promotions, sales and product development. 

An international entertainment industry executive, Davis previously served as president of Granada America, one of Europe's largest producers and broadcasters of quality television programming, where he lead the company into a leadership position as the largest foreign-owned program supplier to the U.S. television networks.

Prior to Granada America , Mr. Davis was president and CEO of Carlton America , a leading worldwide producer and distributor of television programming, which later merged with Granada . There, he also served as a board director and member of the senior management team of Carlton Intern ational Media Ltd., a distribution, video and book publishing company. He came to Carlton from Hamdon Entertainment, a joint venture between Carlton and another European media company. At Hamdon, he served as president and CEO, leading the company's production and distribution businesses in the made-for-television market.

Davis also previously worked as vice president of entertainment and media development for The Griffin Group, the entertainment and investment group controlled by entertainer and entrepreneur Merv Griffin. He had responsibility for leading the company’s television programming, motion picture, live entertainment and new media businesses. He also had responsibility for overseeing its entertainment related M&A activities. Prior to that, Mr. Davis held high level posts at gaming and entertainment company Players International, Call Interactive, and MCI.

Mr. Davis serves on the Board of Directors and as co-chairman of NATPE, the world's leading non-profit association of television program executives and is on The Holly wood Radio and Television Society’s Board of Directors. He is also member of several organizations, including the British Academy of Film and Television Arts, the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, the Museum of Television and Radio and the California Committee of Human Rights Watch. Mr. Davis graduated with a bachelors degree in telecommunications from the school of arts and sciences at Michigan State University .

Arne Fjortoft

Arne Fjortoft, born on 28 March 1937, is a Norwegian citizen with a strong international commitment. He has broad communication and journalist experience, including print media, radio and television, and the newest digital communication technologies. While working at the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation as a foreign correspondent, he specialized on North/South issues and the human drama dominating the development process. He spearheaded new program formats, using television as a conscious tool in providing information to create better understanding of major global issues.

As a follow up of the first declaration for a new International Information Order by the Heads of State of the Non Aligned Countries in 1976, and later at the General Assembly of the United Nations and UNESCO, he initiated an international non governmental organization, Worldview International Foundation, with the purpose of strengthening people's right to free flow of information by training and development of new communication capacities in developing countries, and to use information and communication as a tool to help the poor and disadvantaged in solving problems related to basic needs.

Mr. Fjortoft served as the Chairman of the Liberal Party of Norway for four years. During his leadership, the party widened its political agenda with a global commitment to sustainable development. He has written several books and has been honored with national and international awards for his achievements.

Worldview has implemented projects in 28 countries and created 16 national media centres and a number of media initiatives, such as Young Asia Television, Mandate the Future, International Worldview College, Worldview Institute, Worldview Rights, Thai Worldview Foundation, Boats 4 Life, Paradise Farm and others.

Leona Forman

Leona founded Brazil Foundation in June 2000 after retiring from a 20-year career at the United Nations. As chief of Information Centers Services at the UN, Leon a managed a network of 70 centers around the world. Prior to that, she headed the Department of Public Information's section for non-governmental organizations, working closely with over 1,600 associated NGOs in all regions of the world.

Before joining the UN, Leona was cultural correspondent for O Globo in France and a writer for the magazine Realidade, from Chicago and East Timor . Leona studied at the University of Paris , Graduate studies towards the IIIème cycle, Institut Français de Presse. She received her Master's degree from Columbia University School of Journalism and Bachelor's degree from the University of Brazil , Rio de Janeiro .

Louise Kantrow, Ph. D.

Louise is currently the U.N. Representative for the International Chamber of Commerce. Previously, she was the Executive Director of the International League for Human Rights, one of the nation’s oldest human rights organizations. 

Dr. Kantrow’s distinguished career includes service at the United Nations, the United States Agency for International Development, the Population Council and the United Nations Association of the USA (UNA-USA).  As Executive Vice President at UNA-USA (1999-2002), she directed key administrative and programmatic functions and oversaw initiatives to strengthen the organization’s grassroots constituency.  As Director of Operations at the Population Council (1994–1998), Dr. Kantrow supervised communication between headquarters and country offices regarding program implementation, financial management and strategic and financial planning.

Before joining the Population Council, Dr. Kantrow spent 18 years in the United Nations’ Department of Technical Cooperation for Development where she managed technical cooperation projects in the areas of population and development including design, implementation, and negotiation with governments and donor agencies.  She has traveled and worked extensively in Africa, Asia, and the Middle East.  Author and contributor to numerous United Nations publications on population issues, Dr. Kantrow represented the United Nations Department of Political Affairs on several missions to coordinate international election observers for presidential and legislative elections in Niger and Burundi in 1993.

Dr. Kantrow served as Senior Economist in the Policy Development Division of USAID while on Leave of Absence from the U.N. in 1989-1990.

Dr. Kantrow received her Bachelor’s degree in Sociology from the University of Michigan and earned both a Master’s degree and Doctorate in Demography and Economics from the University of Pennsylvania.  Dr. Kantrow speaks English and French. 

Dr. Kenji Kitatani,

Dr. Kitatani is the Lester Smith Distinguished Professor of Media
Management at The Edward Murrow School of Communication, Washington State University and is a trustee of the Washington State University Foundation. He is also a senior advisor to the Sports and Entertainment Academy, the Graduate School of Business, Indiana University. He holds an MA and Ph.D. in Communications Policy, Management and Law from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Dr. Kitatani lectures on media law and management at Indiana University
and Washington State University. His 1991 book, American CATV, is regarded as essential reading for media professionals in Japan. In December 1999, his new book The Entertainment Business was published in Japan.

Dr. Kenji Kitatani is among the foremost experts in the U.S. and Japanese entertainment/ media business landscapes. From 1991 to 2003, Dr. Kitatani served on the Board of Directors of Tokyo Dome Corporation, Japan's leading leisure and entertainment conglomerate. He was also President of
Tokyo Dome Enterprises Corporation. At Tokyo Dome, Dr. Kitatani was
responsible for promoting a variety of sports events, including the annual
NFL preseason game series, and a number of concerts featuring talent such as the Rolling Stones, David Bowie, Michael Jackson, and Madonna. His
negotiation of the PGA Tour made Tokyo Dome Corporation the sole licenser of official TPC gold courses in Japan.

Dr. Kitatani joined Sony Corporation in October 1999 as Executive Strategist, Media Content, Broadcasting and Communications. In May 2001, Dr. Kitatani was appointed Executive Vice President, Business Planning, Sony Corporation of America. In this position, he helped develop, expand, and coordinate the business relationships for SCA's operating units, including Sony Electronics, Sony Music Entertainment, Sony Picture Entertainment, and Sony Corporation. Dr. Kitatani was in charge of corporate marketing and event promotion, which included helping coordinate the interests of Sony Corporation and the U.S. operating companies for sports events such as the Sony Open in Hawaii. Dr. Kitatani also helped spearhead the $600 million consolidation of media buying and planning activities for Sony's U.S. and Canadian operating companies in 2002. He held the additional title of Group Executive Officer, Sony Corporation. In August 2005, he returned to Tokyo and served as Executive Advisor until April 2006.

Prior to joining Sony Corporation, Dr. Kitatani worked for Tokyo Broadcasting System as Counsel on International Affairs and President of
Media Research Institute. He negotiated contracts and coordinated coverage for many major sporting events, including the Super Bowl, Indianapolis 500, World Figure Skating Championships, U.S. Open Tennis, and the World Volleyball Championships. Dr. Kitatani managed the Hollywood film and Broadway musical investment funds for TBS, Itochu, and Suntory between 1987 and 1994.

Dr. Kitatani currently serves as a board director of PIA Corp. He joined Oak Lawn Marketing in April 2006 as their executive advisor. Oak Lawn Marketing is the largest television shopping (DRTV) company in Japan.

In November 2006, "Terje" - an outdoor multi-media performance based on
Henrik Ibsen's poem of the same name - will take place November 2006. Dr.
Kitatani is executive producing this major collaborative event for the Kingdom of Norway with a translated production in Yokahama, Japan.

Dr. Kitatani is preparing to establish a new live entertainment company covering Japan, China, Macau, Taiwan and Singapore. Also on the horizon is the establishment of a new television network company in Japan.

Noble Kumawu, MSc.

Noble Kumawu is the Chief Executive and Director of International Operations OCIC International. As a Psychologist with a specialisation in Organisation Development [OD), Mr. Kumawu divides his time between Africa (offices in Ethiopia, Kenya and Ghana) and Europe.  OCIC provides a wide range of consulting services in Organisational Development (OD), Management Development, and Research. Services.

Since 1990, Mr. Kumawu has successfully developed and facilitated programs for such notable organizations as the World Bank, CARE International, USAID, and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.

As a lecturer and trainer in OD, Mr. Kumawu has designed and facilitated several OD programs, including Save the Children in Ethiopia and Sweden, Action Aid in Ghana, the Consulting Skills Training Programme in Ethiopia, Kenya and Ghana, and the Organisation Development Program OCIC-University of Cape Coast in Ghana. He has also been Chairman of the 22 nd OD World Congress of the Organisation Development Institute.

Mr. Kumawu is affiliated with several organizations including The International Organisation Development Association (IODA), The Organisation Development Institute (OD Institute), USA, The Institute of Personnel Development [IPD], UK, The Gestalt Institute of Cleveland, USA, The British Psychological Society [BPS], UK, and The Occupational Psychology Section [MOPS], UK.

Mr. Kumawu has an extensive education, with his Postgraduate Certificate of Education, from the University of Salford, Manchester, UK, an MSc. In Occupational Psychology from the University of London, UK International Organisation Systems Development, BSc. (Hons) Psychology, University of East London, UK, and is currently attending the Gestalt Institute of Cleveland, USA.

Bremley W.B. Lyngdoh

Since an early age, Mr. Lyngdoh has had a strong passion and commitment for social work. Born on the United Nations International Day of Disabled Persons, he spent his early days working with disabled children and youth in his community. His first international experience was as a youth delegate from India to the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development in Rio.

Mr. Lyngdoh's work has since focused on his commitment to sustainable development in the areas of economic, environmental and social issues, having worked for such organizations as the Consortium of Young Scientists for Sustainable Development (CYSSD), FAO, the Global Environment Facility Division of UNDP, the Commission on Sustainable Development secretariat at UN DESA in New York, the Permanent Mission of India to the UN, the 2nd Committee of the UN, the Environment Department of the World Bank, and Education Development Center, Inc. He frequently publishes articles and speaks internationally on youth employment, sustainable development, youth activism, nuclear disarmanent, and rural community development.

In 1996, he received the 'Best Air Force Cadet Award' representing Delhi No. 1 Air Squadron at India's Republic Day parade after serving in the Indian Air Force for 3 years. He is an avid cyclist, having taken part in a 'Pedal for the Planet' 'Bike Aid' with 100 others bikers, traveling 3,700 miles by bicycle from San Francisco to Washington, D.C. raising money for international development projects.

In 2002, Mr. Lyngdoh graduated from Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs with a Master of International Affairs degree in Energy and Environmental Policy Studies with a focus on Western Europe. He is currently a Ph.D. student researching the relationships between sustainable forest management and rural household strategies at the Development Studies Institute of the London School of Economics and Political Science.

James Makawa

Mr. Makawa is the Co-Founder of The Africa Channel, and originally from Zimbabwe. The Africa Channel is a showcase for the African continent's most outstanding English language television series, specials; documentaries feature films, music, event specials, biographies, soap operas, current business analysis, cultural and historical programs. The Africa Channel offers shows that reflect the people of Africa, their incredible stories, their daily lives, their music and art, their successes, celebrations and challenges. Their mission is to open up a daily window into modern African life and, in the process, help demystify Africa for American viewers.

Mr. Makawa enjoyed a successful career in both local and network television in the United States. For more than 10 years, Mr. Makawa worked as a local news reporter and anchor with leading local stations before joining NBC News as a correspondent in New York and Chicago.

Mr. Makawa returned to South Africa and co-founded the African Barter Company (ABC), in partnership with Grey Advertising Worldwide. ABC was the first barter syndication company ever launched in Africa. Mr. Makawa cleared hundreds of hours on TV stations across the continent reaching an audience topping 150 million.

In 2000, Mr. Makawa co-founded the African Broadcast Network, a pan African network of television stations with affiliates in 18 countries throughout sub-Saharan Africa. As ABN's executive vice president for program acquisition and distribution, Mr. Makawa acquired programming from such U.S. program suppliers as NBC, CBS, MGM, Columbia Tri-Star, Endemol and Paramount.

Lynne Yeannakis

Dr. Lynne Yeannakis is the president of Decision Management Associates, USA, a consulting firm that provides services to a broad range of industries including, Banking, Education, Government, Healthcare and Manufacturing. Dr. Yeannakis has been an organizational development consultant, teacher/facilitator and executive coach for over 30 years. She received her doctorate from the University of Massachusetts where she was a Ford Foundation Fellow. After completing her doctoral program, Dr. Yeannakis became the Director of Project Upward Mobility at the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, Washington. This was a federally funded masters degree program to develop opportunities for women in Higher Education. Next she became a full-time faculty member at the Austin Dunham Barney School of Business at the University of Hartford, Connecticut, where she taught courses in organizational behavior, group process, and organizational development.

Dr. Yeannakis is currently teaching at the University of Cape Coast in Ghana in a masters and doctoral program in Organizational Development.  Her consulting work focuses on helping clients think strategically and implement major change processes.  Both personally and professionally she is committed to the empowerment of women and world peace. 

Judith D. Widmann

Judith Dolger Widmann was born and raised in New York City. She graduated from Mount Holyoke College with a degree in English Literature and received a Master of Arts degree in teaching English from New York University.

During the 1970’s she was a staff writer for “Of Westchester” magazine. While researching an article on services for handicapped children available in Westchester County, she learned of a graduate degree program recently initiated at Sarah Lawrence College which would train individuals, most of whom had a liberal arts background, to become genetic counselors. This brand new field would help explain the soon-to-be-discovered secrets of our genetic makeup to patients, physicians and the world at large.

Graduating with a Master of Science in Human Genetics, she because the first genetic counselor at a comprehensive Hemophilia Center in 1977, at Mt. Sinai Medical Center in New York. The program was funded by grant from the National Genetic Disease Act, recently been passed by Congress.
From there, she moved to New York Hospital, where she was a pre-natal and pediatric genetic counselor for over 20 years. She was a founding member of the National Society of Genetic Counselors, which established qualifying exams to board- certify genetic counselors around the country and Canada. In addition to delivering clinical services, she taught first and second year medical students at Cornell Medical School as part of their unit on genetics.

Since retirement in 2000, Mrs. Widmann has been active with Planned Parenthood, serving on the Board of Directors of her local chapter, PPHP, which is one of the largest affiliates in Planned Parenthood Federation of America. She has volunteered for Planned Parenthood at health fairs, trained as part of their Speaker’s Bureau for a very successful program called “How to Talk to Your Kids About Sex”, worked on fund raising and registered voters at the local Planned Parenthood health centers.

Mrs. Widmann is married to Roger Widmann, an investment banker. They have three grown children.

Victoria A. Staebler (Honorary Chair)
Victoria A. Staebler is a Senior Financial Advisor for Merrill Lynch.   Vicki has been working with successful individuals and families on their comprehensive financial planning needs for over twenty years.   Prior to joining the financial services industry in 2000, she worked at one of the Big Four accounting firms in the tax and personal financial planning practice.  

Vicki received her Bachelors of Arts degree from Middlebury College in 1977 and studied accounting at the University of Vermont.   Vicki is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and received their designation as a Personal Financial Specialist in 1995.  She is also a member of the Massachusetts Society of Certified Public Accountants.   She is on the Executive Committee of The Alliance, an umbrella organization for women’s business and professional organizations in Boston.  Vicki is an honorary board member of Planned Parenthood of Northern New England, where she served as a volunteer for 6 years in various capacities, including treasurer, board chair and search committee chair.

Kenneth L. Henderson (Honorary General Counsel)
Mr. Henderson is a senior partner at the law firm of Bryan Cave, specializing in corporate and securities transactions. He has served as outside council to PCI-Media Impact since its inception.

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