NEW YORK – August 15, 2022 – The Radio Advertising Bureau (RAB), in conjunction with Broadcast Music, Inc. (BMI) and Mentoring and Inspiring Women in Radio, Inc. (MIW), is pleased to announce the successful completion of the 14th annual Rising Through the Ranks program, which began with a virtual session on August 2, and continued with in-person meetings on August 9-11 at the BMI Nashville office.
2022 Graduates and Speakers with BMI songwriter and Big Loud Records Nashville Recording Artist Lauren Alaina
Scholarship recipients were selected and awarded by the three organizations. The two-day curriculum focused on the specific needs of women in radio management or those aspiring to move into management positions and worked to enhance their overall knowledge and skills.
Sessions from this year’s seminars included:
- Building Your Personal Brand
- Managing Up, Down & All Around
- Having Difficult Conversations
Featured speakers included:
- Hartley Adkins, president, market group, iHeartMedia
- Caroline Beasley, chief executive officer, Beasley Media Group
- Kristin Cantrell, owner and chief executive officer, Seven Mountains Media and CapCity Communications
- LaDonne Craig, market manager, Townsquare Media
- Donna Detweiler, senior manager broadcast services, Xperi
- Erica Farber, president and chief executive officer, RAB
- Jessica Frost, executive director, industry relations, licensing, BMI
- Suzanne Grimes, president, Westwood One; executive vice president, CUMULUS MEDIA
- Kim Johnson, director of sales, RAB
- Patty Kincaid, vice president/general manager, Media Staffing Network
- Susan Larkin, chief operating officer, Audacy
- Val Maki, senior vice president/market manager, Bonneville
- Laura Okmin, Fox NFL broadcaster and co-founder, GALvanize
- Ruth Presslaff, board president, Mentoring and Inspiring Women in Radio, Inc.
- Jeff Schmidt, senior vice president, professional development, RAB
- Erika Sylvia, controller, Emmis Communications
- Stephanie Theisen, vice president, sales and marketing, Leighton Broadcasting
- Ashley Wilson, director, country programming Indiana/Kentucky region, iHeartMedia
The curriculum was customized to feature practical and real-world applications that graduates could immediately use within their companies and in their personal growth.
“We are not only delighted to bring another Rising Through the Ranks class together, but to have it be in person for the first time in three years,” noted Erica Farber, president and chief executive officer, RAB. “This group were exposed to strategies and tools they can put to work immediately within their own organizations, while helping them become their own board of directors to help one another navigate their professional growth as future industry leaders.”
“BMI was thrilled to once again host Rising Through the Ranks in our Nashville office. Each year, the event provides scholarships to an incredible class of women who participated in the program, and this year was no exception,” said Jessica Frost, executive director, industry relations, BMI. “Being back together in person made it even more special, highlighting the importance of personal connection through mentoring, networking and education. In addition, these talented women heard invaluable advice on how to succeed in radio directly from some of the top executives in the industry, who paved the way for them to follow.”
“The MIWs are an organization dedicated to mentoring women in radio," said Ruth Presslaff board president of Mentoring and Inspiring Women in Radio, Inc. "There’s nothing better than meeting a group of dynamic dedicated up and comers who already are bringing so much to our industry and are hungry to bring even more. RTTR is just an absolute pleasure to support."
2022 Rising Through the Ranks Graduates:
Staci Bonner
iHeartMedia, West Valley, Utah
Nicole Bossio
Beasley Media Group, Detroit, Michigan
Christine Cartwright
CapCity Communications, Frankfort, Kentucky
Lila El Naggar
Key Networks, Brooklyn, New York
Ali Evans
Chapel Hill Media Group, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Jennifer Evans
Stingray Media, Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island
Liz Goshert
Federated Media, Mishawaka, Indiana
Sari Harlow
East Arkansas Broadcasters, Jonesboro, Arkansas
Angie Keilhauer
BMI, Nashville, Tennessee
Mollie Kendrick
Audacy, Sacramento, California
Nikki Lyter
Hubbard Broadcasting – 2060 Digital, Baxter, Minnesota
Kristen Martin
Cromwell Media, Owensboro, Kentucky
Zipporah Mondy
KJIW 94.5 FM, Helena, Arkansas
Kara Moninger
Alpha Media, Louisville, Kentucky
Kaylin Mozdzen
Townsquare Media, Marcy, New York
Karen Muth-Pasco
GenMedia Partners, Auburn, Washington
Chelley Odle
Odle Media Group, LLC, Park Hills, Missouri
Kathy Paxton
Basin Radio Network/Legend Communications, Gillette, Wyoming
Kimberli Rivera
Audacy, Phoenix, Arizona
Maya Szymanski
Katz Radio Group, Los Angeles, California
Claudia Talamantez
TelevisaUnivision – Amor 107.7, Austin, Texas
Lisa Varner
North Central Florida Media Group/Saga Communications, Ocala, Florida
Roxie Wadelington
Audacy – 102 Jamz, Greensboro, North Carolina
Madison Wright
RAB, New York, New York
About BMI
Celebrating over 80 years of service to songwriters, composers, music publishers and businesses, Broadcast Music, Inc.® (BMI®) is a global leader in music rights management, serving as an advocate for the value of music. BMI represents the public performance rights in over 17 million musical works created and owned by more than 1.1 million songwriters, composers, and music publishers. The Company negotiates music license agreements and distributes the fees it generates as royalties to its affiliated writers and publishers when their songs are performed in public. In 1939, BMI created a groundbreaking open-door policy becoming the only performing rights organization to welcome and represent the creators of blues, jazz, country, and American roots music. Today, the musical compositions in BMI’s repertoire, from chart toppers to perennial favorites, span all genres of music and are consistently among the most-performed hits of the year. For additional information and the latest BMI news, visit bmi.com, follow us on Twitter and Instagram @BMI or stay connected through Broadcast Music, Inc.’s Facebook page. Sign up for BMI’s The Weekly™ and receive our e-newsletter every week to stay up to date on all things music.
About the Mentoring and Inspiring Women in Radio, Inc.
Mentoring and Inspiring Women in Radio, Inc. is a volunteer 501(c)(3) charitable organization of top-level female radio professionals, from across the country, who are dedicated to using their influence and resources to help other women in radio broadcasting develop management and leadership skills. MIW is equally committed to advocating for the advancement of women to senior positions within the radio industry. For more information, please visit www.RadioMIW.com.
About RAB
The Radio Advertising Bureau serves more than 6,000 member radio stations in the U.S. and over 1,000 member networks, representative firms, broadcast vendors and international organizations. RAB leads and participates in educational, research, sales and advocacy programs that promote and advance radio as a primary advertising medium. For more information, log onto www.rab.com.
Media Contacts:
RAB:
Madison Wright
212-681-7215
mwright@rab.com
BMI:
Jodie Thomas
212-220-3142
JThomas@bmi.com
MIW:
Denyse Mesnik
239-250-9833
denyse@mesnikgroup.com
