Events

Katie Couric (@katiecouric) is an award-winning journalist and #1 New York Times best-selling author of her memoir, Going There, which was published in October 2021. She is also a co-founder of Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C). Since its launch in 2008, Stand Up To Cancer has raised almost $800 million to support cutting-edge collaborative science and its research has contributed to nine new FDA approved therapies.
In 2017, she founded Katie Couric Media (KCM), which has developed a number of media projects, including a daily newsletter, a podcast, digital video series and several documentaries. KCM works with purpose driven brands to create premium content that addresses important social issues like gender equality, environmental sustainability and mental health.
Previous documentaries produced by KCM include: America Inside Out with Katie Couric, a six-part series for National Geographic; Gender Revolution: A Journey with Katie Couric, for National Geographic; Under the Gun, which aired on EPIX; and Fed Up, available on iTunes, Amazon and YouTube. Couric was also the executive producer of Unbelievable on Netflix and is developing other scripted projects.
Couric was the first woman to solo anchor a network evening newscast, serving as anchor and managing editor of the CBS Evening News from 2006 to 2011 following 15-years as co-anchor of NBC’s Today show. She also hosted a syndicated show and served as the Yahoo Global News Anchor until 2017.
She has won a duPont-Columbia, a Peabody, two Edward R. Murrows, a Walter Cronkite Award, and multiple Emmys. She was twice named one of Time magazine’s 100 most influential people and was a Glamour Magazine woman of the year three times. She has also received numerous awards for her cancer advocacy work; honored by both the Harvard and Columbia schools of public health, the American Cancer Society and The American Association of Cancer Researchers.
In addition to Going There, Couric is also the author of two children’s books and The Best Advice I Ever Got: Lessons from Extraordinary Lives.

Michelle Duke has devoted her career to empowering others to build meaningful careers in media. Her leadership in developing and directing programs has influenced the career paths of thousands of individuals. Amongst her peers, she has developed a reputation for delivering innovative solutions, leading impactful teams and being a highly effective mentor.
Duke holds two positions—president of the NAB Leadership Foundation and chief impact officer for the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB). In both roles, she combines her passion for helping people with her forward-thinking style to carry out results-driven initiatives.
As the foundation’s president, she sets the strategic vision and operational direction for executing the foundation’s long-term goal of building the next generation of broadcast leaders. Her leadership has helped shape some of the industry's most impressive leadership development programs for both collegiate and executive levels, which are consistently recognized for their demonstrated outcomes.
Committed to meeting the needs of the industry, she has established and managed dozens of career development initiatives relevant to the evolving media landscape. She created the much-needed Technology Apprenticeship Program, now in its fifteenth year, to funnel more qualified engineering candidates into the hiring pipeline. From 2007 to 2021, she directed the Broadcast Leadership Training (BLT) program, the highly regarded curriculum for any senior executive who wants to prepare for the C-suite and operational business management.
Additionally, Duke is the executive producer of the Celebration of Service to America, a nationally televised special featuring stories of outstanding community service by local broadcasters. The program has proven its success, averaging seven million viewers per year.
As NAB’s chief impact officer, Duke fulfills a critical external-facing role to ensure that NAB and its members are equipped to meet the demands of a changing industry. She launched the Workforce Engagement Forum and the Workforce Symposium at the NAB Show—two platforms designed to drive dialogue and innovation in workforce strategy. Within the organization, she champions workforce culture and core values while helping staff navigate emerging societal trends and challenges.
Prior to her current roles, Duke served as vice president of for the foundation and led the daily operations. She also served as the vice president of Diversity and Development where she led diversity-focused initiatives and programs.
Before joining NAB in 2005, Duke was director of leadership programs at the Newspaper Association of America. She began her media career as a reporter for her hometown paper, The Nashville Banner.
Duke has been named one of Radio Ink magazine’s Most Influential Women in Radio for thirteen consecutive years. In 2022, she was honored with the Mentoring and Inspiring Women’s Frances Preston Trailblazer Award. She is listed on the Wall of Fame in the School of Media and Entertainment at her alma mater, Middle Tennessee State University. She has also served on several nonprofit boards, including the Alliance for Women in Media Foundation and the Washington Literacy Center.
She holds a Bachelor of Science in Journalism from Middle Tennessee State University.

Chief Operating Officer Martha Benyam joined Kino Lorber in January 2022 to work with its CEO and President to diversify and grow the company. She was a key member of the deal team for the company’s acquisition of streaming service MHz Choice and its subsequent merger with Topic, which made it the leading destination for international series in the U.S..
Benyam oversees MHz Choice, available direct-to-consumer, and on Amazon, Roku, Apple and Comcast along with FAST, AVOD, and TVOD business lines. The service made a splash last year by acquiring the long-awaited fourth season of Tom Twykver’s landmark German series Babylon Berlin, landing on “Best of 2024” lists for The New York Times, The Wall St. Journal and VOGUE among others.
Benyam also oversees physical media, which has defied industry declines and grown its wholesale and direct-to-consumer collector business with remastered 4K UHD releases of classics, including Nostalghia (Andrei Tarkovsky), Brokeback Mountain (Ang Lee), and Bad Lieutenant (Abel Ferrara). The extraordinary Oscar Micheaux Collection was released this year and includes landmark films from the 1920s and 30s by America’s first major Black filmmaker, restored and released as part of the company’s ongoing film preservation efforts. As Chief Operating Officer, Benyam also oversees Business Affairs and Human Resources across the company. In 2023, she was named one of the Top Women in Media by Cynopsis. She reports to Kino Lorber President Ed Carroll.
Benyam has worked as an executive in the film, television, and digital media spaces for over 15 years. Most recently she served as a consultant to various digital media startups, where she launched Amazon video channels and led programming strategy, content acquisitions, and business development initiatives. She previously served as Vice President, Strategy and Business Development at Starz, where she worked on a wide range of programming and international business development initiatives, including scaling original programming and launching StarzPlay Arabia. Before that Benyam worked at AOL, where she held various roles leading content acquisition and distribution deal teams, supporting original productions.
Benyam holds an M.B.A. from the Wharton School of Business and a B.A. from Brown University.

As President of Global Advertising for Disney, Rita Ferro leads all global advertising sales for the company’s powerhouse portfolio of entertainment, news and sports properties, including Disney’s linear, digital and ad- supported streaming businesses across ABC; Disney Channels Worldwide; Disney+; ESPN and ESPN+; Freeform; FX; Hulu; and National Geographic. Rita is renowned for her dynamic leadership servicing brands at the intersection of data, advertising technology and premium content. Disney offers advertisers a one-stop-shop to leverage the incredible breadth of Disney’s brands, best-in-class storytelling and scale of audiences, to drive results and impact.

A 27-year veteran of Disney, Rita's impact transcends her day-to-day business responsibilities, earning her the distinction as a strategic thought leader and luminary amongst industry peers, leaders and brands. Throughout her career, her work has merited several notable accolades, awards and recognitions and she continues to be called upon as an expert voice and consultant to many. Rita currently sits on the boards of the HSF (Hispanic Scholarship Fund), the V Foundation, MMA (Mobile Marketing Association), and the Ad Council. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Advertising and a Master’s degree in International Business from Florida International University.

Constance ‘Connie’ Orlando is a renowned media executive and the highest-ranking Black woman at a major TV network. Currently serving as the Executive Vice President of Specials, Music Programming, Music Strategy, and News at BET Networks, Connie has spent over two decades transforming the entertainment landscape and redefining opportunities for women in media. Her innovative content strategies amplify Black voices and elevate standards of representation and storytelling. Before her impactful role at BET, Connie led her own production company, CMO Productions, Inc., where she partnered with music icon Jay-Z to produce the groundbreaking direct-to-video movie soundtrack *The Streets Is Watching*, reshaping the music and film relationship. As Executive Producer for Hype Williams' Big Dog Films, she also orchestrated influential projects in the music industry. Since joining BET in 2007, Connie has established herself as a top media executive. As Executive Vice President and Head of Programming, she brought to life iconic series like “Being Mary Jane,” starring Gabrielle Union, and “The Bobby Brown Story.” Her leadership has expanded BET's programming to include a diverse array of genres, from compelling dramas to thought-provoking documentaries. Additionally, Connie plays both lead executive and executive producer roles on landmark events such as the BET Awards, NAACP Image Awards, BET Hip-Hop Awards, and Soul Train Awards, celebrating the rich artistic contributions of the Black community. Her accomplishments have earned her numerous accolades, including recognition as one of the "Most Powerful Women in Business" by *Fortune*, *Variety*, and *The Hollywood Reporter*, alongside more than 11 NAACP Image Awards. Recently honored as a 2024 Culture Creator, Connie Orlando exemplifies leadership and serves as a true trailblazer, inspiring future generations in the media landscape.

Alissa Pollack is Executive Vice President of Global Music Marketing at iHeartMedia, where she leverages the company’s extensive listener data, music insights, and platforms to create innovative strategies for brands, advertisers, and artists. She develops custom content, events, brand partnerships, tour integrations, and ambassador programs that drive both fan engagement and campaign success. Her work has powered multi-faceted initiatives for partners including Macy’s, Procter & Gamble, Verizon, Infiniti, Nissan, Taco Bell, Budweiser, Google, Loreal, and Chase Bank, while collaborating with artists such as Taylor Swift, Elton John, John Legend, Sabrina Carpenter, Benson Boone, Gracie Abrams, Jon Batiste, Brandy and more.
Pollack also oversees Mediabase’s domestic and international music ventures, also including products such as Rate the Music, Luminate, and M-Score, and works closely with iHeartMedia’s National Programming Platforms to guide artist discovery and rollout strategies. She has been instrumental in the early development of artists from Katy Perry, Rihanna, and Alex Warren to Post Malone, Dua Lipa, and Lizzo. Her team leads artist relations across Premiere Networks’ 5,000+ affiliates, iHeartRadio Digital and Podcast divisions, and global broadcast partners, while building custom data-driven roadmaps for music’s next superstars.
Beyond her corporate role, Pollack was named to Billboard’s Most Powerful Women in Music list and serves as Chairperson of Musicians on Call and is President of the Music, Film and Entertainment Industry Board of City of Hope. She also founded and chairs the annual Taste of Hope event, raising over $8 million for City of Hope, and created the Jason Pollack Bedside Performance Program with Musicians on Call in honor of her late father, bringing the healing power of music to patients nationwide.

Valari Dobson Staab serves as Chairman of NBCUniversal Local. In this role, she oversees 50 local, regional and national media properties, including 11 NBC and 31 Telemundo owned stations, four regional sports networks, three national multicast networks – COZI TV, TeleXitos and American Crimes – 16 free ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) channels, as well as LXTV Productions and Skycastle.

Under Staab’s leadership, NBCUniversal Local has earned a position as a leading innovator dedicated to serving its audiences and making a meaningful impact on its communities across the nation. She has led the growth and investments that have transformed the division into a multiplatform media powerhouse that continually enhances the content, platforms and community programs across its properties.

The portfolio Staab oversees delivers comprehensive English- and Spanish-language linear, live and on-demand streaming video, and multimedia digital content across a growing collection of television, streaming and connected platforms, and best-in-class desktop, mobile and OTT products.

Through the NBC Owned Television Stations and Telemundo Station Group, Staab oversees the production of nearly 1,000 weekly hours of English- and Spanish-language local news, weather, investigative and consumer reporting, lifestyle content and event coverage serving 30 U.S. markets and Puerto Rico – including each of the top 10 U.S. DMAs and the top 20 U.S. Hispanic DMAs.

During Staab’s tenure, the NBC- and Telemundo-owned stations have greatly expanded the high-value, exclusive content they deliver. This progress has been enabled by her leadership in creating the largest local bilingual newsrooms across top 10 markets, establishing extensive investigative and consumer units, developing one of the nation’s largest radar networks and adopting innovative weather technology.

Through the NBC Sports Regional Networks, Staab oversees the production of more than 700 NBA, NHL and MLB games annually, along with extensive news, analysis, commentary, original programming and digital content. These leading properties serve more than 16 million homes across major U.S. markets, including the San Francisco Bay Area, New England and Philadelphia.

A veteran media executive with more than four decades of industry and leadership experience, Staab joined NBCUniversal in 2011 as President of NBC Owned TV Stations. In 2013, she added oversight of the Telemundo Station Group – which has grown to include 31 stations – and in 2021, the NBC Sports Regional Networks joined what is now NBCUniversal Local. She was named Chairman in 2022.

Prior to joining NBCUniversal, Staab held leadership roles with ABC Owned Television Stations, most recently as president and general manager of KGO-TV in San Francisco. During her tenure, KGO received numerous awards and recognitions, including the Northern California Emmy for Station Excellence and a Regional Edward R. Murrow Award for Overall Excellence.

Previously, Staab led ABC stations WTVD in Raleigh, N.C., and KFSN in Fresno, Calif., as president and general manager after a decade at WPVI in Philadelphia, where she was director of creative services and director of marketing and research. Previously, she worked in marketing and research for KPRC in Houston and KLTV in Tyler, Texas, where she started her broadcast career as a student.

Staab has earned numerous accolades and honors for her work at NBCUniversal. In 2024, she was inducted into the Broadcasting & Cable Hall of Fame and was recognized as a Giant of Broadcasting & Electronic Arts by the Library of American Broadcasting Foundation in 2023. She was also the recipient of the 2022 National Association of Television Programming Executives’ Iris Award.

A Texas native, Staab earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Texas at Tyler, which honored her with their Distinguished Alumni Award in 2012, and a master’s in business administration from Baylor University. She resides in New York with her husband, R.C.

Jenna Weiss-Berman is head of podcasts at Paper Kite Productions, and co-creator of Good Hang with Amy Poehler. Prior to joining Paper Kite, Jenna co-founded Pineapple Street Studios, the podcast company responsible for groundbreaking hits including Wind of Change, Missing Richard Simmons, and the Catch and Kill Podcast with Ronan Farrow. Weiss-Berman has executive produced more than twenty podcasts that have hit #1 on the Apple charts, including Hysterical, a 2025 Pulitzer Prize finalist and Apple’s Podcast of the Year for 2024. Jenna began her career in public radio, producing such shows as The Moth and Hidden Brain, before launching BuzzFeed's podcast department, where she created hits like Another Round and Women of the Hour with Lena Dunham. She serves on the boards of the Moth and New York Public Radio.