On November 13, The Alliance for Women in Media (AWM) hosted its inaugural Gracies Leadership Awards luncheon, formerly called Women Who Lead, at the iconic Plaza Hotel in New York City.
For more than 60 years, the Gracie Award recognized exemplary programming created by women, for women and about women in all facets of media and entertainment. It also acknowledges the individuals who have made inspirational contributions to the industry. However, the new Gracie Leadership Award is a modification of AWM’s former Women Who Lead Award, which closes the circle by honoring women who lead the media industry, from owners to founders to C-suite executives.
Veteran sportscaster Pam Oliver delivered the event’s keynote address and spoke of what winning a Gracie Award earlier this year meant to her: “So many people asked me what it meant to me to receive a Gracie Award, and I always say it was really a career moment. I have received numerous awards that I am very proud of and grateful for, but the Gracie sits on my desk. It just gives me inspiration, and it says something about what women are able to accomplish.”
CARIBBEAN GIRLS: Liburd, with Power 105’s Angela Yee, who is of Montserratian heritage. PHOTO: GracieAwards
Representing for the Caribbean, Jeanine Liburd, Chief Marketing & Communications Officer at BET Networks, was the first African-American woman to be awarded at the new Gracies Leadership Awards luncheon.
Liburd, who is of Antiguan, Barbadian and Guyanese heritage, graduated from Vassar College with a Master’s Degree in Public Policy with full intention of working in Urban Policy. Though she left her short stint in politics under David Dinkins and the Clinton administration, she has managed to use her powerful voice and political experience to impact policy change through the narratives she masterfully executes and oversees via multiple media platforms and media outlets.
Fellow awardees included: Dara Altman, EVP and chief administrative officer, Sirius XM; Lynn Beall, EVP and COO of media operations, TEGNA; Allison Gollust, EVP and chief marketing officer, CNN; Beth Neuhoff, president and CEO, Neuhoff Communications; Carole Robinson, chief communications officer, BuzzFeed; and Jo Ann Ross, president and chief advertising revenue officer, CBS.
Jeanine with her award, flanked by her husband, Michael Liburd. PHOTO: GracieAwards
In her acceptance speech, Liburd, thanked her husband and her “girl tribe,” and shared this nugget on being a woman of color in a leadership position, “We can say everything that we want to say, but if we’re not doing the actions to make it happen then what’s the point? If you walk into a board room and everyone looks like you, you’re not being diverse and you’re not being inclusive. You’re not walking the walk.”
Congrats on your achievements Jeanine! The Caribbean salutes you!
Photos from the event can be found at GraciesAwards.photos.
PHOTO CREDIT: Gracie Awards
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