Young Woman to Watch

Laura Ivonne Jaime Gonzalez, DSST College View High School

Through the pilot Clerk and Recorder Program, Laura has led students in learning about the significance of voting. She has also raised awareness about the impact of the Make-A-Wish Youth Leadership Council, which grants life-changing wishes to children with critical illnesses. Laura is currently interested in pursuing a career in STEM, but she is also passionate about oncology and wants to advocate for the many patients and families who experience discrimination due to language barriers in the healthcare system. Outside of school, Laura is working with students in Iraq to create a strategic plan to fight desertification. Laura has two sisters, Clarissa, 19 and Veronica, 18.

Rising Star

Prathima Chaganty, Operations Engineer, Comcast

Prathima is responsible for supporting several innovation labs by building lab infrastructure and by maintaining, validating, testing, and operating controlled environments that simulate all features and functions of the network environment. Throughout her five-year career, she has been for maintaining the innovation labs throughout Philadelphia and Denver regions. Before joining Comcast, Prathima spent 3 years at Comcast as a contractor. Prathima started her career as a network engineer at various companies. She holds a Master’s of Science degree in electrical and computer engineering from Southern Illinois University, Carbondale. Outside of work, Prathima is a trained singer and performs at cultural events. She is also an event planner for many events. Prathima is married to Aditya and has one amazing child – Ahiri (1 years old).

Rising Star

Jessica Loomer, Senior Manager, Accessibility, Charter

Jessica Loomer, a senior manager on the Accessibility team at Charter Communications, where she leads a team responsible for the accessible development of large-scale internal tools. Jessica maintains a fearless determination to effect change and to help ensure groups can align around shared success. These efforts have combined to further build her personal brand as a devoted advocate for accessibility at Charter. Prior to joining Charter, Jessica spent more than 10 years managing large-scale projects in industries ranging from mining to academia. Jessica is passionate about project management and accessibility, both at and outside of work. Jessica lost her vision in 2012 due to a rare disease. Outside of the office, she serves on the board of directors for Success Beyond Sight, a nonprofit organization focused on empowering individuals by eliminating barriers to equal opportunity for success. In addition, Jessica leads a community within the United Mitochondrial Disease Foundation that supports research for her eye disease, expanding the community leadership and creating roadmaps for growth and ensuring sustainability. In Jessica’s free time, she likes to chase the sun and explore the amazing Colorado mountains with her mini Australian shepherd, Jax.

Leader to Watch

Raquenel Garcia, Senior Director, Data Insights, Charter

Rocki is a Senior Director of Data Insights at Charter Communications. She has led the Video Data Insights team since 2019 with data oversight over legacy, hybrid, and IP video products. Before joining Charter, she worked as a consultant for Accenture, where she implemented Time Warner Cable’s first video data analytics platform. When Rocki joined Charter in 2016, she started as a NetOps Video engineer. This role laid the foundation for her to step into her leadership career. She draws upon her experience and the team’s support to enable Charter to make business decisions based on data. As a leader, Rocki believes in cultivating passion within her team to achieve success. She thrives in challenging situations, embraces adversity, and continuously learns from new experiences. Rocki received a Bachelor of Science in computer engineering from the University of Texas-Pan American and is pursuing her MBA from Colorado State University. Outside of work, she volunteers with The WICT Network Rocky Mountain as the Sponsorship Director, and in 2021 she was named The WICT Network Volunteer of the Year.

Leader to Watch

Michelle Vendelin, Director, Innovation Services, CableLabs

Emerging technology, innovation strategy, and personal development are the central themes of Michelle’s career and fuel her desire to work, grow, and connect with others who love to innovate. In her role as Director of Innovation Services at CableLabs, Michelle facilitates Innovation Sprints and Ideations, coaches innovators through Lean Canvas development, and serves as the producer/director of multiple Innovation Training offerings through CableLabs Events. With an ability to stay grounded and thrive in uncertainty, she has delivered engineering, strategy, and innovation leadership for over 20 years on emerging technology products at Hewlett Packard and web services startups such as PixMotion, Snapfish, and MarketSplash. Michelle was part of the original launch team for Cinequest, a major Film/VR festival in Silicon Valley, at a time when most civic leaders considered the idea crazy and said it couldn’t be done. Decades later, the festival is thriving. As she says, never underestimate an innovator! She collaborates with President & CEO Phil McKinney and a team of exceptional coaches to host the biannual CableLabs Innovation Bootcamp, an immersive “hands-on” training on the FIRE framework for Innovation, and to launch advanced innovation leadership training on Phil’s 7 Immutable Laws of Innovation. Outside of work, Michelle loves exploring Colorado with her husband, David. They love to travel with adult children, Michael and Nicole, whenever possible. Michelle is a total space geek, watches all the big NASA/Space X launches, and is proud to have her name on the Mars Perseverance Rover, one of her favorite innovations OFF the planet. An aspiring author, she is writing a book on innovation grit and dreams of seeing it published in 2022.

Leader to Watch

Kelly Overton, Senior Product Manager, Mobile Product Experience, Charter

Kelly Overton, a Senior Product Manager of Mobile Product Experience at Charter Communications. Kelly excels at collaborating with teams across the company to design customer experiences for new products and services that leverage technology and improve satisfaction for Spectrum Mobile customers. Prior to joining Mobile, Kelly was part of the Spectrum TV App team, where she launched Apple TV and worked on Android and iOS to ensure parity and consistency of the Spectrum TV App experience across Charter services and connected devices. Kelly started her career in the financial industry, and before joining Charter she held leadership positions at Charles Schwab and Nordstrom. Kelly holds a BA in Economics from Cornell University. Kelly is a champion for women in the industry and actively participates in WICT events. Outside of work, she is in the process of starting a nonprofit for widows/widowers to provide financial and legal support in the aftermath of a spouse’s death. In her free time, she enjoys playing tennis, cooking healthy foods, and spending time with her children – Declan age 6, and Airlie, age 3 – along with her three dogs.

Leader to Watch

Hope Pompey, Senior Manager, Technical Operations, Comcast

Hope is responsible for the strategy and management of technical operations initiatives for the NETS Voice Routing and Xfinity Mobile Tier 3 LNP teams. Throughout her more than 20-year career, she has held leadership positions in operations and customer experience strategy. Before joining Comcast, Hope spent 4 years in the US Army, where she served as a sergeant responsible for planning, developing, and directing the installation and operation of integrated telecommunications and information management networks. Hope has passion around DE&I initiatives and has been an active member of the Mosaic committee for many years. This committee recognizes and celebrates our different cultures, communities, and backgrounds, empowering people by respecting and appreciating what makes them different but all a part of the Comcast family. Hope started her career as a frontline tech. She holds a Master’s of Science in management from Troy State University in Troy, Alabama. Outside of work, Hope serves as a mentor with the QCII Success Program. She’s married to Leo Pompey and has three wonderful children – Justyn, Rylan, and Teagyn.

Leader to Watch

Hannah Hardi, Marketing Director, The Cable Center

As the director of marketing for The Cable Center, Hannah develops and oversees the organization’s marketing strategy, communications, and marketing operations. She is responsible for building awareness around The Cable Center’s evolving brand identity and positioning the organization as the industry’s expert in intrapreneurship and corporate innovation. As a former member of The WICT Network Rocky Mountain Chapter Board of Directors, Hannah served as the co-chair and then director of strategic partnerships. Most recently, she volunteered at The WICT Network Rocky Mountain’s Annual Tech It Out Conference. She has also served on the Board of Media+Tech Collective as the director of social media. In 2020, Hannah was named one of Cablefax’s Most Powerful Women Rising Tide Honorees. She also received a Cablefax FAXIE Award in 2020. Before joining The Cable Center in 2018, she managed marketing content and editorial operations at PlaceWise Digital. She has a bachelor’s degree in comparative sociology from the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, Washington. A Colorado resident for ten years, Hannah loves to spend time outdoors skiing, camping, and exploring. She loves live music, movies, Orangetheory, cooking, traveling, and singing, and she has had many pets, including rabbits, bantam chickens, and a desert tortoise. She is married to Shannon Hardi, a Marine Corps veteran and Lieutenant/Paramedic and Community Health Officer at Aurora Fire Department. They live in Lakewood with their Pitbull Lab Mix, Remy. Hannah is expecting their first child in June 2022.

Leader to Watch

Gia Roe, Director, Lab Engineering Service Assurance and Device Provisioning, Charter

Gia is responsible for the strategic direction, vision, growth, and performance of the first tier of lab support and engineering for all Charter Labs’ clients and tenants. She has been a part of the cable and telecommunications industry since 1995 and formerly worked at Comcast. She leads with purpose to build resilient, high-performing teams that excel at responding to changing business needs. Gia’s passion for partnership and collaboration prompted her to start multiple peer-to-peer mentoring groups at Charter, including the Meeting of Managers, affectionately called MOM, and the Meeting of Directors, also known as the MOD Squad. Both groups provide a safe space where managers and directors can gain the knowledge and skills needed to cultivate an effective executive presence and networking skills. Her latest endeavor, in partnership with both groups, is to establish a monthly podcast focused on leadership topics and executive education. Gia’s focus on inclusion also led her to create and facilitate a popular Bring Our Kids to Work Day event at Charter’s Technology and Engineering Center, known as CTEC. The event aims to inspire participants to become the next generation of technologists and engineers. As the return to the office becomes increasingly commonplace and in-person gatherings resume, Gia is looking forward to reinvigorating the MOM and MOD Squad groups and the Bring Our Kids to Work Day event. She holds a bachelor’s degree in business management from Northwest Missouri State University.

Leader to Watch

Crystal Allen, Executive Director, Customer Engagement Marketing, CSG

Crystal Allen is an Executive Director of Customer Engagement Marketing for CSG, Crystal is responsible for leading the strategic planning and implementation of inbound and outbound marketing activities that are dedicated to delivering extraordinary employee and customer experiences. In her current role, Crystal pairs data-driven analysis with strategic problem solving that fosters cross-functional partnerships to support business growth. This work results in marketing programs that deliver global organizations the necessary technology to empower employees and retain loyal and satisfied customers. In addition to her work at CSG, Crystal serves as the Colorado Technology Association Young Professionals (YoPro) Board of Directors Chair and Member participant. She is a lifetime member of Sigma Alpha Pi and cheers on the Colorado Buffs as a proud alumnus. Crystal is a Colorado native who takes advantage of all four seasons and enjoys spending her free time giving back to the community and mentoring young professionals. You can find her enamored by her bulldogs, Finn and Louis, listening to live country music, and traveling to warm climates with her husband, David.

Industry Partner of the Year

NCTI

NCTI believes everyone should have the opportunity to prosper. Founded in 1968 and celebrating over 50 years of excellence in customer experience in the cable/broadband industry, NCTI delivers quality content and flexible digital learning solutions created for use on the job with anywhere, anytime access. In 2021 our students completed more than 16,000 courses, earned more than 12,000 and more than 1,000 NCTI industry recognized certifications, and 35 college degrees.

Stacey Slaughter, President and CEO and accepting on behalf of NCTI, acquired NCTI in 2015. She transformed the company into a flexible enterprise learning model which incorporates digital, online and traditional learning. Today, she maintains focus on strategic vision and execution, tactical relationships with vendors and industry leaders, and aggressively growing product offerings and services.

Woman in Technology

Michelle O. Johnson, Senior Director of Planning and Design, Comcast

As a seasoned professional with 25 years of experience, Michelle is known for helping Deployment, Operations and Service Delivery organizations reach their full potential. As a Woman in Technology, she has led several enterprise-wide infrastructure transformations, encompassing over 11 million Video and Data customers. She is a proven systems-thinker whose leadership lends itself to developing business strategies that produce operational and executional excellence. She’s an engaged leader with a high level of technical sophistication and experience leading cross-functional, geographically dispersed teams.

Michelle is a long-standing member of The WICT Network and National Association for Multicultural Individuals in Cable (NAMIC). Her involvement in the associations has included serving a Mentor and former Mentee in the WICT Mentorship program and as the Rocky Mountain Chapter Vice President for NAMIC. She is also a graduate of WICT Rising Leaders and the NAMIC Leadership Development programs.

Lifetime Achievement Award

Jana L. Henthorn, Industry Leader & Community Activist
A longtime leader, change agent, and mentor, Jana Henthorn has more than 30 years of experience in the industry. Jana’s career in cable operations and programming led her to a productive and influential career at The Cable Center, where she was president and CEO from 2016 until her retirement in early 2022. Under Jana’s stewardship, The Cable Center transformed to lead and empower the industry’s new generation of bold thinkers through experiential programs, thought leadership, academic partnerships, events, and the industry’s preeminent collection of entrepreneurial accounts and objects.

Jana is the recipient of numerous industry awards. Since her retirement from The Cable Center in 2022, Jana has become an adjunct professor at the Daniels College of Business at the University of Denver, teaching inclusive leadership to MBA students. She continues to be a longtime board member for Hunger Free Colorado, serving as chair of the finance and audit committee. Jana also continues to serve on The Cable Center board.

Mentor of the Year

Camilla Formica, Chief Revenue Officer and minority owner, NCTI

Camilla began her career in the cable and telecommunications industry over 30 years ago. Through her extensive career, she has refined her expertise and has become an industry influencer with purpose, and is a goal-oriented leader. At NCTI, Camilla aims to unify advancements in technology with the demand for quality and immediate education and training content and to ensure everyone has opportunities to achieve their educational and professional goals.

Camilla continues to demonstrate her influence and industry leadership as the Chairman of the NTCA Associate Member Advisory Council and as the past co-president of the Rocky Mountain Chapter of the Professional Association of Customer Engagement (PACE). She sits on the boards of NCTI and the Old English Sheepdog Rescue of Colorado. A breast cancer survivor, Camilla is a Model of Courage for the Ford Warriors in Pink ambassadorship program and has been a member of the grant committee for the Rocky Mountain chapter of the Susan G. Komen Foundation.

Woman of the Year

Shannon Saviers, VP, Sand Cherry Associates

Shannon is Vice President of Sand Cherry Associates, where she has led several enterprise-wide transformational initiatives focused on enabling the company’s business model to adapt to changing market conditions and disruptive market forces in digital infrastructure, human capital, and data-enablement.

Prior to her consulting practice, Shannon spent the first twenty years of her career in corporate leadership where she held leadership roles in product, technology, operations, sales. Her innovations reached the pages of Time Magazine and the Chicago Tribune.

Shannon serves as the Secretary and Governance Chair of the Girls Athletic School of Denver, CO and previously served on the Girl’s Inc, Denver board. Shannon is a member of the Private Directors Association and is affiliated with numerous professional and industry associations.