Women in Cable Telecommunications ™ | ROCKY MOUNTAIN

The WICT Rocky Mountain chapter is committed to advancing women's careers and enriching their lives at all levels through personal and professional development and leadership opportunities.

Regina Hutchinson
President

Regina Hutchinson has more than 30 years of leadership experience in the cable telecommunications industry. She is currently the human resources vice president of Comcast’s West division, leading and supporting the division’s leadership team and providing project and change management support to ensure effective and efficient HR operations across the division. Prior to this role, Regina served as vice president, Comcast University. She has been part of the Comcast University executive team since 1995. Prior to Comcast, Regina held positions of increasing responsibility within Adelphia Communications, Qwest, AT&T Broadband, MediaOne, and C.R. Bard.

Regina holds a Master of Business Administration from Southern New Hampshire University and a bachelor’s degree in social work from Texas Christian University. She is a 2008 Betsy Magness Leadership Institute graduate and serves on the board of Girls Inc. of Metro Denver.

Jill Stark
Vice President

Jill Stark is vice president, national direct sales for commercial services at Charter Communications. She is responsible for growth of Charter’s commercial services business including P&L oversight and sales channel strategy. Jill joined Charter in September 2006. Prior to Charter, she served as vice president and general manager of the Denver metro region for Comcast Cable, serving almost 300,000 customers, and vice president of operations for AT&T Broadband’s Colorado market, providing strategic direction to a field organization serving over 630,000 customers. While at AT&T Broadband, Jill also served as vice president of sales and vice president and general manager of high-speed Internet. In addition, she held various marketing positions for TCI Cablevision’s Central division.
Jill holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of Colorado at Boulder. She is a graduate of the Betsy Magness Leadership Institute. Jill was named one of CableFAX Magazine’s Most Powerful Women in Cable and Woman of the Year by WICT Rocky Mountain.

Tracy Baumgartner
Past President

Vice President of Public Relations

Comcast, West Division
Tracy Baumgartner is the vice president of public relations of Comcast’s West division, which serves 6 million customers across the West and Midwest. In this position, she is responsible for the division’s strategy, implementation and results for media relations, employee communications and community investment efforts. Prior to this role, Tracy served as director of external communications for AT&T Broadband. She was also the manager of marketing and public relations for MediaOne and has held various public relations management positions with Jones Intercable, Jones Digital Century and Mind Extension University: The Education Network.
Tracy holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a dual emphasis in marketing and international business from the University of Colorado at Boulder. She is a graduate of the Betsy Magness Leadership Institute and Comcast’s Executive Leadership Forum. Tracy was honored as WICT Rocky Mountain’s Woman of the Year in 2008 and as WICT’s Chapter President of the Year in 2010. Tracy serves on the Board of Directors of Goodwill Industries of Denver.
Jana Henthorn
Chapter Advisor

Jana is the senior vice president of academic and industry outreach for The Cable Center, an educational nonprofit organization. Jana leads the Customer Care Central initiative, which includes an industry executive forum focused on customer care and incorporates a group of customer-centric programs funded by the James M. Cox Endowment for Customer Experience Management. Additionally, she oversees efforts to advance the cable industry and celebrate cable’s contributions by providing industry professionals and university students opportunities to interact through the Cable Mavericks Lecture Series. Prior to joining The Cable Center, Jana was vice president of affiliate sales, Western region, for A&E Television Networks. Prior to that, Jana was the vice president of operations and service fulfillment for Jones Intercable.

Jana holds an MBA from the University of Denver and a Bachelor of Science from the University of Illinois. She was named a Cable TV Pioneer in 2010 and served as vice president of WICT Rocky Mountain from 2008 to 2010. Jana is an editor and contributing author of Customer Experience Management: Lessons and Insights for the Cable Industry. She is a frequent speaker on customer experience, CSAT and cable industry care innovations.
Lisa Akhionbare
Treasurer

Lisa Akhionbare is vice president of business operations for Comcast’s Mile High region where she is responsible for the development of cash flow, expense targets and the budget process for more than one million subscribers. Additionally, Lisa manages financial planning and analysis, supply-chain operations, credit and collections, payroll, security, facilities, and overall management of the finances for four distinct cable systems. Prior to this role, Lisa served as senior director of finance in the southwest region. Lisa joined Comcast in 1999 in the Atlantic division. Lisa started her career with Price Waterhouse.
Lisa holds a Master of Science in industrial and organizational psychology from Walden University and a Bachelor of Business Administration with a concentration in accounting and management from the University of Cincinnati.

Keely Buchanan
Secretary

Keely Buchanan is the manager of communications and distance learning for Time Warner Cable. In this role, Keely manages executive communication plans, knowledge management strategies, and webinar and eLearning development software, as well as all websites for the Advanced Technology Group. Keely started her career as a digital media specialist with Time Warner Cable in 2001.

Keely holds a Bachelor of Arts in digital media studies from the University of Denver (DU) and is working toward a Master of Science in organizational leadership from DU. She has earned numerous nominations and awards from Time Warner Cable, including the 2006 Total Quality Service Award. In 2007, she was named a WICT Rising Leader. In 2009, Keely was named one of CableFAX Magazine’s 30 Women on the Move and was nominated for Multichannel News’ 40 Under 40 list.

Touchstones
The WICT Touchstones of Leadership form the foundation for all of WICT's initiatives. They serve as our compass along the path of strategic and effective leadership development. We encourage you to leverage the WICT Touchstones as a motivational tool on your journey.

Know Yourself
Know what you stand for. Know where you're going.
You must understand who you are before you can decide who you want to be. So take stock of your strengths and your weaknesses. Know your limitations. Set realistic goals for yourself, keeping in mind that a balance between work and life makes for a healthy leader. And, above all, know what you stand for. Maintain your own morals, values and ethics, so you can hold yourself - and others - to the standards you set. Then unleash the leader within you. Take your career by the horns and steer it in the exact direction you want it to go.

Communicate
With passion and poise. In writing and in person.
Communicating well means more than being articulate. It means being able to deliver a speech powerful enough to inspire an entire auditorium. And to put pen to paper in such a way that others can be rallied into action through the written word. It means negotiating for the best possible outcomes with both logic and compassion - and without failure. The ability to do all this is what makes a great communicator. And to do it all with conviction and passion is what makes a great leader.

Listen
With more than just your ears.
A true leader not only communicates well, she also listens well. She hears what everyone has to say and learns from them - adding to her knowledge and her ability to understand others. It is by listening with her heart as well as her head that she builds relationships and communities around her, and helps others grow into strong leaders.

Connect
To your peers, your industry, and everything around you.
You can't move forward without understanding where you are. So get to know your environment. The people you work with. The industry you work in. Immerse yourself in the economics and business practices that affect your company, your clients, and your customers. Keep your ear to the ground. Be aware of what your competition is up to, and gain the upper hand. Build a support system for yourself and those within your community. Great leaders get connected. Stay connected. And use every ounce of information to their advantage.

Be A Catalyst
Raise standards. Promote respect. Set the wheels of change in motion.
Progress is never made by standing still or by relying on the same tired, old ideas. It is up to leaders to push the envelope - to transform our industry by developing ideas that are bigger and better than ever before. So take initiative. Raise the bar and set higher standards. Demand equality on all fronts. Embrace diversity. And above all, never accept less respect than you offer others. Because change can only take hold if grounded in respect.

Be Fearless
Take risks. Be confident in your convictions. Bring others along.
Great leaders look fear in the eye and use it to their advantage. As the force driving them into uncharted territory. And the adrenaline that keeps them climbing the corporate ladder. They are smart, strategic, and always ready to take action. They don't surrender or retreat. They're committed to their vision and believe in it above everything else. Because of this, others are willing to follow. Without fear.

Inspire
And others will follow.
Rally those around you to join in your mission. Be a mentor, a guide, and a role model - one who learns from what she teaches. Help those around you achieve their full potential with a helping hand that paves the way for future leaders. Be dynamic and strong and you will inspire others to embrace your vision as THE vision. The one they want to be part of. And the one they choose to follow.