Summer 2006 Mentor Profiles

Judi Allen
Amy Oliver
Lakshmi Raman
Deborah Rocco
Susie Tomenchok
John Vanderpool
Teresa Wiedel

Judi Allen
President
ALLENStrategies

Judi Allen is president and founder of ALLENStrategies, an interim management and strategy consulting firm dedicated to improving the bottom line of her media clients. She has over twenty years of experience managing and consulting to a wide variety of companies in the media, financial and information services sectors. She formerly served as Senior Vice President, Video for MediaOne, leading all aspects of video product management, including content acquisition and negotiations, customer acquisition and retention, branding and product development.

Before MediaOne, Judi served as Senior Vice President of Marketing and Programming for Century Communications Corporation and Vice President, National Accounts, Affiliate Relations at USA Network. She previously held marketing and management positions with Merrill Lynch, Procter & Gamble, and WJAR-TV in Providence, RI.

Judi serves on the Board of Directors of Rentrak Corporation (ticker: RENT) and the nonprofit Colorado Children’s Campaign. She is a former Executive Committee and Board member of the Cable Television Association for Marketing (CTAM), and has been a frequent Task Force participant and speaker for Women in Cable and Telecommunications (WICT). She holds degrees from Harvard Business School and Brown University.

Judi is interested in being a mentor because she would like to see more women develop to their full potential and to understand how to work effectively in their organization so they can make it to the top. Throughout her career she has been mentoring and sharing her experiences and advice with others. She believes that being a good mentor takes experience, caring, and a willingness to be candid about your own experiences.

Her leadership philosophy focuses on the importance of supporting the people you work with, collaboration, setting direction and avoiding micromanaging. Core values for Judi are integrity, honesty, and family. Her strengths include leadership, people skills, strategic and tactical thinking, and the flexibility to work and succeed in different environments.

Judi would like to mentor on the subjects of Balancing Work and Life, Managing and Motivating Teams, and Navigating the Political Landscape. The DTC vicinity is the best area for Judi to meet with her mentees. Timing is flexible and lunch time is often good.

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Amy Oliver joined CSG in 2004 as Director of Strategic Operations supporting their largest customer.

She is an 18 year veteran of the telecommunications industry. She spent most of her career in general or senior management roles with TCI, which merged with AT&T in 1998, then acquired Media One in 1997, and subsequently acquired by Comcast Corporation in 2002.

Amy devoted over 5 years building a high-tech test organization responsible for the delivery of quality software to production. Her test organization successfully contributed to the rollout of digital services to approximately 10 million customers in an 18 month period, high-speed data rollouts in 1997, and telephony services implementations in 1998 which resulted in the launch of nine markets within a 12-month period.

She began her career as a Customer Service Representative in Boulder, Colorado. In 1989, she was named Billing/Training Coordinator of the Central Division which managed cable operations within nine different states. She later was named Director of MIS for TCI’s 300,000 cable subscriber operations in Houston, Texas.

Amy is interested in being a mentor as she feels it will provide her with the opportunity to enhance her leadership and communication skills. In addition, it will help her to connect with emerging leaders in the industry and broaden network contacts. As a manager she applies her mentoring skills daily with the employees that report to her. She was also a past WICT mentor when the program first began. Amy believes that a good mentor coaches and shares knowledge, experience, and expertise.

Her leadership philosophy focuses on empowering highly skilled individuals to focus on what they do best. A leader fosters creativity, innovation, high morale, teamwork, and shared leadership. Her core value is to treat others as you yourself would want to be treated. Amy’s strengths are listening, communicating, organizing, planning, and leading.

Amy would like to mentor on the subjects of Balancing Work and Life, Growing as a Leader, and Managing and Motivating Teams. Her preference is to mentor individuals with very specific goals and individuals who do not work in competing companies. The DTC area is the best location for her to meet with her mentees. She can meet during working hours or early mornings.

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Lakshmi Raman
Director, Advanced Technology
CableLabs

Lakshmi is an accomplished senior technical management professional with over twenty years of experience in telecommunications and computer industries. Her goal is to apply the knowledge and experience in new advances in distributed computing technology, network technologies, integration of data and telecommunications networks, customer relations, business and embedded systems product development to lead engineering groups, set strategies and introduce new products to market.

Her strengths include planning, organizing, setting schedules, managing budget, systems engineering, customer support, coordinating across different groups, and training. Lakshmi has published a book on network management, co-authored two books on network management and SDH/SONET technologies, in addition to writing over 20 papers in Physics. She holds a patent # 6,751,239 along with other members on using SONET for collaborative visualization.

She has a M.S. in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the University of Amherst, MA and a Ph.D. in Solid State Physics from the Indian Institute of Technology.

Lakshmi is interested in being a mentor to learn more about the concerns and issues of others and to be able to help her mentees based on her own experiences. She has been a mentor in previous organizations over the years. She believes that a good mentor listens well and is open minded about issues. She would like to help her mentees analyze all the choices that they have and draw conclusions on their own.

Her leadership philosophy focuses on helping others to brainstorm ideas and ensuring that good judgment is exercised in making job and career decisions. She enjoys the mentoring role and being able to offer ideas for others to pursue versus telling others what to do. Her core values are work ethics, keeping commitments, honesty, constructive feedback, and continuous improvement.

Lakshmi would like to mentor on the subjects of Acting as a Sounding Board, Transitioning from Being an Individual Contributor to a Manager, Interpersonal Effectiveness, and the discipline of Telecommunications. She is interested in mentoring individuals from the telecommunications industry and/or those from other cultures/countries who may have had a hard time in getting their contributions recognized. She prefers to mentor individuals who work at companies other than CableLabs. The North Metro area (Louisville or Superior) is the best area for her to meet with her mentees. She prefers to meet after 6:00 p.m. during the week or on the weekends.

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Deborah Rocco
Senior Director, Learning & Development
Comcast Cable

Deborah Rocco is the Senior Director of Learning and Development for the West Division of Comcast. In this role she leads a team of 130 learning and development professionals responsible for the delivery of leadership, customer care, and technical training. She is also responsible for leading the Succession Planning process as well as change management, job design, career path and other OD initiatives for the Division.

Deborah has 7 years of experience in the cable industry where she has held regional, divisional, and corporate roles. Prior to joining MediaOne, she was the Assistant Dean for Placement at the University of Denver Daniels College of Business where she established and directed the career management services for executive and full-time MBA students.

She holds a M.Ed. in Human Resource Development, a SPHR designation, and an executive coaching certification.

Deborah has benefited from the wisdom of key mentors over the years and would like to be a mentor in order to give back to others what she has received. She believes that an effective mentor is authentic. A mentor is willing to share the good, the bad, and the ugly in the spirit of development. Her core values are truth, integrity, and compassion. Her strengths are her ability to see the relationship between things and to understand the impact of decisions.

She would like to mentor on the subjects of Growing as a Leader, Enhancing Career Opportunities, and Transitioning from Being an Individual Contributor to a Manager. She prefers to mentor individuals with a strong desire to be in the program. The DTC area is the best location for her to meet with her mentees. The best times are during lunch or after work.

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Susie Tomenchok
Director, Customer Solutions
Comcast Media Center

In 2000 Susie took a full-time job in the sales department at Comcast Media Center to manage long-term contracts and service all business related issues and projects. She has grown in this position and is now the Director of Customer Solutions. She is responsible for managing the legal and operational aspects of all contracts, negotiating levels of services and resolution of customer issues.

Prior to the job with Comcast Media Center Susie worked as a consultant for iN DEMAND as their temporary VP of Operations. She was in charge of the technical deployment of the NBA package to all digital subscribers. This experience was a learn-by-fire opportunity because she had to launch the product in a few weeks and resolve any issues without delay.

Susie’s professional experience began in video production where she produced, directed and managed video projects for a company out of Boulder. This is where she learned the basics of program development from concept, production to on-air. Then she joined TCI in managing the traffic department for technical operations of multiple cable networks. This role allowed her to understand and learn the aspects of channel origination and transmission while working with programmers to fulfill their business needs.

Susie has had many sponsors and mentors throughout her career. She wants to be a mentor to provide guidance and support to others. She views it as an opportunity for her own personal growth as a leader in the industry. She has served as a mentor in the past to the employees that have reported to her. She believes that the most important attribute of a mentor is the desire to help someone learn and grow with the understanding that there is a growth opportunity for both people involved.

Her leadership philosophy is based on a belief that leaders are individuals who have values and integrity and show those values in every conversation, negotiation, and transaction in business. Leaders should have a solid record in delivering promises and respond effectively in a crisis mode. An effective leader is a great listener. Her core values are a strong work/life balance and honesty. Susie’s strengths are the ability to learn quickly, adaptability, and the ability to accomplish a lot in a short amount of time.

She would like to mentor on the topics of Enhancing Career Opportunities, Navigating the Political Landscape, Entrepreneurship, Negotiating, and Beyond Managing to Directing. She is interested in mentoring individuals with a strong track record of success who want to focus on the opportunities available to them, not on the roadblocks. The DTC area is the best location for her to meet with her mentees. The best times are between 3-6 p.m. or 8-10 a.m., Monday-Thursday.

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John Vanderpool
Vice President, Business Development
Primal Solutions, Inc.

John is a 20-year veteran in cable and telecommunications. He has an exceptional track record building deep and productive relationships with top tier clients and leading suppliers. Prior to Primal, John worked for Convergys Corporation where he managed high profile relationships with companies that included Comcast, Time Warner Cable, Charter Communications, SBC, and large European cable and telecommunication providers including Liberty Media International and Kabel Deutschland (KDG). Prior to Convergys, he worked for CSG Systems where he managed relationships with major MSOs and ISPs.

John has an MBA from the University of Kentucky, and BA in Business from the University of Illinois.

In addition to his career activities, John is an avid motorsports enthusiast including motorcycling, snowmobiling and the 2005 Rocky Mountain Formula SCCA Championship title (Sports Car Club of America). He also enjoys skiing, hiking, kayaking and mountain biking.

John is interested in being a mentor because he enjoys working with emerging leaders. He has informally served as a mentor over the years to individuals looking to move forward. He believes that a good mentor has the ability to listen, to communicate in a meaningful way, to share experience without imposing the mentor’s thoughts and will on others, and to focus intensely for short periods of time.

His leadership philosophy is “win with persistence”, “good things happen to those who work hard”, “try never to miss an opportunity, it may not present itself again”, “life is an adventure or its nothing”, “always be a student of your business - give anything 15 minutes a day and you can be an expert at it”. His core values are honesty, fun, dedication, relationships, education, and respect. John’s strength is having a deep level of experience that would be helpful to others.

He would like to mentor on the topics of Entrepreneurship, Navigating the Political Landscape, Managing and Motivating Teams, Decision Making, Decisiveness, and Executive Presence. He is interested in mentoring individuals that are bright, aggressive, and focused. The DTC area is the best location for John to meet with his mentees. The best time is around lunch time.

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Teresa Wiedel
Executive director, Communications
AZN Television/International Networks

As executive director of communications for International Networks, Teresa is responsible for managing the company’s overall corporate communications, including media relations (ethnic and mainstream), public affairs, internal communications, and special events.

Teresa joined International Channel Networks in 1996, and before that she worked as an independent consultant for communications and public relations projects. Prior to that, Teresa was a press advance representative for the White House and held television news writer and producer positions for network affiliates in Tampa, Florida and Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas.

She is a graduate of the University of Colorado with a degree in broadcast journalism.

Teresa is interested in being a mentor as she feels she has gathered enough experience throughout her career to help make a difference to other women advancing in their careers. In her supervisory role she has served as a mentor to employees that reported to her. She believes that a good mentor must be a good listener and be able to really hear what challenges and successes the mentee is experiencing. A good mentor should be able to guide the mentees by sharing similar experiences.

Her leadership philosophy is to lead by example and empower people to make their own decisions and feel as though they are an integral part of the team. Her core values are integrity, honesty, and taking responsibility. Teresa’s strengths are leadership, strategic planning, problem-solving, and organization.

She would like to mentor on the topics of Growing as a Leader, Transitioning from Being an Individual Contributor, and Navigating the Political Landscape. She is interested in mentoring individuals who are in the early stages of their careers. The DTC area during work hours or the downtown/Cherry Creek area prior to work (7-9 a.m.) are the best locations and times for Teresa to meet with her mentees.

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