13. Brooke Johnson

President

Food Network and Cooking Channel

More people than ever now consider themselves “foodies,” in part because of the way Johnson and her team have helped transform the food television genre into pop culture. Over the past year, the classically trained pianist worked to expand the Food Network and Cooking Channel beyond our television sets into place-based events, such as The Food Network South Beach Wine & Food Festival, which drew 65,000 people, and through popular iTunes apps, such as “In The Kitchen” and “On The Road.” She also serves on Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand’s task force on childhood obesity. Her recipe for workplace success? “Happy employees, high ratings.”