Education: BSEE, University of Illinois; MBA, University of Chicago
Best Advice in 7 Words or Less: Skate to where the puck is going.
Susan Swain
Title: Co-CEO, C-SPAN
Number of Years in Cable: 31
Education: BA, University of Scranton
Best Advice in 7 Words or Less: Follow the money.
Why Them? C-SPAN’s co-CEOs share power at the net: Swain oversees programming content and marketing, while Kennedy is responsible for business, engineering and information technology. Passionate and well-respected by the industry, these long-time colleagues have worked at the network since the ’80s and were co-COOs for six years prior to their elevation last April. Consider these stats: Out of 280 employees at C-SPAN, 19% have spent more than 20 years at the company. And more than 52% have put in more than 10. That’s a testament to this pair’s leadership. Moreover, when they were elected by C-SPAN’s board (comprised of the industry’s top brass) to follow in Brian Lamb’s footsteps as co-CEOs, the endorsement was unanimous.
Kennedy
Apple or Samsung? Apple
Beatles or The Rolling Stones? Nicky Hopkins played with both of them so who am
I to choose?
The one thing I’d do differently if I could go back to high school: Keep my Fender Rhodes.
Favorite airport? SPI, where you can still walk to the rental cars.
The best piece of business advice I’ve gotten this year: “Skate where the puck
is.”
I watch the majority of programming on this device: An old 4:3 Toshiba CRT set. (Could also qualify as ‘most embarrassing’).
Favorite business and/or motivational book?Getting Things Done by David Allen
Favorite vacation spot? OBX
The biggest innovation in cable over the last year: The advances in consumer
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Swain
Apple or Samsung? My iPad and I are inseparable.
The one thing I’d do differently if I could go back to high school: Play competitive sports.
The other subject I wish I’d picked for my college major: History. But luckily
I get to learn on the job.
If I could tell my 21-year-old self something today, it would be… wow, you won’t believe how fast the years go by.
I wish Congress would just… Hmmmm. I don’t think someone from C-SPAN should
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