Carolyn Crawford

VP, Programming, DISH Network

DISH is a company full of big personalities, and Crawford can sit at the table with the best of them. The courtroom drama surrounding last year’s DISH-Cablevision legal tangle well behind her, Crawford remains committed to negotiating tough carriage deals for the company. She also plays a key role in developing new video services in an evolving industry and manages relationships with DISH’s growing Spanish-language partners. “The business, as we know it, is changing more rapidly than ever before,” she says. “For the most part, the industry has acknowledged the change, but it is imperative that we all determine how to optimize and best leverage the many changes to benefit both our customers and shareholders.”

I would teach mathematics to middle school children in the inner city. When kids understand the power of math at that age, it sets the stage for analytical skills and critical thinking that will serve them well throughout their lives.