Charisse R. Lillie
By
| November 1, 2013
VP, Community Investment, Comcast; President, Comcast Foundation
Longtime Comcast corporate leader Lillie leads the company’s vast community investment efforts and serves as president of the Comcast Foundation. The operator’s corporate and foundation charitable giving exceeds $300 million, and Lillie provides strategic guidance for each of Comcast’s national community partners. “My favorite part of the job is the privilege of experiencing the success of our Comcast Community Investment initiatives,” she says. “It’s seeing that the work we are doing in the community is making a difference.”
What’s your favorite part of your job?
My favorite part of the job is the privilege of experiencing the success of our Comcast Community Investment initiatives: it’s meeting the Florida mother who now has a computer in her home thanks to our Internet Essentials program; listening to a Comcast employee who volunteers as a “Big Brother” shares his gratitude for the opportunity to impact his view of the world on a “Little Brother”; observing a class of Comcast Digital Connector students as they preview mini-documentaries they’ve shot and edited; painting a mural on the wall of a Seattle home for homeless Native American young adults and watching them sit at computers in their newly installed computer lab on Comcast Cares Day. It’s seeing that the work we are doing in the community is making a difference.
Best trick for maintaining the personal-professional life balance?
This is the challenge for the ages. It is important to get rest and to get exercise. Family matters most, and making time for family is the real key. Life is short.
What’s been the most important story in cable this year?
Comcast’s completion of the purchase of NBCUniversal was a huge accomplishment. Once again, our execution on the vision for the business was flawless and ahead of schedule.
Who would you want to swap jobs with for a month and why?
First Lady Michelle Obama. She is a dedicated public servant who promotes service and works with young people to make change happen. And she is a lawyer and a mom, as I am.