Alma Mater: New York Institute of Technology
A quote or motto you live by: I always cite the great Maya Angelou: “I’ve learned people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
Valentine has a heart for people, shaped by decades of experience—including guiding talent at Citigroup through the 2008 financial crisis. She joined A+E Global Media in 2020, and by 2023 was elevated to lead its “People Team.” In that role, she brings wise counsel to the executive team and fosters community by expanding the company’s Employee Resource Groups. Valentine and her team have built a company with a reputation for valuing its people—earning recognition from Inc. Magazine as one of the best places to work in 2025.
Impact Factor: In 2025, Valentine stepped into the role of president of C2HR. One of her priorities is to lead conversations with the HR industry group’s members about the artificial intelligence transformation, helping them navigate the technology’s opportunities and challenges.
Where do you see the biggest opportunities to make an impact in the next few years? Currently in the media industry, it is really hard to see far into the future. We are in such an unpredictable moment in our history. What that does though, is allows us to focus on what we can control. I think helping people, the workforce, with upskilling and retooling to meet the demands of the future, helps everyone with organizational readiness. I think skills like adaptability and curiosity are skills that we need to sharpen in order to win!
If your colleagues had to describe you in three words, what would they say: Smart, Persuasive, Energetic
How do you amplify the voices of others around you? If you start with the premise that in every interaction, you’ll learn something if you just listen, it is then very easy to champion and amplify the voices around you. I don’t operate like my voice is the most important, in fact, quite the opposite. I think listening and championing others, helps me! So give people, especially young people, an audience, hold a forum. Listen and learn. Then remember, you do have the power to help them wield their voices so when my inner activist gets inspired, I also see my role to give them a steer, help their voices find action.
If you weren’t in this business, what career might you have pursued? I always tell my children, if Mommy were to win the lottery, I would play with puppies! I love animals and would probably do something in service of animals. How could you not, they need our help!
Who or what had the biggest impact on your leadership journey? I think being exposed to greatness is what shaped who I am as a leader. I wouldn’t say it is any one person or any ‘one’ event that occurred, but I have been very blessed in my life over the years to work with wonderful leaders along the way. Both in the people space, but also strong business leaders and when you see something you like, when you are moved by something they said or did, you take a note and put that tool in your tool kit. Over time, that experience shapes you. The biggest disservice we can do to aspiring leaders is NOT give our up and coming managers the right leadership training. Then they don’t reach their fullest potential and go on to impart greatness on others.
Where do you find energy and inspiration outside the office? My kids are great sources of motivation! I have three and all three play several sports. We are going and going all weekend, every weekend. The running around keeps me young, and watching them play with energy, tenacity and grit, inspires me to dig deep and approach my own life with the same level of gusto I suppose we all had when we were kids. It’s really impressive.