HITS

LOS ANGELES — Women in Technology: Hollywood (WiTH), an organization that serves as a catalyst for the advancement of women in entertainment technology, has announced the nominees for its 1st Annual WiTH Leadership Awards, scheduled to be presented at the upcoming HITS: Spring Conference being held May 25, 2017 at the Sheraton Universal Hotel in Los Angeles.

In honor of the winners of this year’s inaugural program, WiTH will be donating 100% of all revenues from Awards sponsorships to three charity organization that consistently deliver on the same goals as the organization: The Coding Bootcamp at UCLA Extension, Girls Who Code, and STEM Advantage.

The WiTH Steering Committee selected this year’s nominees based on their service as technology-career role models and mentors in our communities, empowering women executives to be bold leaders.

Nominations for their 1st Annual Leadership Awards include:

Sara Akhteh, Business Analyst, Studio Systems Group, Sony Pictures Entertainment
Victoria Alonso, Executive Producer – Head of Physical Production, Marvel Studios
Steve Andujar, Executive Vice President & Chief Information Officer, Sony Pictures Entertainment
Susan Black, Executive Director, IT Portfolio Management, Sony Pictures Entertainment
Linda Borgeson, Senior Vice President Post Production, Walt Disney Studios
Annie Chang, Vice President, Technology, Marvel Studios
Vicky Colf, Chief Technology Officer, Warner Bros. Studios
Elizabeth Cullen, Executive Director, Product Development, Walt Disney Studios
Denise Evans, Chief Information Officer, Vice President of IT, Miramax Studios
Vanessa Fiola, Partner Media & Entertainment Consulting, OnPrem
Melanie Hilderbrandt, Vice President, Corporate IT, Sony Pictures Entertainment
Laura Maurizi-Schiltz, Director, Production IT, 20th Century Fox Television
Cindy McKenzie, Chief Information Officer, Deluxe
Caitlin Robertson, Senior Vice President, Enterprise Operations, Fox Filmed Entertainment
Mimi Steele, Vice President, Visual Effects, Walt Disney Studios

Three winners will be ultimately selected in recognition of their executive leadership aligned to the WiTH Pillars:

Professional Development – For leveraging resources near and far to broaden our collective expertise and assert ourselves as leaders.

Mentoring and Networking – For fostering growth in our professional network: connecting, inspiring, and encouraging each other.

Community Engagement – For being avid ambassadors of technology by encouraging young women to pursue careers in our field.

The final 2017 Award Winners will be announced at the end of April and the Awards presentation will be made as part of the main-stage program. The nominees and ultimate selection of winners were based on votes by the following WiTH Steering Committee Advisors:

Christina Aguilera, Studio Asset Management, The Walt Disney Studios
Nancy Baca, Director, Licensing Financial Systems, The Walt Disney Company
Galina Cherny, Vice President, Film IT, NBCUniversal
Denise Evans, Chief Information Officer, Vice President of IT, Miramax Studios
Alex Grimwade, Chief Information Officer, 20th Century Fox Television
Nadya Ichinomiya, Director of IT, Television Marketing, Sony Pictures Entertainment
Theresa Miller, Executive Vice President & Chief Information Officer, Lionsgate
Rachel Souder-Arguedas, Director, Business Relationship Management, Home Entertainment IT, Sony Pictures Entertainment
Nina Skorus-Neely, Vice President, WB Technology Client Solutions – Consumer Products, Warner Bros.
Cheri Strelow, Vice President, Client Solutions Supply Chain, Warner Bros.

To help sponsor this charitable activity and to celebrate women’s technology leadership in Hollywood contact: Garrett Randall at [email protected]

Women in Technology: Hollywood (WiTH) is a vital professional organization of over 600 members that focuses on the unique position of women in today’s dynamic tech-driven entertainment industry. This powerful consortium began in March 2014 in an informal women’s reading circle at Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) and quickly evolved into a full-fledged employee business resource group at the studio with over 250 members. WiTH, an independent cross-industry organization, was established the following month to facilitate cross-studio women’s group communications and to address pressing issues specific to women technology executives in Hollywood including: leadership, business and technology skills development, mentorship, negotiation, career development, vision, management, community engagement, empowerment, work/life balance and self-confidence.

For more information, visit: www.WiTHollywood.org

If you have any questions about the WiTH Awards, the organization or members, please contact: [email protected]