This award recognizes an industry woman serving in a technical position who has contributed significantly to her organization as well as the cable and telecommunications industry.  In addition to her technical expertise, she is a valued team member who is committed to supporting and motivating others. Nominees must exhibit the Touchstones of Leadership, have been in the industry for at least five years and hold a management or leadership position within their organization.

Congratulations, Esperanza Hunter!

Esperanza has been an active WICT member since 2018, started volunteering right away and became part of The WICT Network, Midwest chapter board in 2019. She has worn multiple hats; started as the Marketing Technology chair and was crucial driving and delivering the new website. In 2022, Esperanza became the Director of Programming, and is working on bringing new and exciting events to our chapter’s schedule. Esperanza also leads the program delivery teams on behalf of IT Infrastructure for Charter’s many IT initiatives. She is responsible for directing technical project management, budget management, and other initiatives across several hundred active projects at any one time. She works with all other business units across Charter’s vast enterprise to ensure that each team’s IT needs are met, including Spectrum Enterprise, Spectrum Mobile, Marketing, Corporate Real Estate, Facilities, and many others.

Esperanza has been in the technology field for over 25 years, including roles overseas. She speaks multiple languages and holds her Master of Business Administration, Master of Project Management, and other graduate certificates. She is currently pursuing a master’s certificate in data analytics and business intelligence from Penn State University.

What her nominators have to say about Esperanza

Jim Keller
Sr. Director, IT, Charter Communications

“Esperanza’s leadership style brings forward the best in her and others. She is very self-aware and works with me every year to identify areas of improvement to help her become more accomplished personally. She is an excellent communicator and listens more than she speaks. She is truly an active listener, looking for understanding in the communications of others before she responds. Her desire is to understand first, then try to find the appropriate manner and time to respond. She is definitely fearless, he personality is very outgoing and demonstrative. She embraces change and growth in a way that inspires others to act. She is that catalyst that helps to usher in change, but she is also that calm, assertive person who helps to keep it going until it take root and becomes the norm. She puts the organization and her team before herself and is always leading from the front no matter cause.”

Patrick Hunter
Sr. Director, IT Systems Operation Center – Network/Security/Transport, Charter Communications

“Esperanza is a success story worth telling. She has overcome many challenges to reach the heights to which she has ascended in her field. She is regularly recognized by executive leadership as a “go-to” person; someone who will “get the job done.” But she has never done that at the expense of anyone else nor her own principles. Rather, she is the embodiment of the Touchstones in every meaningful way, as described above. She is one of the very few truly genuine “givers” I’ve ever known and I’m proud to have been associated with her through the work we’ve done together at Charter these last few years. Her future is bright and I believe an award like this is as deserved for her as it has been for anyone before.”

This award recognizes an industry woman who has made significant contributions to the cable and telecommunications industry throughout her career, serves as a mentor and role model for others, exhibits leadership qualities that have made a difference in her organization, is a risk taker and a groundbreaker, and inspires others.  This woman is highly regarded by her peers and teammates for career accomplishments and quality of work-life balance.

Eligibility:

• Recipient will have been in the industry for at least ten years.
• Holds a management/leadership position within her organization.
• Must exhibit the Touchstones of Leadership – Know Yourself, Communicate, Listen, Be a Catalyst, Be Fearless, and Inspire.

Congratulations, Patsy Baldes!

Patsy Baldes has been with Charter Communications since 2002 and currently serves as Group Vice President of External Reporting and Accounting Policy. In this role, Patsy oversees the preparation of external financial reports, consolidation of financial information and partners with management on the application of generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) and internal controls over financial reporting (ICFR). She also partners with the programming acquisition group to review contracts and apply appropriate GAAP to transactions with cable networks and broadcasters and oversees the accounting and processing of payments for programming contracts.

Patsy began her career in 1994 in public accounting with Arthur Andersen LLP where she served in the audit practice with a focus on public companies in the telecommunications and manufacturing industries. Patsy is a CPA and earned her Bachelor of Science in Accountancy from the University of Illinois-Urbana.

Patsy is very involved with and serves on the board of directors of St. Francis Community Services, an organization that helps thousands of poor and vulnerable individuals each year in the St. Louis, Missouri area. She lives in Florissant, Missouri with her husband, Dale, her four children, Garrett, Gavin, Jacob and Rachel and two cats. She is frequently found poolside watching her kids swim or play water polo.

What her nominator has to say about Patsy

Lisa Neuwirth
Sr. Dir. ERP Strategic Readiness Charter Communications

“Patsy is a true leader. She has a desire to learn, to engage in new and challenging experiences and welcomes feedback. She recognizes the power others have in her life. She exerts influence and shares back what she has learned from people and experiences to help others develop and grow. She is bold, but not selfish. She knows who she is and uses her resources to easily navigate uncertain situations. She is collaborative, action-oriented and leads by example.”

This award recognizes an individual who has shown exemplary volunteer support for The WICT Network: Midwest.  This leader should show dedication to volunteering/serving to help grow the Midwest Chapter and inspire others in the community. Nominees must exhibit the Touchstones of Leadership and have been in the industry for at least three years.

Congratulations, Marcy Bursac!

Empathetic and real, Marcy Bursac is one of those people who has an infectious, positive outlook. She joined the telecommunications industry after over a decade of nonprofit philanthropy work.

In 2021 Marcy eagerly stepped in as interim chair of the WICT Midwest Mentoring Program having found value in the program as a mentee herself. Through her service to the chapter, Marcy grew the chapter’s Mentor Program by 27% and helped earn our chapter 2nd place in Mentoring Excellence among all WICT chapters. Her strategy was based on research that men mentoring women provides women with greater access to information and broader networks. 

Making an impact is a common aspect of her personal life, too. Wanting to mentor others through the foster care adoption process, she used a stimulus payment during the pandemic to self-publish a book for adults “The Forgotten Adoption Option: A How-To and Self-Reflection Guide for Pursuing Foster Care Adoption” and then launched the “Forgotten Adoption Option Podcast.” Most recently, she has been crowned United States of America’s Mrs. Ohio for her foster care adoption advocacy work on behalf of the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption which is based in Ohio. Just this month, National Foster Care Month, Marcy published a book for children of all ages “Are You a Forever Family?” in an effort to recruit more forever families for remaining 115,000 U.S. children who are waiting in foster care. 

By day you can find Marcy helping to develop a user-centered intranet in her role on the internal communications technology team at Charter Communications which is a daily resource for the company’s 93,000+ employees.

What her nominators have to say about Marcy

Esperanza Hunter
IT Director, Charter Communications

“Marcy has shown exemplary volunteer support by stepping in to fill a role when the opportunity arose. She did not step in to simply maintain the program, she came with fresh ideas and a growth-mindset. She evaluated the program format and reduced the time commitment to accommodate to the efficiency of video meetings. She also leveraged the ability to pair mentors and mentees from different cities and states because the landscape of virtual communication tools lends itself to this format. Her dedication to volunteering and serving our chapter are apparent with her successful PMDS recruitment efforts for 2021 and her prior service helping with membership recruitment under the leadership of Jennifer Petrarca.”

Anna Jankord
Operations Training Manager, Midco

“Marcy is a force for good – and not just within her company, the industry, The WICT Network but also her passion for child adoption and her own adopted children. I met Marcy through our PMDS cohort and our relationship blossomed through her generosity of words, kindness in the face of vulnerability and the sheer enjoyment I get from her inspirational personality. Marcy served as The WICT Network: Midwest Mentor Program Chair and took the program to the next level. She understands how to connect with individuals on a large scale – she is great with words, an intentional and influential leader, and exudes passion that is contagious.”

Each year, The WICT Network: Midwest recognizes four outstanding chapter members who have made an extraordinary contribution to our industry through volunteerism, technology, and leadership. Congratulations to our 2021 award honorees. You should be proud of your accomplishments.

Chapter Volunteer of the Year

This award recognizes an individual who has shown exemplary volunteer support for The WICT: Midwest in 2020.  This leader should show dedication to volunteering/serving to help grow the Midwest Chapter and inspire others in the community.

Wendy Thebeau
Program Manager, Charter Communications

Nominated by: Ian Poertner
Sr. Director, Charter Communications

How does the nominee fits each of the desired qualifications and eligibilities listed for the award?

Wendy has been in the industry for a number of years, but I am not sure how many. While not in a position of leadership by title, she has lead the Women in Technology committee for Charter and done an amazing job of regularly putting together quarterly presentations for members that have added a lot of value to a large number of people.

How does the nominee exhibit The WICT Network Touchstones of Leadership? (Know Yourself. Communicate. Listen. Be a Catalyst. Be Fearless. Inspire.)

Wendy leverages other members of the Women in Technology committee to support her in areas where she feels she has gaps in her own ability. She is honest and up front about that. She manages to work with each team member to support meeting goals in a timely while understanding and responding to roadblocks they may encounter. She also pushes team members to get engaged in areas they may not feel comfortable in while leading by example tackling items she herself considers her own areas to improve.

How has the nominee has made a meaningful contribution to the cable telecommunications industry?

Wendy has been leading the Women in Technology committee to regularly pull together presentations on topics affecting women in the industry such as how to lead, leading versus managing, and how to cope with working from home during challenging times.

Why do you believe the nominee has earned the award you are nominating them for?

Wendy really works hard to support women in technology with little to no thanks, certainly no financial gain, and minimal impact to her career advancement.

Woman in Technology

This award recognizes an industry woman serving in a technical position who has contributed significantly to her organization as well as the cable and telecommunications industry.  In addition to her technical expertise, she is a valued team member who is committed to supporting and motivating others.

Tara Mueller
Web Applications Manager, Midco

Nominated by: Amanda Potter
Social Media Manager, Midco

How does the nominee fits each of the desired qualifications and eligibilities listed for the award?

Tara has worked for Midco as the Web Applications Manager for six years. In this role, she oversees Midco’s residential, business and Midco Sports websites, the company’s intranet, and Midco’s mobile app strategy and development.

How does the nominee exhibit The WICT Network Touchstones of Leadership? (Know Yourself. Communicate. Listen. Be a Catalyst. Be Fearless. Inspire.)

Tara leads a small but mighty team of software developers who are responsible for the website experience for the approximately 9,000 daily visitors. She has to listen to and communicate with diverse stakeholders companywide, as well as vendors, in order to keep major projects moving forward – as well as maintain day-to-day operations! She is unafraid to make recommendations to leadership about technologies and practices we need to employ. At the same time, she welcomes and encourages everyone’s ideas. She leads innovative projects that make big differences externally and internally – for example, creating and implementing a single sign-on API for customers across multiple Midco systems to streamline and improve customer experience. She has also been a catalyst for adding customer response channels so that customers can reach support using their preferred method – such as web chat, SMS, or Apple Business Chat. Finally, Tara oversees a diverse group of developers, and inspires them to be a connected, cohesive, innovative team that truly cares about one another – as well as the work they do.

How has the nominee has made a meaningful contribution to the cable telecommunications industry?

Tara’s commitment to Midco’s customers and to finding a way to improve, upgrade, and streamline systems has brought Midco’s user experience into the 21st century. Thanks to the work of Tara and her team, Midco’s customers can do everything from sign up for services to get support with the click of a button or tap on a smartphone screen.

Why do you believe the nominee has earned the award you are nominating them for?

Tara’s can-do spirit, fearless leadership, and passion for innovation has made a big difference for Midco, our customers, and beyond. At a time when the digital user experience is becoming more and more important, Tara has streamlined and improved user experience both internally and externally – helping Midco provide vital services to our customers.

Rising Leader Award

This award recognizes an industry woman, considered a newcomer to the industry, who has demonstrated her own personal leadership style and has become accomplished in both her job and in her working knowledge of the cable and/or telecommunications industry.

Eligibility:

• Must exhibit the Touchstones of Leadership – Know Yourself, Communicate, Listen, Be a Catalyst, Be Fearless, and Inspire.

and meet one of the following:

• Recipient will have been in the industry for less than five years.

-OR-

• Changed career paths/business fields within the past two years (e.g. from marketing to operations).

-OR-

• Received a promotion within the last year to the manager level.

Melissa Wolf
Government Relations Manager, Midco

Nominated by: Andrew Curly
Director of Government Relations, Midco

How does the nominee fits each of the desired qualifications and eligibilities listed for the award?

Melissa has been in the industry for less than 2 years.

How does the nominee exhibit The WICT Network Touchstones of Leadership? (Know Yourself. Communicate. Listen. Be a Catalyst. Be Fearless. Inspire.)

Melissa truly exhibits all of the Touchstones of Leadership. Two Touchstones stand out, in particular: Connect and Be Fearless. She has developed tremendous connections within Midco, across multiple departments, in her 18 months with the company. This is particularly impressive considering for all but 1 month of her tenure she has been working remotely due to the pandemic. In addition, Melissa has gone above and beyond to connect with others across our industry. She has developed a great working relationship with our industry government relations partners involved with MCCA and was eager to join and get involved with The WICT Network as soon as the opportunity was presented. Melissa has also been Fearless in her time with Midco. She came to Midco with a great background in government and politics, but had no experience in the telecommunications industry. In an unprecedented time for our industry’s involvement with government initiatives, Melissa has taken the bull by the horns and become an invaluable leader for Midco, far exceeding the goals and expectations set out for her. Midco is has been very active growing our footprint in Minnesota, with both private capital investments and public-private partnerships. Melissa has been placed at the forefront of these efforts given the required coordination with state and local governments. She has led these endeavors with poise and determination.

How has the nominee has made a meaningful contribution to the cable telecommunications industry?

Melissa has worked diligently with our industry partners to represent both Midco and the entire industry well within the State Capitol in Minnesota. When a Senate Committee hearing on rural broadband deployment in Minnesota was convened, they sought a testifier to offer a providers perspective. Despite being in the industry less than a year, Melissa stepped up to testify and her presentation was met with rave reviews within Midco, within the industry, and by our legislative allies. She communicated the Midco story, specifically, and industry story, generally, with great ease, as if she had been representing our industry for years, not months. Our industry can face scrutiny at times from government officials and telling our story as well as Melissa did goes a long way toward developing and maintaining a positive image with these officials.

Why do you believe the nominee has earned the award you are nominating them for?

The very phrase “Rising Leader” perfectly describes Melissa and how she is viewed at Midco. In a very short time, she has gone from a new team member to a trusted leader, taking on several important initiatives for the company. She has already accomplished a lot in her time in our industry, including representing Midco well during legislative session and successfully navigating the franchising process for dozens of greenfield expansions Midco is pursuing in Minnesota. She has an extremely bright future ahead of her as she continues to grow and lead.

Spirit of the Midwest

This award recognizes an industry woman who has made significant contributions to the cable and telecommunications industry throughout her career, serves as a mentor and role model for others, exhibits leadership qualities that have made a difference in her organization, is a risk taker and a groundbreaker, and inspires others.  This woman is highly regarded by her peers and teammates for career accomplishments and quality of work-life balance.

Maryann Eastman
Director, NOC Metrics & Reporting, Charter Communications

Nominated by: Karen Zumwalt
Sr. Manager, Network Operations, Charter Communications

How does the nominee fits each of the desired qualifications and eligibilities listed for the award?

Maryann has held numerous positions within several different telecommunications companies for over 15 years. Maryann is currently a Director of NOC Metrics and Reporting for Charter Communications. Maryann has the touchstones hanging in her office, and lives each one in her daily work life, and personal life.

How does the nominee exhibit The WICT Network Touchstones of Leadership? (Know Yourself. Communicate. Listen. Be a Catalyst. Be Fearless. Inspire.)

Maryann embraces The WICT Network Touchstones and demonstrates them in her daily interactions with team members, peers, and leadership. Maryann shows the KNOW YOURSELF touchstone by allowing others to see that she is strong, capable, and knows where she wants to go in the future. She is always looking at opportunities for professional and person growth. Maryann has an exceptional ability to COMMUNICATE, and does so with individual contributors to CEOs with skill and style. By using the LISTEN touchstone, she has an increased perception of others and is able to use those observations to CONNECT in ways that not everyone can accomplish. Maryann is a CATALYST for change and improvement in processes regarding her team, the department, the organization, and the industry. By her ability to BE FEARLESS, Maryann has led initiatives to launch several new programs and metrics for performance measurement to push for the success of the organization. Maryann definitely knows how to INSPIRE those around her to push for better opportunities and ways to improve, and is a constant supporter of women in the telecommunications industry.

How has the nominee has made a meaningful contribution to the cable telecommunications industry?

Through Maryann’s efforts at Charter, the way NOC performance is measured and reported has made a huge difference and has opened doors and the eyes of leadership to opportunities for improvement that were hidden or missed in the past. She is also showing executive leadership the value and benefit of strong analytics and what a difference they can make to the bottom line.

Why do you believe the nominee has earned the award you are nominating them for?

I believe that Maryann embraces The WICT Network in her daily actions, applications of the touchstones, and her drive for success. She is paving the way for future generations of women to come into this industry and be bold enough to make a difference.

Congratulations to 2020 Spirit of the Midwest Honorees

Please join the The WICT Network: Midwest in celebrating this year’s honorees!

Chapter Volunteer of the Year – Debra Malick

Debra is a 18-year professional within the consulting and staffing industry.  As National Account Manager for Diversant, she supports clients in their talent acquisition needs.  Diversant is a diversity-owned professional services firm providing IT contingent labor and consulting services.  Diversant believes that diversity in all its forms leads to greater opportunities for consultants and partners, and to more innovative solutions for clients.

Debra joined WICT in 2018 with memberships in the Midwest, Rockies, and Carolinas Chapters.   She quickly leaned into the program by volunteering for the Midwest Tech It Out, Spirit of Midwest, and Communication Committees as well as the Carolinas Chapter Ruby Circle Committee.  Debra was elected to the Board of Directors for the 2020-21 term as the Midwest Ambassador.

Finally, Debra is a passionate supporter of Make a Wish, serving as a Wish Ambassador.  This position allows her to meet children who are impacted with life-threatening illnesses, working to make their One True Wish come alive.

This award recognizes an individual who has shown exemplary volunteer support for WICT Midwest in 2020.  This leader should show dedication to volunteering/serving to help grow the Midwest Chapter and inspire others in the community.

Woman in Technology – Amber Schwiesow

Amber Schwiesow is the Director of Procurement, Supply Chain and Tower Management for Midco. In her current role, she applies automation and data science to the supply chain to build a system and team that complement the company’s strategic plans. Amber also oversees tower management and works on the team developing strategies for fixed wireless technology and operational execution. She previously held the role of Director of Business Engineering and Operations, where she led business engineering, sales engineering and technical operations. She launched private cloud services to expand Midco’s business service offerings by leveraging the company’s regional data center infrastructure. Amber is a current Women in Cable and Telecommunications (WICT) Midwest board member, a Society of Cable and Telecommunications Engineers (SCTE) member, and an active participant in CableLabs (specifically the UpRamp Fiterator® program). She is passionate about women in technology and serves on the Dakota State University Cybersecurity Industry Advisory Board and the Career and Technical Academy Advisory Board. She also organizes technology-centered events as the WICT Midwest Tech It Out Chair – and was recently featured in a documentary series highlighting women in leadership positions in the technology industry.

This award recognizes an industry woman serving in a technical position who has contributed significantly to her organization as well as the cable and telecommunications industry.  In addition to her technical expertise, she is a valued team member who is committed to supporting and motivating others.

Rising Leader Award – Emilie Gragert

Emilie is a Senior Manager of Financial Reporting at Charter Communications. She is responsible for the 10K and 10Q filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, benefit plan reporting, and all other ad hoc reporting requirements. In this role, Emilie works closely with a variety of teams including Internal Audit, External Audit, Procurement, and Management Reporting to accurately report financial results.

Emilie has held roles in numerous industries during her ten years in the accounting field, including engineering and construction, healthcare, pharmaceuticals, and telecommunications. She joined Charter in 2016 and, in addition to her current External Reporting role, has experience in Charter’s Internal Reporting and Technical Accounting functions.

Emilie holds a Masters of Accountancy, a Bachelor of Science Degree in Accounting, and a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Finance from Truman State University. Emilie is a Certified Public Accountant. Since joining Charter, she has completed the Charter Manager Leadership Development Program and the WICT Midwest Premier Management Development Series. Emilie has received two Achievement Awards and one Distinction Award (awarded annually to 0.25% of employees) for her significant contributions towards achieving Charter priorities. She is also a member to the WICT Midwest Board joining this year as the Sponsorship Chair.

Emilie is a native of Saint Louis, MO where she currently resides. She is passionate about volleyball and coaches at a large club in the area, High Performance STL.

Spirit of the Midwest – Trish McCann

At Midco, Trish McCann oversees residential, business and advertising sales; marketing, communications, web content, events, media relations and public affairs; as well as product development and Midco Sports Network®. With nearly 20 years of industry experience — involved in every aspect of branding, marketing, planning and research –Trish has a passion for building successful teams focused on serving customers and developing company culture. Trish was selected as the Sales & Marketing Executives Women in Business Excellence in Marketing award winner in 2017 and the EmBe Tribute to Women Business Achievement award winner in 2016. She holds a bachelor’s degree in sociology from South Dakota State University.