President’s award winners

Patrick Esser is president of Cox Communications Inc., a multiservice broadband communications and entertainment company with more than 6 million residential and commercial customers.

In 2006, Esser’s first year as president, Cox was honored with five J.D. Power and Associates awards, with honors in all three service categories: video, residential telephone and high-speed Internet, in addition to other prestigious recognition for company leadership and diversity.

In 2007, Cox garnered J.D. Power’s highest honors for residential telephone customer satisfaction in the Northeast, Southwest and Western Regions. Also in 2007, Multichannel News named Esser its first “Executive of the Year.”

Esser recognizes the importance of the role of public affairs in supporting the company’s business strategy and positioning the operator with key stakeholders. He serves as a Southeastern Trustee of the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, and has championed Cox’s involved relationship with Clubs in its markets.

Since 2003, Cox has been the national technology partner for Boys & Girls Clubs of America, providing video and Internet technology at no cost to their centers in Cox markets. Cox has given these clubs over $1 million in cash contributions and $20 million in in-kind services. Esser also is chairing the region’s 2008 Chairman’s dinner, with a goal of raising $1.1 million for the organization.

Cox’s award-winning Take Charge! public affairs initiative continues to thrive under Esser’s leadership. Take Charge! helps parents create safe boundaries around children’s mass media experience.

Through national partnerships with Common Sense Media, John Walsh and the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, Cox is educating parents and teens on media safety. Since 2004, Cox has provided more than $25 million in advertising time to promote the use of parental controls.

With nearly 30 years of experience in the telecommunications industry, Esser joined Cox in 1979 as Director of Programming in Hampton Roads, Va., and was part of the original management team that pioneered Cox’s local advertising sales division, CableRep Advertising (now Cox Media).

In 1991, he was named corporate vice president of advertising sales, and was presented with the Cabletelevision Advertising Bureau President’s Award in 1994.

He was named vice president of operations for Cox’s Western Division in 1999, and was promoted to senior vice president of operations in 2000. Soon after, he was promoted to executive vice president, and added chief operating officer to his title in 2004.

Esser serves as treasurer of the National Cable & Telecommunications Association, and co-chaired the 2007 Cable Show.

He also serves on the board of directors of C-SPAN; the Cable & Telecommunications Association for Marketing Educational Foundation; CableLabs; and Cable in the Classroom. Additionally, he serves as an adviser to the Association of Cable Communicators and the National Association for Multi-Ethnicity in Communications.

A graduate of the University of Northern Iowa, Esser holds a B.A. and M.A. in communications media, and in 2003 was presented the university’s Heritage Honors Alumni Achievement Award.

Meredith Wagner has been executive vice president of public affairs and corporate communications for Lifetime Networks since February 2001 and oversees all public affairs, corporate communications and publicity for the programs and initiatives of Lifetime Television, Lifetime Movie Network, Lifetime Real Women, and Lifetime Digital (including myLifetime.com).

Wagner was among the first executives who pioneered public education and advocacy in the cable television industry. She established Lifetime’s unique commitment to use the power of the media to make a positive difference in the lives of women and has led the efforts for all of the Network’s Emmy Award-winning “My Lifetime Commitment” public outreach campaigns.

Under Wagner’s direction, My Lifetime Commitment campaigns include extensive original programming and public service announcements, online content, community outreach and advocacy for important national legislation, all designed to inform and support women on a range of issues affecting them and their families.

Wagner has forged partnerships with more than 200 leading nonprofit organizations to create initiatives to End Violence Against Women; to Stop Breast Cancer for Life; to ensure that Every Woman Counts in the halls of power; and to provide women helpful resources throughout the Network’s award-winning programming. The first two initiatives received ACC’s Golden Beacon Award.

As a centerpiece of the 2008 Every Woman Counts initiative, Lifetime formed the first-ever Every Woman Counts Coalition of women’s media and advocacy groups, in partnership with Hearst Magazines Redbook, CosmoGIRL!, Marie Claire and leading national nonprofit organizations representing more than 15 million women with celebrities from Queen Latifah to Marcia Cross to Ashlee Simpson contributing their talents.

The unprecedented Coalition will reach and connect millions of women nationwide in efforts to get a record number of women to register and vote, to ensure that issues important to women are central to the national dialogue and to encourage women to run for elected office at all levels.

Launched in 1992 and now entering its fifth presidential election cycle, the 2008 Every Woman Counts campaign will encompass the Network’s most extensive on-air programming, digital content and grassroots initiatives to date.

Republicans and Democrats alike have praised Lifetime’s public service efforts. Lifetime has successfully worked with bipartisan lawmakers and nonprofit partners to pass five pieces of legislation: the Video Voyeurism Protection Act of 2004; The Justice for All Act of 2004; Violence Against Women Act 2005 Reauthorization; Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2005; and the International Marriage Broker Regulation Act of 2005 (IMBRA).

A former ACC President, Wagner has received the CTPAA Public Affairs Achievement Award, the AWRT Star Award, and honors from the National Organization for Women, HELP USA and the UCP. She was named one of Women’s eNews 21st Century Leaders for her public affairs work, and a “Wonder Woman” by WICT/Multichannel News.

Wagner serves on the Harvard University JFK School of Government Women’s Leadership Board, the boards of Cable Positive and T. Howard Foundation and the advisory boards of the National Domestic Violence Hotline and Rock the Vote.

She joined Lifetime in 1987 as manager of public affairs, was promoted the following year to director, became vice president in 1989 and was appointed senior vice president in 1992. A resident of Manhattan, Wagner is a graduate of Skidmore College.