Laulis Named Cable One President, COO

As it prepares for its planned spin-off as a separate public company, Phoenix-based Cable One promoted chief operating officer Julie Laulis to president and COO.

Laulis started her career at Cable One in in 1999 as Norwest Division marketing director in 1999. She was promoted to Southwest Division vice president in 2001, named senior vice president - chief operations officer in 2008, and promoted to chief operating officer in 2012.

“Julie has a broad 32-year cable background, and in her 15 years at Cable One she has demonstrated an ability to run day-to-day operations and execute difficult changes with exceptional results,” said CEO Tom Might said in a statement. “This promotion is well-deserved and positions Cable One for the significant new responsibilities of an independent, publicly traded company.”

Late last year Cable One parent Graham Holdings said it had authorized its board of directors to move forward with plans to spin-off of the cable operator as a separate company.  That spin is expected to occur later this year.

Prior to Cable One, Laulis was at Hauser Communications and Jones Intercable, where she held the positions of Customer Service Manager, System Marketing Manager, Training Coordinator, Corporate Marketing Director and Senior Director of Marketing. 

Laulis graduated cum laude from Indiana University in Bloomington with a bachelor’s degree in Telecommunications. She attended the Woman in Cable Television Betsy Magness Leadership Institute in 1998-1999, and graduated from the Program for Management Development at the Harvard Business School in 2002. In 2004 she returned to Harvard to study Business Strategy, and has helped lead Cable One’s strategic planning since that time.

Laulis has also been active in several industry organizations and has served as vice president of the Washington/Baltimore Cable Marketing Council; treasurer of Women in Cable and Telecommunications, DC Chapter; board member of the Colorado Cable TV Association; secretary and vice president of Women in Cable Television NM-AZ Chapter; and on the Women’s Leadership Council - Valley of the Sun United Way.

In a separate announcement, Cable One said it promoted vice president, general counsel and secretary Alan Silverman to senior vice president, general counsel and secretary.

Silverman started with The Washington Post Company in 1984 as Assistant General Counsel of Newsweek Magazine.  While still at Newsweek, he worked on The Washington Post Company’s acquisition of Post-Newsweek Cable (Cable One) from Capital Cities in 1986.  Following the acquisition, Silverman became Vice President, General Counsel, Director of Administration, and Secretary of Cable One.