Foundation Elects Madeline Di Nonno as New Chair

The Television Academy Foundation, the Television Academy's charitable arm, has elected Madeline Di Nonno, chief executive officer of the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media, as its new chair. Di Nonno succeeds Robert Cook, who served as Foundation chair since January 2015.

Under Di Nonno's direction, the board will guide and expand the Television Academy Foundation's mission to identify, advance, and empower future television leaders.

The newly elected Foundation officers are Margaret Loesch, executive chairman, Kid Genius Cartoon Channel, as vice chair; Marc Graboff, president, global business and legal affairs for Discovery Communications, re-elected as treasurer; and Nelson Davis, president of The Making It Institute and Nelson Davis Productions, as secretary. Additionally, Thomas Sarnoff, president of Sarnoff Entertainment Corp, is returning as chair emeritus.

The incoming officers will play a critical role in engaging and educating the next generation of television professionals through existing programming, while working to build a significant endowment to provide growth and sustainability as part of the ongoing New Destination Campaign.

Established in 1959, the Foundation has nurtured thousands of burgeoning talent, providing essential resources that help them discover their voices, refine their skills and forge rewarding careers in every sector of the television industry. Key initiatives include the College Television Awards recognizing and rewarding excellence in student-produced television; the Internship Program providing diverse students valuable access to industry jobs in over 30 disciplines; the Faculty Seminar connecting College and University Professors with TV Industry leaders; and the Archive of American Television capturing and disseminating television history as it evolves through more than 4,000 hours of interviews with the greatest legends and pioneers of the medium.

"I am honored and privileged to serve as chair and excited to guide the Foundation as we embark on an extremely dynamic period in television history," said Di Nonno. "I look forward to influencing our collective efforts to shape and significantly impact the next generation of television professionals."

The Television Academy Foundation board of directors' newly elected officers for the 2017-2019 term are:

Madeline Di Nonno – Chair

Di Nonno is chief executive officer of the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media and leads the institute's strategic, financial and operational directives. The television veteran brings over 30 years of executive leadership experience in the entertainment, nonprofit, digital media and consumer packaged goods industries to her new role. Di Nonno has also served in executive positions at Anchor Bay Entertainment/Starz Media, Hallmark Channel, Universal Studios Home Video and ABC Television Network.

Margaret Loesch - Vice Chair

Multiple Emmy winner and Peabody winner, Margaret Loesch has recently been appointed as executive chairman of the Kid Genius Cartoon Channel. In this newly created position, Ms. Loesch provides advice and counsel to the senior management of this rapidly growing Video On Demand Channel, currently available in 50 million U.S. households. Previously, Loesch served as founding president and CEO of the Hub Network, now Discovery Family, where she oversaw all business and creative areas of the network through December 2014. Loesch has held top creative and executive roles at Crown Media United States, the Jim Henson Group, FOX Kids Network, Marvel Productions and Hanna-Barbera Productions. Loesch has served on the Television Academy Foundation board for 12 years.

Marc Graboff - Treasurer

Beginning his second term as Foundation treasurer, Marc Graboff is president, global business and legal affairs, production management and studios for Discovery Communications where he oversees business affairs and production management strategies, acquisitions, development and production of programming for all of Discovery's networks and digital platforms globally. Prior to joining Discovery, Graboff held several critical positions with Core Media Group Inc, NBC and then NBC Universal, including chairman, NBC Entertainment and Universal Media Studios from 2007 to 2009, and president, west coast business operations for NBC Universal Television Entertainment until 2012.

Nelson Davis - Secretary

Davis, who will serve his first term as a Foundation officer, is president of The Making It Institute and Nelson Davis Productions. The Emmy Award-winning producer develops programs that educate, inspire and place a brighter public spotlight on small and minority business communities. Davis previously served as director of daytime programming for the NBC Television Network.

About the Television Academy Foundation
Established in 1959 as the charitable arm of the Television Academy, the Television Academy Foundation is dedicated to preserving the legacy of television while educating and inspiring those who will shape its future. Through renowned educational and outreach programs such as the Archive of American Television, College Television Awards and Internship Program the Foundation seeks to widen the circle of voices our industry represents and to create more opportunity for television to reflect all of society. For more information on the foundation, please visit TelevisionAcademy.com/Foundation.

Contact:
Stephanie Goodell
breakwhitelight (for the Television Academy)
stephanie@breakwhitelight.com
818-462-1150