Upwardly Global (UpGlo), an award-winning, national nonprofit organization that helps immigrants and refugees find their place in the professional U.S. job market, will honor Tonia O’Connor, Chief Revenue Officer for Univision Communications Inc. (UCI), with the organization’s first Women’s Vanguard Award.
The award, which recognizes individuals who champion global diversity in the workplace, with a focus on opening opportunities for women, will be celebrated at UpGlo’s annual Passport to Possibilities Awards & Gala on Nov. 1, 2017 in New York City. Proceeds from the event support UpGlo’s innovative programs that prepare work-authorized immigrants and refugees to translate their education, skills, and previous careers into the professional U.S. workforce.
“Ms. O’Connor has demonstrated incredible leadership throughout her career in advocating for diversity and empowering women to succeed,” said Nikki Cicerani, President and CEO of Upwardly Global. “She is an inspiring role model, and we are thrilled to recognize her as the first-ever recipient of our Women’s Vanguard Award.”
In her role at UCI, Ms. O’Connor drives an integrated content monetization strategy and oversees all of UCI’s revenue streams – linear and digital advertising, content distribution, as well as new revenue development. She also spearheads UCI’s development of new opportunities that advance consumer engagement and create a more effective overall experience for marketers and distributors.
Beyond her enterprise responsibilities, Ms. O’Connor constantly seeks to empower women to help them advance in leadership positions. Her passion for sponsoring women, both at UCI and in the industry, is what led her to sponsor UCI’s Women’s Leadership Council—an employee impact group that supports women employees with professional growth in the workplace and their communities, as well as prepares them for leadership roles. In addition, Ms. O’Connor serves as director on the Board of Directors of El Rey Network, a cable network started by filmmaker Robert Rodriguez and fuboTV, a streaming TV service. She has received multiple awards and recognitions, and is active in industry organizations and currently serves as Chairman on the Dean’s Advisory Board at the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University.
“Supporting all women, regardless of color, background, and culture is one of my life’s missions. Which is why UpGlo’s recognition of my commitment is such a humbling honor,” shared Ms. O’Connor. “At Univision, we share UpGlo’s goal to empower the underrepresented, and inclusion is part of our business plan. It’s our New American Reality and the seed of innovation and growth.”
Through partnerships with Fondation CHANEL and the Walmart Foundation, Upwardly Global has developed networks and specialized training on salary negotiation, navigating the workplace, and balancing childcare with employment to support and empower immigrant and refugee women in their professional job search.
Upwardly Global will also honor Dr. Hamed Faridi, Chief Science Officer of McCormick & Company, Inc., with the organization’s Outstanding Leadership Award, and Jennifer Geissel-Zervigon, Independent Strategy Consultant, with the Immigrant and Refugee Service Award.
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About Upwardly Global
Upwardly Global is the first and longest-serving organization that focuses on helping foreign-trained immigrants and refugees integrate into the American workforce. We prepare newcomers for jobs that match their education and skills, and provide employers with the tools to create inclusive hiring practices so they can take advantage of this untapped and valuable potential.
About Univision Communications Inc.
Univision Communications Inc. (UCI) is the leading media company serving Hispanic America. The Company, a leading content creator in the U.S., includes Univision Network, one of the leading networks in the U.S. regardless of language and the most-watched Spanish-language broadcast television network in the country available in approximately 90% of U.S. Hispanic television households; UniMás, a leading Spanish-language broadcast television network available in approximately 85% of U.S. Hispanic television households; Univision Cable Networks, including Galavisión, the most-watched U.S. Spanish-language entertainment cable network, as well as UDN (Univision Deportes Network), the most-watched U.S. Spanish-language sports cable network, Univision tlnovelas, a 24-hour Spanish-language cable network dedicated to telenovelas, ForoTV, a 24-hour Spanish-language cable network dedicated to international news, and an additional suite of cable offerings – De Película, De Película Clásico, Bandamax, Ritmoson and Telehit; Univision Local Media, which owns and/or operates 59 television stations and 64 radio stations in major U.S. Hispanic markets and Puerto Rico; and Univision Now, a direct-to-consumer, on demand and live streaming subscription service. The Company also includes the Fusion Media Group (FMG), a division that serves young, diverse audiences. FMG includes two cable networks: news and lifestyle English-language network FUSION TV and UCI’s interest in El Rey Network, a general entertainment English-language cable network; Univision.com, the most-visited Spanish-language website among U.S. Hispanics; Uforia, a music application featuring multimedia music content; as well as a collection of leading digital brands that span a range of categories: technology (Gizmodo), sports (Deadspin), music (TrackRecord), lifestyle (Lifehacker), modern women’s interests (Jezebel), news and politics (Splinter), African American news and culture (The Root), gaming (Kotaku), and car culture (Jalopnik). FMG also includes the Company’s interest in comedy and news satire brands The Onion, Clickhole and The A.V. Club. Headquartered in New York City, UCI has content creation facilities and sales offices in major cities throughout the United States. For more information, please visit corporate.univision.com.