Award Will Be Presented at the 2018 PromaxBDA Conference, June 11-14 in New York
PromaxBDA, the leading global association for entertainment marketing, promotion and design professionals, announced that acclaimed BET Networks Chairman and CEO Emeritus, Debra L. Lee will be the recipient of the 2018 PromaxBDA Lifetime Achievement Award. Lee will be presented with the Award on June 14th at the 2018 PromaxBDA Conference in New York.
“Debra L. Lee has been a trailblazer throughout her career, inspiring a generation of marketing and creative teams with her confident, compassionate, and visionary leadership,” said Steve Kazanjian, President and CEO, PromaxBDA. “In a year when we are celebrating the theme of ‘real change’ at the PromaxBDA Conference, there is no one more fitting to receive our association’s highest honor than Debra L. Lee.”
“PromaxBDA’s reputation for celebrating storytellers in media is unmatched. This is why I’m so grateful to Steve Kazanjian and the entire PromaxBDA team for this recognition,” said Debra L. Lee, Philanthropist & Former BET Networks Chairman and CEO.
Debra L. Lee is arguably one of the most influential female voices in the entertainment industry.
For over 3 decades, Lee served as Chairman & CEO of BET Networks, the leading provider of entertainment for the African- American audience and consumers of Black culture globally.
During her tenure, Lee helmed BET’s reinvigorated approach to corporate philanthropy & authentic programming that lead to hits such as The New Edition Story, Being Mary Jane, The BET Awards, Black Girls Rock!, BET Honors and many more.
Lee’s achievements in her 30+ year career in the industry have earned her numerous accolades, including with the Distinguished Leadership Vanguard Award by the National Cable & Telecommunications Association, induction into the Broadcasting & Cable Hall of Fame and recognition by the GRAMMY Organization with the Salute To Industry Icons Award, on behalf of her major contributions to American music and culture. Lee is currently the first and only woman to receive the distinguished honor.
Lee is a committed philanthropist, holding a position on The Alvin Ailey Dance Foundation, serving as President; a member emeritus of the FCC’s Advisory Committee on Diversity for Communications in the Digital Age; and sits on the Board of Trustees for the American Film Institute, Brown University’s Center for Slavery & Justice, The Paley Center for Media, and The USC Annenberg School for Communication & Journalism.
