PLANTATION – Paula Madison is the keynote speaker slated for the National Association of Caribbean- American Journalists’ first national meeting in South Florida.
An executive vice president of diversity for NBC Universal and a company officer for General Electric, Madison will keynote the luncheon and award ceremony at the convention to be held March 28th to 30th at the Marriott-Renaissance Plantation Hotel in Plantation, Florida.
Paula Madison
In May 2007, NBC Universal President and CEO Jeff Zucker appointed Madison as the company’s chief diversity officer. When the announcement was made, it was the first time in the history of NBC Universal that a senior executive has had diversity as his or her sole responsibility. She is responsible for helping NBC as an industry leader in developing the programs and culture that will enable the company to better reflect the makeup of its increasingly diverse, globally-based customers, clients and audiences.
Madison has a history as a high achiever. In 2005, Black Enterprise Magazine named her one of the 75 Most Powerful African Americans in Corporate America; and she has been included in the Hollywood Reporter’s “Power 100.” A native of Harlem, New York, Madison and her husband reside in Los Angeles. Her parents hail from Jamaica.
“I’m delighted that Paula will be our first keynote speaker,” said NACAJ president Ann-Marie Adams. “She embodies the essence of NACAJ’s mission by advocating for the media to embrace diversity. But the NACAJ is especially pleased because Paula has championed more exposure to the diversity within the black community, especially the large number of Caribbean-Americans that reside in many cities across the U.S.”
NACAJ’s first national meeting is expected to attract about 100 journalists with Caribbean heritage working in mainstream and ethnic media across the U.S. and the Caribbean. The event will kick off with a town hall meeting for Caribbean nationals and elected officials to help set the agenda for the upcoming June Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Diaspora conference in New York this year.
