Changes at Disney: Vicki Dummer promoted to executive vice president of new Times Square Studios; Brian Frons to leave in January as head president-daytime, Disney/ABC TV Group; Abra Potkin, ex-CBS News, becomes senior vice president-East Coast programming & development; Ann Lewis Roberts promoted to senior vice president-West Coast programming and development.
Verizon CEO Lowell McAdam to add title of chairman Jan. 1, following retirement of Ivan Seidenbeg; Melanie Healey, Procter & Gamble, joins board … Meredith Baker, NBCUniversal, and John Orlando, CBS, join Media Institute board … Wowza Media Systems hires Chris Knowlton, ex-Microsoft, as vice president of product management.
Moves at SeaChange: Founder Bill Styslinger to retire as CEO and chairman; board member Raghu Rau named interim CEO; Director Thomas Olson named chairman … Dean Manson, Hughes Networks, becomes EchoStar executive vice president, general counsel and secretary, remains general counsel of subsidiary Hughes Communications … Chris Thomes, ex-Saban Brands, named Disney/ABC TV Group vice president, digital media studios … Bernard Gershon, ex-Disney, joins Earth911 advisory board … New Telecom Industry Association board members: Bryan Glutting, ACS Solutions; Vish Nandlall, Ericsson; Stratton Nicolaides, Numerex; Geoff Roman, Motorola Mobility; Steve Sifferman, Tarana Wireless … New at American Intellectual Property Law Association: President William Barber, Pirkey Barber; President-elect Jeffrey Lewis, Patterson Belknap; First Vice President Wayne Sobon, Rambus; Second Vice President Sharon Israel, Mayer Brown; Immediate Past President David Hill, Finnegan, Henderson; Secretary Elizabeth Morgan, Morgan Law Firm; Treasurer Georgann Grunebach, Fox Legal Group; board members Barbara Fiacco of Foley Hoag, Kevin Tottis of Law Offices of Kevin Tottis, Chen Wang, DuPont, Michael Martinez de Andino of Hunton & Williams; Mark Whitaker of Baker Botts named general counsel … SES names Ferenc Szelenyi, ex-Dell, senior vice president-commercial, Europe, replacing Norbert Hotzle, leaving company … Spanish Broadcasting System promotes Jackie Nosti-Cambo to vice president-business analytics … CommLaw Group promotes Michael Donahue to partner.
Changes at Univision: Luis Patino promoted to senior vice president-Univision TV Group; Ignacio Meyer, ex-Wireless Latin Entertainment, named vice president-business development … New vice presidents-political sales at Ion Media Networks: Robert Russo, ex-Katz TV, and William O'Shea, ex-Millennium Sales and Marketing … VOD service provider Epix hires Kirk Iwanowski, ex-Sundance Channel, as chief marketing officer … Globecast names Lisa Coelho, ex-AT&T U-verse, vice president-WorldTV … Sensio Technologies names Diana Cantu, ex-International Datacasting, vice president-business development, Live 3D.
Fiber-to-the-Home (FTTH) Council names Heather Burnett Gold, ex-XO Communications, its full-time president … RRsat Global Communications founder and CEO David Rivel to retire June 30 … Gilat promotes Glenn Katz to CEO of its Spacenet subsidiary, effective Jan. 1, replacing Andreas Georghiou, who remains adviser … Gannett names Teresa “Teri” Gendron, ex-NII Holdings, vice president-controller, replacing George Gavagan, who continues as vice president-chief accounting officer until he retires in February.
National Institute of Standards and Technology promotes Charles Romine to director of Information Technology Laboratory.
Commissioner Ronald Briséé elected chairman of Florida’s Public Service Commission for a two-year term beginning Jan. 2 … Ariel Roblin promoted to president-general manager, KETV-TV Omaha … ESPN promotions: George Bodenheimer to executive chairman; John Skipper to president.
Lisa Hone detailed from FCC Wireline Bureau to Commissioner Michael Copps’ office as wireline aide … MPAA moves: Cybele Daley promoted to senior vice president, government affairs, and Anna Soellner, ex-Center for American Progress, named vice president, corporate communications … VOD service provider EPIX promotes Andy Hunter to general manager, digital media applications and products … NBCUniversal’s Daily Candy names Fernando Romero, ex-Gilt City, vice president of advertising sales.
Agilent Technologies promotes Ron Nersesian to executive vice president-chief operating officer; Guy Sene promoted to replace him as head of electronic measurement group …
FCC promotions: Greg Guice to director, Office of Legislative Affairs; Christopher Lewis to deputy director … New CTIA officers: Chairman Pat Riordan, Cellcom; Vice Chair Mary Dillon, U.S. Cellular; Secretary Dan Mead, Verizon Wireless; Treasurer Bret Comolli, Asurion; Chairman Emeritus Dan Hesse, Sprint Nextel … SoundExchange names Jonathan Bender, ex-Concord Music Group, chief operating officer … Jon Steinlauf promoted to Scripps Network Interactive executive vice president-ad sales and marketing … Elected at Academy of TV Arts & Sciences: Chairman Bruce Rosenblum, Warner Bros. TV; Vice Chair Kevin Hamburger, The Talk; Second Vice Chair Frank Scherma, @radical.media; Secretary Marcelino Ford, Intel Media Group … New at Univision: Jason Newman, ex-ESPN, vice president-sports sales; Rick Resnick, ex-Time Inc., vice president-sports marketing … Andrew Morton, ex-Prodea Systems, named head of sales and market development for Entone’s broadband TV business … Jefferies adds Thomas Seitz, ex-Height Analytics, as managing director and analyst covering U.S. telecom companies.