The Webby Awards competitors

Deborah Acklin is president and chief executive officer of WQED Multimedia, the nation’s first community-owned public media company, also known worldwide as “Mister Rogers’ station”.Ms. Acklin has served in multiple executive roles in public broadcasting, the cable television industry, and commercial broadcasting. At WQED Multimedia, she manages or has managed the operations, strategies, and fundraising to create original multi-platform content distributed across three television channels, three radio signals, an interactive Web-based learning channel, an interactive global media distribution portal, an education department, a publishing division, and PBS, NPR and their member stations.Her tenure includes many achievements, including four Mid-Atlantic Emmy Awards for Station and Overall Excellence, given by the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences to a general manager of a commercial or public television station in Pennsylvania, Delaware, West Virginia and New Jersey.

As chief executive officer at the National Geographic Society, Dr. Jill Tiefenthaler oversees the development and implementation of the Society’s mission-driven work and programmatic agenda. She leads our global community of Explorers: scientists, innovators, educators, and storytellers-in our mission to illuminate and protect the wonder of our world. Jill sits on the Society’s Board of Trustees and the board of National Geographic Partners. Before joining the National Geographic Society, Jill spent nine years as the president of Colorado College. During this time, she helped set a new direction for the school, executed the most ambitious fundraising campaign in the college’s history, and developed and implemented a comprehensive strategic plan that expanded and cultivated an engaged and globally connected academic community. She developed a Campus Master Plan, executed an alliance to make the world-class Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center part of the college, and led the college’s efforts to achieve carbon neutrality. She also drove significant increases in diversity among the faculty and student body and led the campus community in an external review of racism at the college that resulted in an Antiracism Implementation Plan. Before leading Colorado College, Jill was provost of Wake Forest University, where she redesigned the admissions process to include an SAT-optional policy, integrated the university’s undergraduate and graduate business schools, established the Institute for Public Engagement and The Humanities Institute, and implemented “Living Our Values,” a plan to strengthen residential life and campus vibrancy. Jill began her academic career at Colgate University, where she was a full professor of economics before holding various administrative roles, including consultant to the president; associate dean of the faculty; founding director of the Upstate Institute; and chair of the department of economics. Originally from Iowa, Jill grew up on a farm and worked for her family’s popcorn business before attending Saint Mary’s College in Notre Dame, IN. She received her M.A. and Ph.D. in economics from Duke University.

Experienced CEO and board director of leading media companies with a demonstrated history of working in the content publishing industry. Skilled in Digital Strategy, e-Commerce, and Content in all forms. Experience and education includes Journalism, Marketing Strategy, and Digital Marketing. Strong entrepreneurship professional with a BS focused in Journalism from Boston University.

Rebecca Campbell is a Chief Executive Officer at Austin Film Society and Executive Director at Austin Studios operated by AFS and is based in Austin, Texas. She has worked as Producer at Cortex Interactive, Executive Director at California Attorneys for Criminal Justice, and Executive Director at Clearinghouse for Volunteer Accounting Services. Rebecca attended University of Virginia between 1975 and 1980, University of Paris - Sorbonne and Vincennes between 1978 and 1979, and University of Texas at Austin/The between 1992 and 1997.