Press Release
Company News - "WNET.ORG Names Two New Officers"
WNET.ORG NAMES TWO NEW OFFICERS
Robert Clauser named Vice President, Chief Financial Officer & Treasurer; Charlene Shapiro named Vice President, Human Resources
The Two Bring Diversified Leadership and Experience To America’s Number One Public Media Provider
March 19, 2009—WNET.ORG, the public media provider in New York City, has announced the appointments of Robert Clauser to the position of Vice President, Chief Financial Officer & Treasurer and Charlene Shapiro to the position of Vice President, Human Resources. The appointments were approved by the WNET.ORG Board of Trustees on March 18.
Clauser will be responsible for overseeing the financial stability and growth of WNET.ORG and Shapiro will be responsible for the maintenance and growth of the Human Resources area. WNET.ORG is the parent company of THIRTEEN and WLIW21, the first- and third-most-watched television stations in America, as well as a range of digital channels, services and production units responsible for creating content for public television viewers across the country.
“At this time of tremendous challenge and constant change in the world of media, WNET.ORG will benefit from Robert’s diverse experience, strategic thinking, and deep understanding of how to deliver growth, financial stability and value,” said Neal Shapiro, President and CEO of WNET.ORG. “We’re delighted to have Robert on our team as we reinvent public media for a new era.”
“With our new parent company WNET.ORG in place, our company has become much more dynamic and diversified, bringing an urgent need for a contemporary approach to human resources challenges,” said Shapiro (no relation) further, “Charlene’s extensive and outstanding HR background will empower us to create a more productive work environment and a more harmonious workflow, which will ultimately enable us to fulfill our institutional mission more effectively.”
Clauser most recently served as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Media & Entertainment Holdings, Inc., a special purpose acquisition corporation with a focus in the media, entertainment, and communications industries. Clauser co-founded this investment vehicle with industry luminaries Herb Granath and Bruce Maggin, and was backed by the Hearst Corporation.
Prior to MEHI, Clauser was a Partner with the Media & Entertainment practice of Strategic Services at Accenture, where he had been from 1997 until 2005. With expertise in competitive, growth and value-creation strategy, he had lead engagements in the United States, Asia and Europe for the world’s leading entertainment, media and eCommerce companies. His work enabled content creators, aggregators, and distributors to better plan, invest in, and monetize their strategic initiatives by leveraging content, consumers, and technology, across and between the physical and digital arenas. Robert also led ground breaking merger, acquisition and integration for such companies as Sony BMG.
At Accenture, Clauser also served as the head of the Community Service task force for Metropolitan New York. Most notably, he championed New Sector Alliance, a web-enabled counseling service that helps to bridge the Digital Divide, in addition to working with NYC 2012, the NYC Economic Development Corporation, and the Tiger Woods Foundation. Clauser was recognized for his civic contributions through the David Rockefeller Fellows Program.
Always involved in media and education, Robert currently sits on the Trustees Education Committee, by Invitation, at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City; serves as Vice Chairperson for the arts advocacy and research organization in NYC, the Alliance for the Arts; and sits on the board of icouldbe.org, which provides disadvantaged youth with access to personal and educational mentoring via the internet. He also was the Chief Executive Officer and producer for Montage Entertainment, an acclaimed non-profit independent film production company chartered to advance under-represented peoples in the filmed-entertainment community.
Earlier in his career, he held positions at Braxton Associates and the Bank of New York/Irving Trust Company.
Robert holds an M.B.A. from The University of Chicago Graduate School of Business (and was recipient of the First Chicago Scholarship); completed course work at Waseda University, Tokyo; and holds a B.A. cum laude from The University of Michigan.
Charlene Shapiro comes to WNET.ORG after a 26-year career in human resources at Pfizer Inc, the world’s number one pharmaceutical company. At Pfizer, Charlene held positions of increasing responsibility in management and human resources in Pfizer’s Pharmaceuticals, Corporate HR and Worldwide Public Affairs and Policy Divisions. Charlene led the integration of HR policies, practices, procedures and service delivery during Pfizer’s merger with Warner Lambert and led the Public Affairs integration team during Pfizer’s acquisition of Pharmacia. She was also involved in the development and implementation of Pfizer’s Global Health Fellows Program, a unique corporate volunteer program in partnership with non-governmental organizations that became a model for other companies.
Charlene graduated magna cum laude with a BA in English from the State University of New York at Albany and earned an MBA (with distinction) with a concentration in Human Resources Management from Pace University.
Charlene is Chair of the Human Resources Forum for British American Business and is a member of Society for Human Resources Management. She is a member of the Children’s Health Advisory Committee for PASE (Partnership for After School Education) and is a former Board Member of the Huntington Foundation for Excellence in Education.
New York public media company WNET.ORG is a pioneering provider of television and web content. The parent of Thirteen, WLIW21, and Creative News Group, WNET.ORG brings such acclaimed broadcast series and websites as Worldfocus, Nature, Great Performances, American Masters, Charlie Rose, Wide Angle, Secrets of the Dead, Religion & Ethics Newsweekly, Visions, Consuelo Mack WealthTrack,Wild Chronicles, Miffy and Friends, and Cyberchase to national and international audiences. Through its wide range of channels and platforms, WNET.ORG serves the entire New York City metro area with unique local productions, broadcasts and innovative educational and cultural projects. In all that it does, WNET.ORG pursues a single, overarching goal -- to create media experiences of lasting significance for New York, America, and the world. For more information, visit www.wnet.org.
Robert Clauser named Vice President, Chief Financial Officer & Treasurer; Charlene Shapiro named Vice President, Human Resources
The Two Bring Diversified Leadership and Experience To America’s Number One Public Media Provider
March 19, 2009—WNET.ORG, the public media provider in New York City, has announced the appointments of Robert Clauser to the position of Vice President, Chief Financial Officer & Treasurer and Charlene Shapiro to the position of Vice President, Human Resources. The appointments were approved by the WNET.ORG Board of Trustees on March 18.
Clauser will be responsible for overseeing the financial stability and growth of WNET.ORG and Shapiro will be responsible for the maintenance and growth of the Human Resources area. WNET.ORG is the parent company of THIRTEEN and WLIW21, the first- and third-most-watched television stations in America, as well as a range of digital channels, services and production units responsible for creating content for public television viewers across the country.
“At this time of tremendous challenge and constant change in the world of media, WNET.ORG will benefit from Robert’s diverse experience, strategic thinking, and deep understanding of how to deliver growth, financial stability and value,” said Neal Shapiro, President and CEO of WNET.ORG. “We’re delighted to have Robert on our team as we reinvent public media for a new era.”
“With our new parent company WNET.ORG in place, our company has become much more dynamic and diversified, bringing an urgent need for a contemporary approach to human resources challenges,” said Shapiro (no relation) further, “Charlene’s extensive and outstanding HR background will empower us to create a more productive work environment and a more harmonious workflow, which will ultimately enable us to fulfill our institutional mission more effectively.”
Clauser most recently served as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Media & Entertainment Holdings, Inc., a special purpose acquisition corporation with a focus in the media, entertainment, and communications industries. Clauser co-founded this investment vehicle with industry luminaries Herb Granath and Bruce Maggin, and was backed by the Hearst Corporation.
Prior to MEHI, Clauser was a Partner with the Media & Entertainment practice of Strategic Services at Accenture, where he had been from 1997 until 2005. With expertise in competitive, growth and value-creation strategy, he had lead engagements in the United States, Asia and Europe for the world’s leading entertainment, media and eCommerce companies. His work enabled content creators, aggregators, and distributors to better plan, invest in, and monetize their strategic initiatives by leveraging content, consumers, and technology, across and between the physical and digital arenas. Robert also led ground breaking merger, acquisition and integration for such companies as Sony BMG.
At Accenture, Clauser also served as the head of the Community Service task force for Metropolitan New York. Most notably, he championed New Sector Alliance, a web-enabled counseling service that helps to bridge the Digital Divide, in addition to working with NYC 2012, the NYC Economic Development Corporation, and the Tiger Woods Foundation. Clauser was recognized for his civic contributions through the David Rockefeller Fellows Program.
Always involved in media and education, Robert currently sits on the Trustees Education Committee, by Invitation, at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City; serves as Vice Chairperson for the arts advocacy and research organization in NYC, the Alliance for the Arts; and sits on the board of icouldbe.org, which provides disadvantaged youth with access to personal and educational mentoring via the internet. He also was the Chief Executive Officer and producer for Montage Entertainment, an acclaimed non-profit independent film production company chartered to advance under-represented peoples in the filmed-entertainment community.
Earlier in his career, he held positions at Braxton Associates and the Bank of New York/Irving Trust Company.
Robert holds an M.B.A. from The University of Chicago Graduate School of Business (and was recipient of the First Chicago Scholarship); completed course work at Waseda University, Tokyo; and holds a B.A. cum laude from The University of Michigan.
Charlene Shapiro comes to WNET.ORG after a 26-year career in human resources at Pfizer Inc, the world’s number one pharmaceutical company. At Pfizer, Charlene held positions of increasing responsibility in management and human resources in Pfizer’s Pharmaceuticals, Corporate HR and Worldwide Public Affairs and Policy Divisions. Charlene led the integration of HR policies, practices, procedures and service delivery during Pfizer’s merger with Warner Lambert and led the Public Affairs integration team during Pfizer’s acquisition of Pharmacia. She was also involved in the development and implementation of Pfizer’s Global Health Fellows Program, a unique corporate volunteer program in partnership with non-governmental organizations that became a model for other companies.
Charlene graduated magna cum laude with a BA in English from the State University of New York at Albany and earned an MBA (with distinction) with a concentration in Human Resources Management from Pace University.
Charlene is Chair of the Human Resources Forum for British American Business and is a member of Society for Human Resources Management. She is a member of the Children’s Health Advisory Committee for PASE (Partnership for After School Education) and is a former Board Member of the Huntington Foundation for Excellence in Education.
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About WNET.ORGNew York public media company WNET.ORG is a pioneering provider of television and web content. The parent of Thirteen, WLIW21, and Creative News Group, WNET.ORG brings such acclaimed broadcast series and websites as Worldfocus, Nature, Great Performances, American Masters, Charlie Rose, Wide Angle, Secrets of the Dead, Religion & Ethics Newsweekly, Visions, Consuelo Mack WealthTrack,Wild Chronicles, Miffy and Friends, and Cyberchase to national and international audiences. Through its wide range of channels and platforms, WNET.ORG serves the entire New York City metro area with unique local productions, broadcasts and innovative educational and cultural projects. In all that it does, WNET.ORG pursues a single, overarching goal -- to create media experiences of lasting significance for New York, America, and the world. For more information, visit www.wnet.org.