Anne Sweeney received the Angela Merici Medal from Judith Huntington (at left), president of The College of New Rochelle.
New Rochelle, N.Y. (PRWEB) August 14, 2014
Anne Sweeney, of Bel Air, CA, a graduate of The College of New Rochelle (CNR) class of 1979, co-chair, Disney Media Networks, and president, Disney/ABC Television Group, received the Angela Merici Medal at CNR’s 76th Annual Alumnae/i College Weekend in June. Judith Huntington, president of the College presented the Medal, the highest alumnae/i award given by the College.
The Angela Merici Medal is bestowed upon outstanding alumnae/i for their exceptional loyalty to the church and to the College as well as for distinctive achievement in their careers. Since its creation to mark the 50th Anniversary of the College, more than one hundred CNR alumnae/i have received this distinguished award.
As a CNR student, Anne was an enthusiastic member of Props ’N Paint. During her senior year she was a page at ABC, and interned at Children’s Television Workshop, working on Sesame Streeet magazine. This was a natural next step into the world of media and communication. She earned her master’s degree in Education from Harvard University, and joined her two interests − education and media− by pursuing a career in children’s television.
For the past 18 years, Anne has risen through the ranks of the Walt Disney Company, an empire that includes ABC, hundreds of cable channels around the world, a chain of eight local TV stations, Radio Disney and a portion of Hulu and A&E Networks. Earlier this year, Anne announced that in January 2015 she will leave Disney, where she has been Co-Chairman of Disney Media Networks and as President of Disney/ABC Television Group to focus more on the creative side of entertainment. Prior to her current roles with ABC and Disney, she worked for Nickelodeon/Nick at Nite and in 1993 became Chairman and CEO of FX Networks.
Always active in organizations related to her field and in the nonprofit sector, Anne is a board member of the A&E Television Networks, the Paley Center for Media, the American Film Institute, and served on the board of the Special Olympics for ten years. She is a founding member of Women in Cable and has been honored by various nonprofit and industry organizations for her involvement, including recognition by the Producers Guild of America with the President’s Citation for her efforts on behalf of diversity across the Disney/ABC Television Group. Anne has been listed in Fortune and Forbes magazines’ 50 Most Powerful Women, and she has been repeatedly named the Most Powerful Woman in Entertainment by the Hollywood Reporter.
In addition to her professional activities, Anne and her husband have provided ongoing support for CNR. She served on the Board of Trustees in the late 1990s, and served as Co-Chair of the Centennial Fundraising Dinner. She was Co-Chair for the College’s 2004 Gala, and she was awarded an honorary degree at CNR’s 2013 Commencement, a culmination of many years of accomplishment and inspiration for future graduates of CNR.
The first Catholic college for women in New York State, The College of New Rochelle was founded in 1904 by the Ursuline Order. Today, it comprises the all-women School of Arts & Sciences, and three schools which admit women and men: the School of New Resources (for adult learners), the School of Nursing and the Graduate School. The main campus of the College is located in lower Westchester County, 16 miles north of New York City. The College maintains five other campus locations in New York City for The School of New Resources in Brooklyn, the Bronx, and Manhattan. Visit the College’s website at http://www.cnr.edu.