MTV appoints Marva Smalls Executive VP, restructures diversity leadership

(October 27, 2006) MTV Networks, a division of Viacom, today announced that Marva Smalls has been named the company's first Executive Vice President of Global Inclusion Strategy. In this new position, Smalls will drive MTVN's ongoing efforts to champion a diverse, multicultural and inclusive workforce; and to develop the next generation of leaders across its worldwide brands. She will report to Judy McGrath, Chairman and CEO, MTVN, and will become a member of the company's senior strategy team. Smalls also will retain her current responsibilities as Executive Vice President of Public Affairs and Chief of Staff for the Nickelodeon/MTVN Kids & Family Group, where she reports to Cyma Zarghami, President of Nickelodeon/MTVN Kids & Family Group.

"Diversity, multiculturalism and inclusion are core values for our company -- they are at the heart of our business success, our programming strategy and our culture," said McGrath. "There's no person better suited than Marva to implement this vision across MTV Networks and help develop our next generation of leaders."

As EVP of Global Inclusion Strategy, Smalls will work with the leadership of all MTVN brands to champion these values, and to support an environment across the company where all employees can contribute to its success while achieving their own professional goals. Further, she will expand MTVN's partnerships with leading outside organizations and exemplify MTVN's diversity, multiculturalism and inclusion efforts worldwide.

"Our culture at MTVN is a rare thing. Our employees share ideas, take creative risks and, most importantly, reflect the audiences they serve and what's important to them," said Smalls. "Diversity and inclusion are as essential as creativity and innovation for success in a global marketplace, and I am excited to build on these core values, particularly as we extend our brands -- and acquire new ones -- across all platforms."

MTVN also announced today that it is restructuring its day-to-day approach to diversity leadership, with the introduction of a new internal advisory team. Members of the team will reflect the leading business units of MTV Networks, and will have direct impact on diversity, multicultural and inclusion issues, including domestic and international Channel Management, Operations, Programming, Ad Sales, Corporate Responsibility, Creative, Communications, Human Resources and Learning & Development.

Working closely with Smalls and the MTVN Diversity Council, the advisory team will help set priorities, develop strategies and implement policies that advance MTVN's core values throughout every level of the company and beyond.

As a result of the restructuring, the position of Chief Diversity Officer (CDO) has been eliminated and CDO Billy Dexter will be leaving the company.

"Given our unique company culture with multiple stakeholders in our diversity efforts, we've come to realize that a team approach will best serve us in a global and now multi-platform environment," noted McGrath. "I have the greatest respect for Billy, and we thank him for his contributions to our diversity and inclusion mission. He has enhanced our existing initiatives and we've benefited from his expertise."

In addition to her new role as Executive Vice President of Global Inclusion Strategy, Smalls serves as EVP of Public Affairs and Chief of Staff for Nickelodeon / MTVN Kids & Family Group. As Chief of Staff, she is the principal administrative officer for the Nickelodeon Networks and their ancillary businesses, coordinating and directing financial resources, employees and facilities for the New York, Los Angeles and international offices.

Smalls also oversees all of the Nickelodeon/MTVN Kids & Family Group's pro-social and corporate responsibility initiatives, and manages their relations with advocates, government officials, educators, non-profit organizations and trade associations. Moreover, she has longstanding relationships with public affairs, government relations, communications and philanthropic organizations on both the state and national level.

Among the initiatives Smalls has led has been the development of Nickelodeon's strategies to combat the growing obesity epidemic among children. She has testified and spoken at leading governmental and industry forums on the topic, and has partnered closely with advertisers, child advocates and academics to help advance a proactive movement on this issue.

Under Smalls' leadership, Nickelodeon's pro-social work has been recognized by presidential administrations and has garnered support from top names in the entertainment industry, such as Whoopi Goldberg, LL Cool J, Shaquille O'Neal, Mariah Carey, Meg Ryan and Paula Abdul. Most recently, she joined Nickelodeon's award-winning Let's Just Play campaign with The William J. Clinton Foundation and the American Heart Association to help reduce levels of childhood obesity.

Smalls also spearheaded The Big Help which, for more than nine years, encouraged and empowered more than 40 million kids to pledge more than 380 million hours of volunteer service to their communities. In 1997, The Big Help was honored with the prestigious George C. Peabody and Golden CableAce awards.

Marva Smalls' accomplishments at MTVN are part of a long history of activism and public service, having served in a variety of positions in local and national government, and with the NAACP. Furthermore, she is an active member of the Executive Leadership Council, an organization representing the top African Americans in corporate America.

Smalls has a Master's Degree in Public Administration and a Bachelor's Degree from the University of South Carolina. She serves on numerous boards of directors, including the National Council for Families and Television, the Children Affected by AIDS Foundation, South Carolina's Brookgreen Gardens, New York City's Northside Center for Child Development, Big Brothers - Big Sisters of America, the National Bank of South Carolina, the South Carolina Educational Television Endowment Commission and the University of South Carolina's Education Foundation. Smalls is a recent recipient of an Honorary Doctorate of Humanities from Francis Marion University, and Coker College; and is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority and Trinity Baptist Church in Florence, South Carolina.

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