Mary Pratt-Henaghan spent 22 years as the BBC’s Operational Brand Guardian for BBC America in a variety of roles. She joined BBC America as part of the original launch team in 1998. Additionally, she was a key member of the technical team for the launch of BBC World News America in 2007. Most recently, she served as Senior Vice President, Network & Technical Operations, where she was responsible for developing strategic and tactical plans to meet the challenges of operating BBC America and ensuring the channel’s high broadcast quality and transmission standards. Before joining BBC America, Mary worked for Discovery, Inc and WETA-TV. Mary has been an active member of Women in Cable Telecommunications for 30 years and has served on the Board of Directors for the Washington DC/Baltimore Chapter since 2015. In October 2016, she was presented with the Glenn Britt Emerging Leader Award by WICT. An avid fan of the University of Maryland Terps, Mary served as President of the Terrapin Club Scholarship Fund during 2007-2008, and continues to work as a volunteer for the Fund and a mentor with student athletes. Additionally, Mary is active with DeSales University, where she is a member of the President’s Advisory Council, philanthropic group Women for DeSales, and serves as a mentor to students. She has also guest lectured at the University of Maryland, the Johns Hopkins Carey School of Business, American University, and DeSales University. Mary graduated Summa Cum Laude from DeSales University, earning her B.A. degree with a dual major in English and Foreign Languages. She received her M.S. in Management from the University of Maryland Global Campus. Mary also completed the Cable Executive Management Program at Harvard Business School.