Debra Lee
Chairman and CEO, BET Networks
Debra Lee is the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of BET Networks, a unit of Viacom Inc. (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B) and the world's leading provider of quality entertainment for the African-American audience and consumers of Black culture.
Ms. Lee oversees one of the most influential multiplatform media companies in the world, including several cable television networks, digital offerings, and a home entertainment business. BET Networks is committed to providing its audience with quality entertainment that speaks to where they are in their lives and where they want to go. Ms. Lee has led BET’s successful original programming strategy that has created hits such as The Mo’Nique Show, Monica: Still Standing, Sunday Best and many more. In addition, Ms. Lee has helped guide BET’s reinvigorated approach, which is built on supporting families, embracing and encouraging their dreams, focusing on the issues that are important to them and presenting the freshest talent and entertainment. In September 2009, Ms. Lee managed the launch of CENTRIC, the 24-hour entertainment network featuring the artists, music, series, movies and reality programming that reflects the lifestyle and sophistication of today’s African-American and multi-cultural adult. She also oversees the company’s current growth initiatives, including international distribution of the brand in the United Kingdom and Africa.
Prior to her being named CEO, Ms. Lee was President and Chief Operating Officer of BET Networks for almost 10 years, during which she guided the company to consistent increases in viewership, revenue and earnings. She first joined BET as Vice President and General Counsel in 1986 after serving more than five years as an attorney with Washington, D.C.-based Steptoe & Johnson, a corporate law firm. Prior to that, she served as a law clerk to the late Honorable Barrington Parker of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia.
Her achievements in a 20-plus year career at BET Networks have earned her numerous accolades from across the cable industry including her induction into the 2010 Broadcasting & Cable Hall of Fame, as well as recognition as one of this country’s most respected business executives. Debra serves on the corporate board of directors of Revlon, Marriott, Eastman Kodak, and Washington Gas & Light. Her business acumen and strategic approach to management make Ms. Lee a popular speaker and lecturer on a range of business topics.
Affiliated with a number of professional, civic, and cultural organizations, Ms. Lee is also a member of the national board of directors for the Alvin Ailey Dance Theater, National Symphony Orchestra, Center for Communication and the Kennedy Center’s Community & Friends Board. She is also a member of the Board of Trustees for Brown University and also serves on the boards of the Paley Center for Media, the Ad Council, the Grammy Foundation, and was recently appointed to the Federal Communications Commission’s Advisory Committee on Diversity for Communications in the Digital Age.
Ms. Lee earned her juris doctorate at Harvard Law School, while simultaneously earning a master’s degree in public policy from the John F. Kennedy School of Government. She graduated from Brown University with a bachelor’s degree in political science with an emphasis in Asian politics.
Ms. Lee resides in Washington, D.C., with her two children.
