82R9998 JBA-D
By: Turner H.R. No. 626
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, Debra Lee is the keynote speaker at the Scholarship
Banquet at the African American Leadership Summit, which is being
held in Austin on February 28 and March 1, 2011; and
WHEREAS, As the chief executive officer and chair of the
board of directors of Black Entertainment Television, Inc., Ms. Lee
is among an elite group of American business leaders who head
multibillion-dollar organizations; and
WHEREAS, After earning her bachelor's degree from Brown
University, Ms. Lee went on to earn a master's degree in public
policy from the John F. Kennedy School of Government and her law
degree from Harvard University; she was a law clerk in the U.S.
District Court for the District of Columbia and spent five years as
an attorney in Washington, D.C., before joining BET Holdings in
1986 as vice president and general counsel; and
WHEREAS, She has been BET's executive vice president of legal
affairs, magazine division publisher, and head of strategic
business development, and has held a number of other key positions
in the company; in addition, she serves on the board of directors of
the Eastman Kodak Company, Marriott International, Inc., Revlon,
Inc., and Washington Gas Light Company; and
WHEREAS, An active participant in many civic and professional
organizations, Ms. Lee is a member of the boards of the Kennedy
Center Corporate Fund, the National Symphony Orchestra, the
National Women's Law Center, the Alvin Ailey American Dance
Theater, and Girls, Inc.; she is a past recipient of the Vanguard
Award from the National Cable & Telecommunications Association, the
Positively Visionary Award from Cable Positive, the Quasar Award
from the National Association of Minorities in Communications, the
Tower of Power Trumpet Award from Turner Broadcasting System, and
the Woman of the Year Award from Women in Cable Telecommunications;
she was named one of the 100 Most Powerful Women in Washington,
D.C., by Washingtonian magazine and one of the top 50 Most Powerful
Women in Cable by CableFAX magazine; and
WHEREAS, Over the course of her accomplished career, Ms. Lee
has distinguished herself through hard work, perseverance, and
outstanding achievements, and she sets an example of leadership to
which all may aspire; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 82nd Texas
Legislature hereby honor Debra Lee on the occasion of her keynote
address at the Scholarship Banquet at the 2011 African American
Leadership Summit and extend to her sincere best wishes for
continued success and happiness; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
prepared for Ms. Lee as an expression of high regard by the Texas
House of Representatives.