The Lew Klein College of Media and Communication recently welcomed two new members to its board of visitors: two women who have and continue to serve as role models and prime examples of what success in Philadelphia’s media climate can look like.

The first new member is Janet Klein, the philanthropist, historic preservationist and wife of the late Lew Klein, who both lend our college their name. A native of the Philadelphia region and an alumna of the University of Pennsylvania, Klein and her husband touched many lives through their philanthropy, supporting disciplines from education to local history, and from the medical field to police-led youth development.

In particular, Klein is especially passionate about preserving local history. She is credited with the creation of the Liberty Trail, spearheading the restoration of Terracina - the first historic home in the Lukens National Historic District of Coatesville, Pennsylvania - and advising and assisting 18 historic house museums in the five counties of Southeastern Pennsylvania and Camden County. 

A current member of the Temple University Ambler Campus Board of Visitors and of the Union League of Philadelphia’s Collections Committee, Klein also served as chair of the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission for eight years. Additionally, she has spent years volunteering on the Advisory Council of the Pennsylvania Department of Conservations and Natural Resources as an advisor to Preservation Pennsylvania, and in various capacities with the American Philosophical Society Friends Committee, Woodlands Mansion and Cemetery, Preservation Alliance for Greater Philadelphia, Museum Council of Philadelphia and the Delaware Valley and the United States Third Circuit Court.

Of course, the Klein name is ubiquitous on Temple’s campus, from the main performance space of the Temple Performing Arts Center, to the annual Lew Klein Awards, to the very name of our college. Without Klein’s passion, support and kindness, Temple University would be a very different place indeed.

Klein’s next newest member is Michelle Rice, KLN ‘88, who is truly an inspiration to anyone who aspires to grow and thrive in the television industry. A Maryland resident and 15-year veteran of TV One, Rice was named their general manager in July 2017. There, she is responsible for overseeing all business, operational and creative aspects of the network. In January 2019, she led the development and launch of TV One’s new sister network, CLEO TV, an aspirational lifestyle and entertainment TV network serving Millennial and Gen X women of color. 

Prior to her promotion, Rice served as the Executive Vice President of Content Distribution and Marketing for TV One, where she developed distribution strategy and handled national accounts negotiations, domestic and international program sales and distribution for the network.  
But before she joined TV One, Rice grew through experience at a number of other networks, such as iNDemand, NBC Cable Network and Black Entertainment Television (BET), where she started her career through the Walter Kaitz Fellowship program in 1993. 

A graduate of both Temple University and the University of Southern California, Rice has also received a considerable amount of recognition for her accomplishments, and it is not a surprise that she is joining Klein’s board. To name a few, she has been recognized on CableFAX’s Top 100 in Cable, Top Minorities in Cable and Top Women in Cable; a NAMIC Emerging Leader; Broadcasting & Cable’s “Next Wave of Leaders”; Multichannel News’ “40 under 40”; and one of Multichannel News’ Wonder Women. She has also been featured in publications including Black Enterprise, Variety, Deadline, TV Week and The Root. 

Among all this achievement, Rice remains actively involved on the boards of several other local civic, community and charitable organizations, including Jack and Jill of America, Girls Inc. D.C. and United Way of the Nation’s Capital. 

It is with great pride that Klein welcomes both these women to our Board of Visitors, recognizing them as role models for our students. They find themselves among incredible stars of the Philadelphia media sphere, our very own Acre of Diamonds. Please find a complete list of Klein’s Board of Visitors below.

Steve Capus, KLN ‘86
Former Executive Producer
CBS Evening News 

Steve Charles, KLN ‘80
Co-Founder and Consultant
immixGroup, Inc.

Ulrika Citron, KLN ‘89
Co-chair
USC Shoah Foundation’s Next Generation Council

Tom Conti, KLN ‘83
Chief Executive Officer
SweetScience Marketing

Bill Daly, KLN ‘77
Producer
Half Twin Productions     

Tracy Davidson, KLN ‘06
Anchor
NBC10 Philadelphia

Michael Days
Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion
Philadelphia Media Network, LLC 

Johanna DeStefano
Retired
Ohio State University

Norm Fein, KLN ‘60
Former Vice President, News Development 
Cablevision Incorporated 

John Foy, KLN ‘89
Executive in Charge of Production 
Allendale Way Entertainment, Inc.

Ben Jankowski, KLN ‘82
Senior Vice President, Global Media
MasterCard

Michael Kauffman, KLN ‘86
Director, Clio Music
Clio Awards     

Jerry Klein, KLN ‘70
Former Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Chief Technology Officer
Anne Klein Communications Group, LLC

Janet Klein 
Temple University     

Fred Maher, KLN ‘85, ‘01
Business Development Manager
CMC Energy

Brian Mattes, KLN ’77    
Retired
Vanguard Group

Kevin Negandhi, KLN’98
Anchor, SportsCenter
ESPN

Shirley Powell, KLN ‘88
Vice President, Communications and Community Relations
Cox Automotive, Inc.

Bernie Prazenica, KLN ‘79
President and General Manager
WPVI-TV, 6abc

Marc Rayfield, KLN ‘85
Executive Vice President
OTG Management 

Michelle Rice, KLN ‘88
President
TV One and Cleo TV

Jane Sullivan, KLN ‘70
President and Owner
The Sullivan Company 

Tony Summerlin
Chief Executive Officer
cBrain North America

Dyana Williams, KLN ‘97
Owner, Chief Executive Officer
Influence Entertainment