Debra L. Lee
| Debra L. Lee | |
|---|---|
Debra Lee in 2014
|
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| Born |
August 8, 1954 Fort Jackson, South Carolina, U.S. |
| Alma mater |
Brown University John F. Kennedy School of Government Harvard Law School |
| Occupation | Businesswoman |
| Employer |
Ad Council of the United States Black Entertainment Television Washington Gas Light Company Genuity, a Monsanto company Revlon Inc. Eastman Kodak Company (Stock Owner) |
| Spouse(s) | Randall Coleman |
| Awards | Broadcasting and Cable Hall of Fame |
Debra L. Lee, Esq. (born August 8, 1955) is an American businesswoman. She is currently the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of BET, the parent company for Black Entertainment Television. She is the mother of two. Lee has sat on the board of directors for a number of companies/organizations, including the National Cable & Telecommunications Association the Ad Council, and the National Cable Television Association. Debra Lee is named one of the "100 Most Powerful Women in Entertainment" by The Hollywood Reporter due to her many achievements in her 25-plus year career at BET.
Debra L. Lee was born in Fort Jackson, South Carolina and grew up in Greensboro, North Carolina. She attended James B. Dudley High School. In 1976, Lee graduated from Brown University with a bachelor's degree in political science with an emphasis in Asian politics. She went on to earn a master's degree in public policy from Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government and a law degree at Harvard Law School, where she was a member of the Board of Student Advisers, in 1980.
From August 1981 through September 1981, Lee served as a law clerk to Barrington Parker of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. Lee joined BET as Vice President of BET's legal affairs department and general counsel in 1986 after over five years as an attorney with Washington, D.C. based Steptoe & Johnson, a corporate law firm. She has also served as BET's corporate secretary and president and publisher of BET's publishing division, which publishes Emerge BET Weekend and Heart & Soul magazines.
In March 1996, Lee became President and Chief Operating Officer (COO) of BET Holdings, Inc., replacing departing network founder, Robert L. Johnson. In 2005, she became President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO). The company had nearly $100 million in revenue last year.
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