Barbara Jaffe is Senior Vice President, Advanced Technology and Operations, for Home Box Office. She is responsible for assessing new technologies and opportunities which have potential for distributing HBO's products; managing the project planning for implementation and operations of new initiatives; planning and acquiring HBO's satellite capacity for its domestic and international programming distribution; and overseeing the technical assessment and acquisition of content protection technologies, encryption, and digital compression systems. Jaffe also oversees the technical and affiliate operational aspects of HBO's businesses, and works on and supports HBO's position in relevant FCC initiatives. She was named to this position in January 2001.
Jaffe joined HBO in July 1980 as a regional manager, Affiliate Operations, responsible for the distribution of HBO, Cinemax and the USA Network in upstate New York and subsequently the New England area. She was promoted to director, Sales Planning and Development in February 1983, where she oversaw the development of distribution, positioning and packaging strategies for HBO and Cinemax. In September 1985, she was promoted to vice president, Sales Promotion and Development, responsible for sales strategy and planning, staff and affiliate training, trade advertising and communications, and meetings and conventions. She moved over to the technology side of the network in 1992 as vice president, Technology Operations.
Jaffe holds a BA degree from Emory University and an MBA degree from Stanford Graduate School of Business.
1) How did you get started in the satellite business?
One of my first areas of responsibility (after transitioning from the Affiliate Sales side of HBO to the Technology Operations Department) was to learn HBO's satellite portfolio and prepare to negotiate renewals of HBO's satellite transponder deals. I am still responsible for negotiating our satellite transponder deals for our domestic business, and I also continue to collaborate with our international ventures in their satellite requirements
2) What advice do you have for women interested in entering the industry?
Just do it! This industry provides endless opportunities for continual intellectual challenges, working with the best and the brightest engineers. As is the nature in any line of business, technology is always pushing the edge of the envelope , which leads to new opportunities for new product offerings and business opportunities.
Women in Space
Spring 2009
Audrey Allison, Dir., Frequency Management Services, Boeing Shared Services Group
Anita Antenucci, Managing Dir. Houlihan Lokey's Aerospace-Defense-Government
Dr. Wanda M. Austin Pres. & CEO, The Aerospace Corporation
Julie Bannerman, Gen.Counsel, Space Systems/Loral, Inc.
Sharri Berg, Senior V.P., News Operations, Fox News
Leslie Blaker, DataPath, Inc.
Yvonne Brill, Consultant, Satellite Tech. & Space Propulsion Systems
Michelle Bryan, Senior V.P., Human Resources, Intelsat
Dr. Angie Bukley, Ph.D., Electrical Engineering
Catherine Chang, General Counsel & Asst. Company Secretary, AsiaSat
Sabrina Cubbon, Gen. Manager, Marketing, AsiaSat
Yvette Dominguez, Manager, Payload Design Engineering Section, Space Systems/Loral, Inc.
Chris Ehrenbard, Dir., Broadcast Distribution, CBS
Mary Ann Elliot, Chairman of the Board, Arrowhead Global Solutions, Inc.
Celeste Ford, Founder & CEO, Stellar Solutions, Inc.
Mary Frost, former CEO, GlobeCast America
Eilene Galloway, NASA Pioneer
Carmen González-Sanfeliu, V.P., Latin America & Caribbean, Intelsat
Dawn Harms, V.P., Marketing & Sales, Space Systems/Loral, Inc.
Ellen Hoff, Pres., W.L. Pritchard & Co., L.C.
Polly Rash Hollis, Satellite Industry Professional
Britt Horncastle, Satellite Consultant
Susan Irwin, Pres., Irwin Communications, Inc.
Barbara Jaffe, Senior V.P., Advanced Technology and Operations, HBO
Christine King, Deputy V.P., Technical Services & Engineering, Lockheed Martin
Betsy Kulick, Newsletter Editor & Corporate Secretary, Mobile Satellite Users Association
Penelope Longbottom, Founder & Pres., Longbottom Communications
Joanne Maguire, Exec. V.P., Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company
Andrea Maléter, Technical Dir., Futron Corporation
Joan T. Mancuso, Founder & Executive, Broadband International LLC
Dolores Martos, V.P., Sales for Latin America & Caribbean, SES Americom - SES New Skies
Brig. Gen. Susan K. Mashiko, Vice Commander, Space & Missile Systems Center, L.A. Air Force Base
Eileen McGowan, Corporate Strategy & Planning, Intelsat
Olwen Morgan, Development Engineer
Bridget Neville, V.P. & Gen. Manager, Satellite Engineering & Operations, Sirius XM Radio
Christine Paape, V.P., Space Explorers, Inc.
Rhonda Parson, Manager, Occasional-Use Sales & Traffic Division, EchoStar Satellite Services
Maj. Gen. Ellen M. Pawlikowski, Deputy Dir., National Reconnaissance Office
Jane Petro, Kennedy Space Center Deputy Director
Dr. Nongluck Phinainitisart, D.Eng., Pres., Thaicom PLC
Mary Quagliotti, Retired Major General, Army
Radhika Ramachandran, Ph.D., Counsellor (SPACE) & Technical Liaison Officer
Veena Rawat, Pres., Communications Research Centre, Canada
Joslyn Read, V.P., Regulatory Affairs, SES Americom - SES New Skies
Walda Roseman, Founder & CEO, CompassRose International, Inc.
Farah Suhanah Ahmad Sarji, General Counsel, MEASAT
Jacqueline Schenkel, Founder, Schenkel & Associates, LLC
Kay Sears, Pres., Intelsat General
Gwynne Shotwell, Pres., SpaceX
Marcia Smith, Pres., Space Technology Policy Group, LLC
Pascale Sourisse, Gen. Manager, Land & Joint Systems Division, Thales
Andy Steinem, CEO, Dahl-Morrow International
Nicole P. Stott, Astronaut, NASA
Bambi Taskarelli, Voice/Data Engineer, NBCU
Leslie Taylor, Strategic Planning Division Office of Spectrum Management, NTIA, U.S. Dept. of Commerce
Synette Tom, Marketing Dir., Sales, Space Systems/Loral, Inc.
Marjorie Rhodes Townsend, Satellite Communications Consultant
Diane Tryneski, Senior V.P., Broadcast & Studio Operations, HBO
Diane VanBeber, V.P., Investor Relations, Corporate & Marketing Communications, Intelsat
Barbara Warren, Systems Analyst, International Telecommunication Union
Zhang Yan, Gen. Manager, CITICSat and Chief Rep., Asiasat
UK Resource Centre for Women in Science, Engineering, and Technology: Astronomy Blog
