2019 Awardee Profiles

Caroline Beasley was appointed Chief Executive Officer of Beasley Media Group, LLC, on January 1, 2017. She had held several senior-level positions within the company since 1994, including Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer, Treasurer, and Secretary. In addition, she has served as a Director of Beasley Broadcast Group, Inc. since she joined the company in 1983. The company owns and operates 65 FM and AM radio stations in 15 large and mid-size markets.

Ms. Beasley most recently served as Joint Board Chair of the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) Board of Directors, and is a past Chairman of the NAB Radio Board. In addition, she is a member of the BMI Board of Directors and the Broadcasters Foundation of America Board of Directors.

In 2017, Ms. Beasley was honored by Radio Ink magazine as “Radio Executive of the Year.” She was named one of the “40 Most Powerful People in Radio” in 2011, 2012, 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2019. In addition, the radio veteran has been recognized in the magazine’s “Most Influential Women in Radio” listing on an annual basis since 2003.

Ms. Beasley received the 2016 “Distinguished Service Award” from the North Carolina Association of Broadcasters. She was the recipient of the 2012 “Frances Preston Trailblazer Award” from the Mentoring and Inspiring Women in Radio Group (MIW), a national organization dedicated to the advancement of women in the radio industry.

Ms. Beasley is a member of the Board of Visitors at her alma mater, the University of North Carolina, where she earned a Bachelor of Science degree.

Frederick J. Ryan, Jr. is Publisher and CEO of The Washington Post and affiliated publishing businesses. During his time at The Washington Post, it has been recognized for excellence in journalism with multiple Pulitzer Prizes, and twice named by Fast Company magazine as the “World’s Most Innovative Media Company.”

Until August 2014, Mr. Ryan served as President and CEO of POLITICO, which he co-founded in 2007.

From 1995 to 2014, Mr. Ryan was also President and COO of Allbritton Communications, a top-performing and award-winning group of ABC Network affiliated broadcast and cable stations. NewsChannel 8, its local cable channel serving Washington, Maryland, and Virginia, became the most successful local news channel in America.

Mr. Ryan serves as Chairman of the White House Historical Association and the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library Foundation. He also serves on the boards of several other nonprofit organizations including the University of Southern California, Ford’s Theatre, and The National Geographic Society.

Mr. Ryan served at a senior level in the White House from 1982 to 1989 and later became Chief of Staff to former President Ronald Reagan. Mr. Ryan was responsible for overseeing all of former president Reagan’s activities, including domestic and international issues, government relations, political affairs, and public relations.

Prior to his government service, Mr. Ryan was an attorney at the Los Angeles law firm of Hill, Farrer & Burrill. He graduated magna cum laude from the University of Southern California with a Bachelor’s degree in political science and speech communication in 1977, and received a Juris Doctorate from the University of Southern California Law Center in 1980.