NAB COO Chris Ornelas Named General Counsel At Beasley Media Group, Curtis LeGeyt Upped To NAB COO

Ornelas

NAB COO CHRIS ORNELAS is exiting the organization on FEBRUARY 1st to join BEASLEY MEDIA GROUP as General Counsel. ORNELAS, who joined the NAB in MAY 2010 after working with current NAB Pres./CEO GORDON SMITH in the Senate and was named COO in 2011, will be replaced at the NAB by EVP/Government Relations CURTIS LEGEYT.

In additional moves at the NAB, SVPs APRIL CARTY-SIPP, SHAWN DONILON, and TRISH JOHNSON have been promoted to EVPs of the Industry Affairs, Government Relations, and Finance Departments, respectively. CARTY-SIPP replaces STEVE NEWBERRY, who announced his departure to join QUU as CEO this week, while DONILON takes LEGEYT's place heading the Government Relations department and OHNSON assumes the position of EVP of Finance/CFO. All three will report to LEGEYT.

“I’m grateful for the remarkable accomplishments that NAB has made on behalf of our radio and TV members over the last decade, and CHRIS ORNELAS and CURTIS LEGEYT have been instrumental in that success,” said SMITH. “I will miss CHRIS ORNELAS’s wise counsel, good humor and strategic guidance of ‘Team NAB’ as our COO. He’s been a selfless servant, a trusted colleague and a loyal friend during my years on CAPITOL HILL and at NAB. I’m so proud that CHRIS has a new opportunity to shine even brighter as BEASLEY MEDIA’s new general counsel.”

On LEGEYT's promotion, SMITH said that the move is “a recognition of CURTIS’s superb management skills, the victories that NAB Government Relations has delivered on CAPITOL HILL, and his dedication to the mission of NAB and local broadcasting. Given the respect and admiration that CURTIS commands among his NAB colleagues and peers in Washington, I’m pleased to reward him with this promotion and am confident in this choice.... (the NAB) is fortunate to have a deep reserve of talent in all of our departments, as reflected by today’s announcement.”

And on the promotions of CARTY-SIPP, DONILON, and JOHNSON, SMITH added, “These promotions recognize three staff members who have contributed greatly to the success of NAB in recent years. As an organization, our goal is to promote from within those staffers who are team players and demonstrate a consistent commitment to excellence. APRIL, SHAWN and TRISH are fully deserving of these promotions.”

“We are absolutely thrilled to welcome CHRIS into the BEASLEY MEDIA GROUP Family,” said BEASLEY CEO CAROLINE BEASLEY. “I’ve had the opportunity to work alongside him over the years as an NAB board member and have learned that he is an incredibly thoughtful and dedicated person. His vast experience, outstanding reputation and proven leadership capabilities made CHRIS the absolute perfect choice to join our team. I am very thankful to Senator GORDON SMITH and the entire NAB family for supporting CHRIS in his decision to join our BEASLEY MEDIA GROUP family.”

“It is a privilege to have the opportunity to work with CAROLINE and the entire BEASLEY MEDIA GROUP family as I begin the next chapter in my career,” said ORNELAS. “I am incredibly grateful to Senator GORDON SMITH and the outstanding NAB family for having had the privilege of working with them over the past 10 years. I look forward to continuing that relationship in my new role serving as General Counsel at BEASLEY.”

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