Raised in a small town just south of Scranton, PA, I joined Katz Philadelphia as an account coordinator in September of 2022. I received my BA in Journalism and Mass Comm. at Temple University, where I focused on reporting on urban agriculture and nutritional education.

My dad grew up on a farm in Minas Gerais, Southeastern Brazil, where his family kept milk cows, harvested coffee beans, and grew acres of native produce. When he immigrated to the U.S. and started a family, he instilled in me a love for agriculture, a core cultural value, and a curiosity for all things Brazilian.

I live with my cat, espresso machine and many plants in East Falls, Philadelphia, where I often prepare tradition Brazilian meals like feijoada, pão de queijo and pavê de limão. Two semesters of Portuguese and two visits to South America later, I’m still learning about my heritage.

Feijoada recipe
Pão de queijo recipe

Kylie first joined Katz in 2014 and is now the Art Director in the Creative Services department. Her interests are almost exclusively creative and include design, art, music and dance. When Kylie was interning in NYC, she met her future husband, Fayoz. Fayoz is from Uzbekistan and was one of the first deaf people Kylie had ever met. The extent of Kylie’s American Sign Language skills at the time were what she had learned in ASL 101 at college. Thanks to Fayoz, Kylie quickly picked up the language and the two recently celebrated their tenth wedding anniversary! Fayoz has faced significant obstacles on his educational journey and Kylie is so proud of him for earning his Bachelor's Degree in Business Management from BYU-I just this week!

Kylie and Fayoz have four beautiful children ages 8, 6, 2 and 5 months who are all hearing and use ASL at home. The family lives in D.C., which is the center of Deaf culture in the USA, and they enjoy collaborating to develop ASL musical performances. They recently performed a song teaching the ABC’s in ASL at the elementary school’s Multicultural Night. You can see this performance and others on Kylie’s YouTube channel @thehearingwife.

Thirteen years and counting! Brian joined the Katz Radio Group Philadelphia office in July of 2010, armed with an old-school briefcase and a “can do” attitude. After time spent as a Sales Coordinator and Political Coordinator, Brian was given the opportunity to advance into sales in 2014. While he enjoys his role within KRG and takes pride in his work, he found his true calling as a husband and father. Brian was born and raised in Philadelphia and currently lives in the East Falls neighborhood with his wife, Elizabeth, and their two daughters, Charlie and Ella – his real-life bosses!!

I am a proud member of Katz Television Group for 41+ years. My workday includes uploading stations logs, posts, makegoods, Excel spreadsheets, PowerPoint presentations, and much more. I was born in Guyana, South America to Indian ancestors, who, when asked by the British in the 1800s, raised their hands to get on a boat and move from India to Guyana for opportunity. I am proud that they brought their culture with them, because curry is my favorite dish to share with family and friends. I enjoy hiking, riding bicycles with my grandson and vacationing in Key West.

Stronger Together would like to honor the late Nina Chow as this month’s Staff Spotlight. Nina was a beloved member of the Katz family for the past 38 years. Nina was dedicated to the success of Katz Media Group - she worked tirelessly behind the scenes, supporting every division in the company. For those that were fortunate to work with her daily, Nina was known for her astute insights, attention to detail, and quick wit. She began her career at Katz as a sales assistant. After numerous promotions, she became our Senior Vice President of Business Systems. Nina leaves behind her husband, Jeff, and four children, Kaitlin, Kylie, Brandon, and Dylan - all of whom were her pride and joy. She will be dearly missed.

Leslie Leventman joined Katz in 2014 to oversee the Creative Services Department, and was immediately impressed by its inclusive culture. Leslie’s first assignment was to spearhead the company’s rebrand initiative. During Leslie’s time at Katz, she has expanded her role, working across every division of the organization. In addition, she has developed an award-winning team, responsible for the branding and design of sales and marketing materials for Katz Digital Audio and Digital Video, Katz Multicultural, KRG, KTG, as well as Stronger Together.  Prior to joining Katz, Leslie was EVP of Creative Services and Special Events at MTV Networks, a division of Viacom, where she worked for 30 years, launching, and marketing its portfolio of brands, worldwide. Leslie is a founding member of MTV. She is a strong advocate that uniting diverse perspectives enhances creativity. This has been a major theme throughout Leslie’s career. In her spare time, Leslie loves listening to all genres of music, swimming (she’s a certified scuba diver), traveling, and spending time with family and friends. 

Lori Pridgen, Executive Assistant & Account Coordinator with Eastman Radio NY, has been working at Katz for 23 years. She began her career in CIS, next moved onto a role in corporate, and finally landed at Eastman. A Queens, NY resident, Lori likes spending time with family, especially her son, Darius, and Freddy the dog. She also enjoys volunteering with the New York Junior League on the Cancer Awareness and Support committee, as well as helping with family history at church.

Nana Kofi Dadson has been with Katz as the Associate Manager of Creative Marketing since the fall of 2021. Before Katz, he specialized in experiential marketing, social media marketing, journalism, and more at companies like the LA Clippers, Living Spaces Furniture, and TMZ. Kofi enjoys spending time with his wife and dog, loves music, and has a deep passion for equal representation in media. He looks forward to learning from and growing with the amazing team at Katz Media.

Alyson Lerner, Director of Sales and Team Manager, has been working at Katz for 21 years. She began her career as an assistant at Eagle, was a research analyst, and was promoted into sales in 2004. She was then promoted to Team Manager and Director of Sales in 2017 and works exclusively with the Hearst Television properties. Alyson is married and has two sons, Spencer and Shane, and they live on Long Island. She spends her weekends watching their sporting activities: basketball, lacrosse, football, and baseball. She recently learned to play Canasta. 

David Morganlander has been working at Katz since August 2014 as VP of Sales in the NYC Christal office. He’s been an audio media specialist for over 20 years in the industry, beginning as a research assistant before moving into national sales. David is getting married this month to his long-term partner, Gary, on October28th. David enjoys travel and theater; he is a foodie and is also currently overly excited by his new mini Whoodle puppy, Callie. He currently resides on the Upper West Side in Manhattan, NY.

Monica Moraca, Payroll Manager, will be celebrating 25 years with Katz Media Group this October. She began her career as a Payroll Assistant and was promoted to Payroll Manager in 2001. Over the years, Monica has worked closely with the Human Resource department and has recently taken on additional responsibilities to further assist the needs of our employees across Katz Media. Monica enjoys spending time with family and friends, reading, writing, and visiting antique shops across different states. She recently adopted & co-parents a two-year-old chocolate Lab/Vizsla named Cash. Monica chose his name while touring the Johnny Cash Museum in Nashville.

Yomaira has been working at Katz since January 2022 as an HR Generalist, reporting to Susie DeFrancis in our NYC office. She supports Katz as well as a few iHeartMedia departments providing guidance, support, and coordination of HR policies, procedures, and practices of the Human Resources department. Prior to Katz Media, Yomaira gained HR experience working at companies such as Hearts & Science and Criteo. Yomaira is a people person who enjoys watching anime and reading manga in her spare time. She currently resides in North Bergen, NJ.

Ande LaFebre is VP/Director of Activation. She joined Katz in 1999 as an assistant in the Marketing department. While in Marketing, Ande learned the buying and scheduling side of radio, while also executing multi-layered promotional campaigns. Since her interests were more in execution than in sales, Ande moved over to manage the Activation group when the position became available. She’s been running Activation ever since, 14 years and counting!

PJ Stack has worked at Katz since 2010, when he started at Eagle Television assisting with political. In 2012, he was promoted to Account Executive, and over the course of his career has worked with Nexstar, Sinclair and Hearst broadcasting companies. In 2020, PJ moved over to Katz Digital Video, pursuing new business for our Katz OTT and Katz Live platforms. Over the last 12 years at Katz, PJ has had the pleasure of working with some of the best people in the business. He lives in Long Island with his wife, Mary, and son, Nolan.

Joey Gangi started his career at Katz Atlanta in 2004 after a few years in Savannah, Georgia working at a TV station. During his interview with Katz, he had a feeling that it this was the right place for him. Joey has been with Katz18 years since, and is still as thankful and proud to be part of the Katz family as the day he started. Joey appreciates the opportunity to work with talented coworkers and says it guides him and pushes him to grow in our business.

Emil Jensen Perez is a Junior Desktop Support Technician with the CIS Helpdesk. Emil started as an intern with Katz and was hired fulltime in 2019 after attending Adelphi University and Westchester Community College. Emil further credits his skill development to the Southern Westchester BOCES. Emil has managed his Autism/Asperger's   through determination and support from his mom. His mother encouraged him to keep going, reminding him he was capable of “doing more.” In addition, the White Plains Education Training Center strengthened his skills and confidence enabling him to successfully transition to the workplace. Emil enjoys Comic Con, video games and anime.

Christine Travaglini is President of Katz Radio Group. As President, she drives the overall business development and strategy of Katz Radio Group’s 14 regional offices. Before her role as President, Christine served for over ten years as President of Christal Radio, a division within Katz. Prior to, she served as SVP and General Sales Manager for Christal for five years. Christine began her career with Katz as a sales coordinator in the Atlanta office. She was the first person to rise from an assistant to a division president within the organization, and the first woman ever appointed as President of Katz Radio Group

Edward Clay has been with Katz Media for 21 years. He started at Christal NY as a sales assistant for 9 years, and then transitioned to his current position as a CIS Helpdesk Business Analyst. Edward–along with his team–supports the day-to-day applications used by reps and stations. He also takes on the training for those same applications. Edward enjoys spending time with his family and friends, cooking, traveling, physical fitness, motorcycles and sports.

Lisa Chiljean is Director of Hispanic Strategy and Analytics for the Katz Radio Group. She began her career as a sales assistant in New York and soon moved into a Research position. In her more than 30 years with Katz, she has worked across a variety of divisions including spot sales for Katz Radio, unwired sales and business development for the Katz Radio Group, CIS where she worked as Project Manager, Univision National Sales, and most recently has helped build the Katz Multicultural team for the Katz Radio Group. In her free time, she and her husband enjoy spending time with family and friends and relaxing on Long Island’s south shore beaches.

Diandra Hines brings 15 years of experience in media to Katz as an Account Executive. Starting her career at FOX 5 in NY, she went on to hold several positions during her 7-yeartenure at Viacom managing over $75 million in ads and sponsorships each year. She leads with purpose as Board VP of NAMIC managing several committees which include programming, marketing, membership, and university relations by creating, promoting, and sponsoring programs for members. As Co-Chair of Stronger Together’s Accountability Pillar she helps senior leaders create DEI goals and manages timelines. She’s recently been enlisted to join iHeart Media’s ERG Council. As a first generation American of Caribbean descent, Diandra believes that diversity is a business imperative and is committed to creating a media industry reflective of the world in which we live.

Curize has maneuvered through the media industry, starting her career as a promotions intern at a local NYC radio station. She has held several positions in local radio including promotions manager and later worked in digital publishing as an ad product marketer. She joined Katz Radio Group as Creative Director in 2015 and was promoted to VP, Creative Marketing in 2021. As VP, Creative Marketing Curize leads creative and ad sales marketing efforts in support of Partnerships business development. Curize was recognized in 2017 when she was featured in Radio Ink Magazine as one of Radio’s Future Black Leaders. She is also Co-Chair of Stronger Together’sEducation pillar. As a Co-Chair she helps lead the council’s DEI education efforts by managing content creation, curation, and distribution.

Tyler Larrabee has been with Katz Media for nearly 6 years. He started in 2016 as a Sales Coordinator in Dallas, winning several coordinator awards including Coordinator of the Year in 2017. In 2018, Tyler was promoted to Project Manager for the KRG Partnerships team. As Project Manager he works with DJs across the nation to facilitate influencer campaigns for brands such as T-Mobile, Container Store and Reliant. In his free time, Tyler is a homebody. He enjoys quiet nights at home or at a friend’s place, playing games and watching movies. He is also an avid gymnastics follower-having been a gymnast growing up, and he can still do splits!

Rick Ramos currently serves as the Senior VP of Multicultural Partnerships at Katz Multicultural. His extensive career includes NY Sales Manager of Katz Hispanic Media; VP Regional Sales Manager of HBC National Sales; VP of Univision National Sales; and SVP, Director of Sales for Business Development at Eastman Radio. Throughout his career, Rick has been nominated multiple times for the Marketer of the Year Award, along with many other recognitions. He has worked with many of the top Hispanic radio companies including Univision Radio, SBS and Entravision. Outside of the office, Rick is an active member of the Hispanic Audio Coalition and the RAB Multicultural Committee. He enjoys spending time with his family at many of the parks, beaches, and boardwalks of the Garden State.

Bryan Forbes has recently re-joined Katz as the President of Audacy National Sales. He has over 20 years of experience in radio sales, management, and leadership. Prior to being President of Network and National Sales for Westwood One and Cumulus Media, Bryan served many roles at Katz, from AE, to DOS and GM of our Cumulus National team. He also spent time as the National Sales Manager for Emmis in NYC. Bryan was born and raised in Worcester, Massachusetts and moved to NYC shortly after graduating from UMass, Amherst with Bachelor’s degrees in Business Management and Marketing. He is a proud dad of two sons who keep him busy when not working. He loves to cook, golf, ski and snowboard – and if you follow him on Instagram you know his passion is fishing – and the biggest fish to date was a gigantic675-pound Bluefin Tuna!

Danielle Celestin started at Katz in 2018 as a sales assistant with Katz Television Group. Curious about the marketing side of the business, she moved to the Strategy, Analytics and Research Team, where she helped create website content, email marketing and social media materials as Marketing Coordinator. In 2020, she was named Creative Services and Marketing Coordinator when she joined the Creative Services Team. She is responsible for curating social media content for Katz, aiding in the strategic marketing efforts for the Katz businesses, and overseeing activity within the HubSpot content marketing platform, among other things. In her free time, Danielle likes to exercise by running and weightlifting, trying out new cooking recipes, building/crafting something she saw on HGTV or hanging out with friends and family. She is also proud of her Haitian heritage and enjoys sharing stories and a good traditional meal with her family.

Donivon Fletcher began his career at Katz TV Group in2016 as a Sales Assistant in Dallas. After receiving the Sales Support Award in four consecutive quarters, he was promoted to Account Executive on Team Millennium National in late 2017. As a Black member of the LGBTQIA+ community, Donivon has an innate desire to aid in the creation of a society that is equitable and just for everyone. That desire motivated him to complete a Master of Liberal Studies degree with a concentration in Human Rights and Social Justice in 2017 and encouraged him to join the Katz Stronger Together DEI Advisory Council in 2020. He is honored to serve as the co-chair of the council’s Recruitment pillar and is committed to helping Katz attain its goal of engendering a more inclusive work environment. Donivon maintained his sanity during quarantine by chipping away at his “to be read” list, re-watching every episode of RuPaul’s Drag Race, and taking daily walks with his partner, Michael, and their dog, Midnight.

Adrienne began her career at Katz in 2000as an assistant for the Continental Television Division. Her passion for multicultural sales led her to a sales position with the Katz Hispanic Radio Division the next year. This opportunity gave way to a transfer from the Dallas office to the New York office in 2005. She jumped on the chance as it would be the first time she lived outside of Texas. Her experience in New York was a very different one from Dallas in that there is a large Filipino community in NYC. Adrienne is proud to be a first generation Filipino-American. Her parents immigrated from the Philippines in the early 1970s with her mother securing a H1B Visa as a nurse, and her father through his parent’s Green Card. Adrienne encourages her parents to speak to her son in their native Tagalog/Cebuano/Ilonggo dialect. She notes there are actually 170 Philippine dialects. Adrienne is a one-time half-marathoner, a new Peloton enthusiast, and an avid old blues/jazz fan who loves to sing

Nisha Lalchandani is currently a Human Resources Manager for both Katz Media Group and iHeartMedia. She began her career with Katz as a Marketing Coordinator for Katz Radio Group before leaving to earn her Master’s in Human Resources from Pace University. She then returned to Katz in July 2015, taking on a Coordinator role within Katz’s Human Resources department. In September 2019, Nisha started supporting several groups for iHeartMedia in addition to her Katz responsibilities. She has excelled at managing projects and events for employee engagement and morale building and she’s grown the Katz Summer Internship Program to be a training ground for junior talent for our company. Nisha is a huge DEI advocate and great resource for both our current and prospective employees. 

Kerry McFeetors is a Senior Vice President, General Sales Manager for the Katz Radio Group. She began her career as a salesperson at Katz Radio NY, managed our San Francisco and then NY office. Later, she became the General Sales Manager for Katz Radio, and eventually for the entire Katz Radio Group. Kerry is proud to be a member of the Alliance for Women in Media, a board member of the Council for Women of Boston College, on the Executive Committee, and a founding member of Katz Media’s Diversity Equity and Inclusion Council, Stronger Together. She is a passionate DEI advocate, and we are thrilled to have her lead the charge overseeing Stronger Together and its important work.

Rich’s Katz career started 21 years ago as a sales assistant before graduating the training program to become an Account Executive and then promoted to his current role as Vice President/Manager of Katz Radio. He’s honored to serve on the Executive Committee of Katz Media’s Diversity Equity and Inclusion Council, Stronger Together. As a founding member of Stronger Together, Rich is focused on the overall success of DEI at Katz Media with emphasis on recruitment.