NAB Promotes Pair to COO and CFO

WASHINGTON: NAB President and CEO Gordon Smith today announced the promotions of Christopher Ornelas to chief operating officer and Joy Whitlow to chief financial officer and executive vice president, NAB Finance.

Prior to joining NAB, Ornelas was chief counsel on communications and technology policy in Smith’s U.S. Senate office, overseeing all matters relating to communications, media, entertainment and technology before the Senate Commerce Committee. He previously served in the Washington offices of Wilkinson Barker.

Ornelas earned a J.D. from the Washington College of Law at The American University and a bachelor’s degree in Rhetoric and Communications Studies from the University of Virginia. He lives on Capitol Hill with his wife and son.

Whitlow joined NAB in July 2009 as vice president and controller, and has been responsible for managing the accounting and finance functions at the organization. Prior to that, she spent seven years at WETA-TV and FM in Washington D.C. as budget manager, assistant controller and controller. She also spent two years as a business manager for WGBH-TV Boston.

Whitlow, a certified public accountant, holds a master's degree in economics from The Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies, an undergraduate degree from Brown University and an accounting certificate from the University of Virginia.

She lives in Washington, D.C. with her husband and three sons.