Dr. Jannette L. Dates was appointed to the CPB Board by President Barack Obama and confirmed by the Senate in August 2013. She is the Dean Emerita of the Howard University School of Communications, where she served as the Dean for more than 18 years, Associate Dean for five years and as a faculty member in the Department of Radio, Television and Film for a number of years. She has been a frequent speaker and panelist on national television and radio programs where she discussed images of African Americans in the mass media. She has appeared on Both Sides with Jesse Jackson, Booknotes with Brian Lamb on CSPAN, All Things Considered on NPR, Close Up on NPR, Our Visions on BET, and On the Media on NPR, among others.
Prior to her career at Howard, Dr. Dates served as anchor and executive producer of a weekly television magazine for the Baltimore, Maryland, NBC affiliate, WBAL-TV, and as executive producer and host for a distance learning television series for Morgan State College students studying African American history and culture. She served as a panelist on a weekly public affairs television series for the Baltimore, Maryland, ABC affiliate, WJZ-TV, in a weekly series entitled Square Off, and as the co-anchor of the weekly television series North Star for the NBC affiliate in Baltimore, WBAL-TV.
In the 1990's, Dr. Dates served as a Fellow at the Freedom Forum Media Studies Center at Columbia University where her research focused on media images and effects, media treatment of African Americans and similar multicultural groups and women. She writes, as well, about the significance of diversity in media industries and in higher education.
Dr. Dates co-edited the book, Split Image: African Americans in the Mass Media, authoring six of the ten chapters. She has written chapters for numerous other books, authored more than 20 peer-reviewed articles, and many general article publications.
Dr. Dates' work with the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication includes service as vice president and president. She served, as well, as vice chair of the Accrediting Committee of the Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (ACEJMC). She has served as site team leader on numerous visits for the accreditation of programs and as a member of the Accrediting Council of ACEJMC. She served as a facilitator for site team training sessions for ACEJMC. Dr. Dates' work with the Broadcast Education Association includes service as vice president and president of the BEA.
From 1997–2001, Dr. Dates served as chair of the Black College Communication Association, an organization of many of the 39 Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU's), which have communications programs, and on the national advisory board of the George Foster Peabody Awards (1995–2002).
Dr. Dates served as a Cable Commissioner and chair of the Education Task Force for the Baltimore, Maryland, Mayor's Cable Communications Commission from 1979–1981, 1988–1990, and from 1990–1994. She also served as president and vice-president of the Baltimore Cable Access Corporation from 1982–1988.
Dr. Dates is the recipient of numerous awards including the 2013 White House Communications Agency Award for Service, the “Ebony Award” for Women in Marketing and Communication and the “Woman of the Year Award” from the National Coalition of 100 Black Women.
She and her husband, Victor H. Dates Sr., are the parents of four adult children and four grandchildren.
Her term expires in 2016.
Upcoming Board Meetings
December 9-10, 2013
Board Meeting
Washington, DC