The SCTE Foundation said it is accepting applications for the Catherine Oakes Memorial Leadership Scholarship for Women, a new award to recognize, reward and provide educational opportunities for women who aspire to become leaders in cable engineering or operations.
The SCTE Foundation created the scholarship last year to honor Oakes, the long-time SCTE executive who died suddenly on Nov. 16, 2013.
The Foundation said it will award an initial grant of $3,500 to be used toward registration in an industry leadership development or executive education program, such as the SCTE-Tuck Executive Leadership Program or the SCTE-Georgia Tech Management Development Program. Women applying for the scholarship must be SCTE members. The application deadline is Friday, April 4, 2014.
Applications will be reviewed by past recipients of the Women in Technology Award presented annually by SCTE, Women in Cable Telecommunications (WICT) and CableFAX. More information and an application can be found here.
To date, cable system operators, vendors and individuals have donated more than $35,000 in recognition of Oakes’ contributions to the industry.
“Cathy Oakes was a tireless advocate for the women’s and diversity programs that are helping to improve our industry,” said Bill Schankel, vice president, marketing for SCTE and liaison to the SCTE Foundation, in a statement. “This scholarship continues that legacy by ensuring the outcome that was so important to her: Creating opportunities for talented women to enter the industry and advance their cable careers.”
