Shari Pace is Vice President of Licensing and Merchandising, a new department established at The Weather Channel in 2005. In this position, Ms. Pace heads up the first operational unit totally dedicated to the licensing business at The Weather Channel. After just one year, she and her team have a roster of eight licensees and even staged a state-of-the-business licensing conference for their benefit. Besides incremental revenue for the company, Ms. Pace’s deal-making competency has generated tremendous exposure for the network branding and programming. Licensed products at retail in major national chains such as Best Buy, Home Depot, Sears, Macy’s, Kohl’s JcPenny, Bed Bath & Beyond and on e-commerce sites such as Amazon.com and Target.com. Previously, Ms. Pace had been Director of National Ad Sales Marketing at The Weather Channel, a position she held since 2003. In this position, she was responsible for developing long-term strategic marketing and promotional plans to increase brand value and generate advertising revenue. She also had responsibility for developing and managing licensing ventures and partnership alliances to create new revenue streams for The Weather Channel Companies. Shari is an emerging leader who is not only good at what she does, but excels at managing those who work for her. “She always motivates us to do things better, raise the bar higher – you know you are going to stretch,” said a member of her team. “She is encouraging but she also will give it to you straight,” said one of many mentees who call on Shari frequently for advice. Member of professional organizations such as WICT Atlanta and Graduate of UCLA-Anderson School of Business (Executive Education) NAMIC Executive Leadership Development Program 2005-06, and Pathbuilders Achieva (formerly Georgia 100 Women). Informally, she networks with peers at companies including Disney, Discovery and ESPN to discuss “best practice” experiences. Shari is an outstanding example of an emerging leader in our industry. She connects all the dots – tying business practices to business opportunities, seeing company challenges as the way to employee growth, and operating with the belief that the strong performance of the past paves the way for further success in the future. Ms. Pace joined The Weather Channel in 2000 as Senior Marketing Manager of Ad Sales. Previously she had been account supervisor for the Cramer-Krasselt Advertising Agency in Orlando, FL and prior to that she was Senior Brand Manager for Walt Disney World Resorts in Orlando, FL. Additionally, she has 9 years of experience in retail fashion management, buying and operations. A native of Leeds, AL, Ms. Pace earned a bachelor’s degree in business management and a master’s degree in marketing at Alabama A&M University, Huntsville, AL.
