13 Susan Karis, VP Sales at Hubbard Broadcasting, Phoenix, AZ Nominated by Leyla Haupert, General Sales Manager with Hubbard Broadcasting who recognized that, “Susan is very thoughtful and strategic in how she builds her team. She is focused on maximizing talent and building on people's strengths. As a high-performance leader, she coaches in ways that elevate current and new talent to optimize the overall team.” Leyla went on to explain how Susan’s powers have saved the day for Hubbard, “Susan's problem solving, communication skills and a keen understanding of people's talents has more than just ‘saved a day.’ She's saved business, earned business, rebuilt internal departments and course corrected the team as needed. She has created an organization and culture where people strive to perform at their best.” Taja Graham, VP Sales at Emmis, Indianapolis, IN Nominated by Eric Wunnenberg, General Sales Manager with Emmis, and Christy Holifield, Agency General Sales Manager at Emmis. Christy explained, “Taja is the epitome of the CSS philosophy. Not only does she continuously recruit, she is meticulous in the selection process. Fit is of utmost important to her so that our culture is retained and allowed to flourish. Taja utilizes all of her CSS resources to screen and select the right candidates for the right roles. She regularly keeps her staff on track by keeping the right people in the right seats, and continually focusing on each person's strengths as opposed to pushing them to strengthen their weaknesses. Taja listens to each person to learn different points of view and different perceptions of procedures and tasks. She clearly understands that a person's perception is reality to them and that acknowledging that garners trust and openness among her department. Taja follows the onboarding process thoroughly and works to learn what each staff member responds to the best. I have never worked for a more intuitive person. I truly believe that Taja's dedicated adherence to the CSS path has helped mold her into the wonderful leader she is.” Eric share, “Taja hires talented people and coaches them up. It’s never about her and always about them. She creates an environment for success and winning by utilizing her team leaders’ strengths and skill sets!”