Paul Cushing, Senior Vice President of Media & Information Technology

Editor’s note: In March, the Walt Disney Company and President and Chief Executive Officer Bob Iger announced an important new initiative to recruit and hire military veterans across all segments of the company.

In honor of Memorial Day, Front Row will spotlight some of ESPN’s employees who are also veterans. Today’s profile is Paul Cushing.

Hometown: Omaha, Neb.

ESPN's Heroes Work Here initiative was put into practice this year.

Current title: SVP Media & Information Technology

Length of time at ESPN: 18 years

Favorite Sports Teams: Dallas Cowboys, Nebraska Cornhuskers, New York Yankees

What branch of the military were you in and how long were you enlisted for?
I spent 22 years in the U.S. Navy, enlisting directly out of high school in Omaha, Neb., in 1969 and served my first tour of duty in Vietnam.

Where you stationed and what did you focus on?
In 1970, I was assigned to the USS Sand Lance, a nuclear submarine, in the Atlantic serving as a Navigation Quartermaster. By 1972, I went to the Mare Island Naval Training Command studying advanced electronics, digital theory and computer design and programming. The following year I went to the Fleet Weather Central in Norfolk, Va., as the computer maintenance supervisor responsible for satellite and weather processing computer systems. In 1980, I was in advanced naval submarine out of Groton, Conn. In 1981, I was assigned as the Systems Management Division Officer at the Fleet Combat Warfare Center, based in Virginia Beach. In 1987, I was named Chief, Systems Management Division, at the Joint Electronic Warfare Center in San Antonio, supporting the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

I retired from the Navy as a Lieutenant in 1991, after serving in the Gulf War in Saudi Arabia, supporting General Norman Schwarzkopf’s staff. I was awarded the Joint Service Commendation Medal by the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, General Colin Powell, for exceptional service during Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm.

Why did you choose to work for ESPN?
When I joined ESPN it was a much smaller company. During my interview and tour, I really felt that technology at ESPN was going to explode and not only would be a real enabler in the future of the company, but a great opportunity to grow in my career. ESPN’s value of teamwork and not being risk adverse were also very important to me.

How do you feel your military background helps you now?
For me, it is the technology training and hands on experiences I had with advance technologies and being responsible for projects from start to finish. Over my career, the military instilled in me the values for teamwork, planning, competitive analysis, leadership, accountability and networking with others.

Rosetta Ellis, Associate Principal Counsel

Editor’s note: In March, the Walt Disney Company and President and Chief Executive Officer Bob Iger announced an important new initiative to recruit and hire military veterans across all segments of the company.

This week, in honor of Memorial Day, Front Row will spotlight some of ESPN’s employees who are also veterans. Today’s profile is Rosetta Ellis.

Hometown: Rahway, N.J.

ESPN's Heroes Work Here initiative was put into practice this year.

Current title: Associate Principal Counsel

Length of time at ESPN: February 2011

Favorite team(s): Mets, Giants, Knicks and Devils

Law School: University of Virginia

What branch of the military were you in and how long were you enlisted for?
I was in the Army for three years.

What was your title/rank and where were you stationed out of?
I was a Unit Supply Specialist and Unit Armorer. My Rank was Specialist E-4. I was stationed at Fort Jackson, S.C., Louisiana, Germany, and also in Iraq and Saudi Arabia.

What did you want to do after you served?
I wasn’t sure exactly what I wanted to do. However, I knew that I wanted to take the skills that I acquired in the military and use them in civilian life.

Why did you choose to work for ESPN?
There are multiple reasons why I chose to work for ESPN, one of which is because I have always had an interest in working with a company in the sports industry and ESPN, of course, is the Worldwide Leader in Sports. I also thought that ESPN presented a unique professional opportunity given the breath of its business, which is immense and varied, coupled with its congenial work environment.

How do you feel your military background helps you now?
I think that the military taught and/or enhanced many skills that were transferable into civilian employment — including my current position at ESPN — such as time management, leadership, organizational skills and teamwork. With my job now, attention to detail is a key component and that, too, is a skill that I learned from the military. I am an employment lawyer here at ESPN, and I also have legal responsibility for the ESPY Awards and boxing.

Chris Forando, director of employee learning and development

Editor’s note: In March, the Walt Disney Company and President and Chief Executive Officer Bob Iger announced an important new initiative to recruit and hire military veterans across all segments of the company.

This week, in honor of Memorial Day, Front Row is spotlighting some of ESPN’s employees who are also veterans. Today’s profile is Chris Forando.

ESPN's Heroes Work Here initiative was put into practice this year.

Hometown: Granville, N.Y.

Current Title: Director of Employee Learning and Development

Length of time at ESPN: July 2011

Favorite Team: Detroit Red Wings

What branch of the military were you in? How long were you enlisted for? What was your title?
I spent 12 years of active duty in the Coast Guard as a Lieutenant Commander. At the academy, I was the Director of Learning and Development. The last seven years there, I was an associate professor for organizational behavior and leadership development at the Coast Guard Academy in Connecticut.

Were you only working in Connecticut?
No, I spent two years as a fisheries patrol officer in the Bering Sea in Alaska. I also spent three years in Washington, D.C. doing research and development. After that I was transferred to Connecticut to the Coast Guard Academy.

Why did you choose to work for ESPN?
I had a very positive experience with the recruiter. This gave me a sense of what the culture was like here. After my phone interview and the one on campus, I saw a positive level of engagement, enthusiasm and energy. What I saw here was a lot of teamwork and collaboration. A lot of people were committed to doing a great job, which was very consistent with what I saw in the military. Everything is team-based and about getting the mission done. I’ve really appreciated that here because I’ve seen how hard people work. The lengths that people go to help their teammates get the job done is impressive.

How do you feel your military background helps you now?
The military prepares you in a number of different ways. First, it teaches you how to be a leader. It teaches you how to manage difficult situations, discipline, perseverance and how to be an instrumental part of a team. It also teaches you how to be a part of something much bigger than yourself. Those are traits and characteristics that you can take anywhere you go. Especially now where I help others learn how to do their job more efficiently and effectively in a team environment.

Anita Adams, associate director of International Sales Init and Syndication

Editor’s note: In March, the Walt Disney Company and President and Chief Executive Officer Bob Iger announced an important new initiative to recruit and hire military veterans across all segments of the company.

This week, in honor of Memorial Day, Front Row will spotlight some of ESPN’s employees who are also veterans. Today’s profile is Anita Adams.

Hometown: Brooklyn, NY

ESPN's Heroes Work Here initiative was put into practice this year.

Current Title: Associate Director of International Sales Init and Syndication

Length of time at ESPN: 15 years

Favorite Team: Pittsburgh Steelers

What branch of the military were you in and how long were you enlisted for?
I was in the Air Force for four-and-a-half years and finished out as a sergeant.

Where you stationed out of and what did you focus on?
I did two-and-a-half years in Oklahoma City and two in Frankfort, Germany. I worked in communications that included classified communications for the base I was stationed at. In Germany, I helped oversee communications for the department and certain higher ranking individuals on the base.

Where are you from originally?
Brooklyn, N.Y. and then I moved to Puerto Rico right before high school. After high school, I enlisted in the Air Force.

Why did you choose to work for ESPN?
I knew someone who had just started working here. So I checked out the Web site and saw that I could apply my sports freelance assistant director work. I really liked what I saw when I came. Other companies can’t compare to ESPN because of what we strive for as a company.

How do you feel your military background helps you now?
I was put in a leadership role at a young age, being 19 when I started. They teach you skills that you can use for the rest of your life. One of the big things about the Air Force is that it’s all about teamwork. It helps to come in with that kind of mindset already. In comparison to what we do now in production, it’s the same concept because we’re all working together to get the show on the air. The military helps with organizational skills and time management both of which help me in my day-to-day job. The Air Force’s motto is “lead, follow, or get out of the way;” ESPN is kind of like that too. We like to be the best and expect others to step it up no matter what your job is.

Allen Black, Manager of Content System Design in Engineering Content Systems

Editor’s note: In March, the Walt Disney Company and President and Chief Executive Officer Bob Iger announced an important new initiative to recruit and hire military veterans across all segments of the company.

This week, in honor of Memorial Day, Front Row will spotlight some of ESPN’s employees who are also veterans. Today’s profile is Allen Black.

Hometown: Detroit, Mich.

ESPN's Heroes Work Here initiative was put into practice this year.

Current Title: Manager of Content System Design in Engineering Content Systems

Length of time at ESPN: 7.5 years

Favorite team(s): Detroit Lions and Tigers

What branch of the military were you in and what was your role?
I joined the Navy right after high school and was enlisted for 10 years. I was a Fire Control Technician First Class Submarines based in Groton, Conn. This dealt mainly with weapons control, in a sense we were responsible for operating and maintaining the electronics and computerized portions of the submarine weapons systems. This included tracking other ships, enemy submarines, enemy surface ships, the Tomahawk targeting system and non-combative ships.

With your background was this an easy transition into civilian life?
The military was a means to an end. I grew up in a pretty tough situation in Detroit. For me, it was getting out of a bad situation and the Navy was my ticket. My main criterion was to go in and learn a trade and after my enlistment go out and get a good job.

What made you choose to work for ESPN?
I was told by a friend whom I served with that there was an open position and that I should apply. So I came on a tour and tried to see how I could leverage my skills to fit the role that needed to be filled. I’m a huge sports fan. Therefore to work at a place where we’re on the cusp of new technology and driving the industry, as well as being surrounded by sports is like a dream job.

How do you feel your military background helps out with your current position?
The values that I learned from the military were very beneficial. Especially working in submarines, it’s a different type of environment that isn’t comparable to anything else. Leadership, communication and taking initiative are important qualities that I took with me. Also, it’s not about what you did yesterday, it’s about what you’re going to do tomorrow. I think ESPN is a lot like that because even though we’re such a huge company there’s still a startup kind of mentality with taking pride in what you do. In a lot of ways it reminds me of the submarine force.

Kevin Preston, ESPN HR, Director Military Initiatives

Editor’s note: In March, the Walt Disney Company and President and Chief Executive Officer Bob Iger announced an important new initiative to recruit and hire military veterans across all segments of the company.

Heroes Work Here

“Heroes Work Here. Employ excellence. Hire veterans” is Disney’s pledge to find career opportunities for 1,000 veterans over the next three years. The company has launched a national campaign to encourage all employers to hire veterans. Additionally, employees will be encouraged to serve veterans organizations through Disney’s VoluntEARS program.

This week, in honor of Memorial Day, Front Row will spotlight some of ESPN’s employees who are also veterans. Our first profile is the person who is coordinating ESPN’s veterans hiring initiative, Kevin Preston.

Hometown: Columbia, Md.

Current Title: Director of Human Resources, Veterans Initiative for Heroes Work Here

Length of time at ESPN: Employee since March 2012

Favorite Team: Washington Redskins

Fun Fact: Ran the Disney Marathon and Goofy Challenge for 10 years

What branch of the military were you in, how long were you enlisted for, and where did you serve?
I spent 27 years in the Army. When I was discharged I was a Colonel and my title was Director of Personnel. I was predominantly in the United States but I was also in Bosnia, Germany and Estonia.

Why did you choose to work for ESPN?
It was a seven-year journey to get here. I knew at some point I would retire from the military and I really liked the company. I started to build a pretty robust network with those who worked for the Disney Company as a whole. The military has a strong culture and values, so the next place I worked at had to coincide with those. I found that what the company does, fit with my values. The driving force was that I felt this was the kind of company that I could fit into.

What are the similarities between your position in the military and your position now?
What I did in the military was build employment programs. I also ran recruiting for four years in the military. I was very heavily involved in working in human resources in the military, which correlates with what I do now. The military and ESPN use pretty similar processes but use different languages for the same things. Process management, program management and leadership management are all pretty consistent systems between the two.

What kind of people are you looking for when you’re out recruiting?
We’re looking for veterans that have skills that match up with the needs and wants of the company. An ESPN employee said to me that, “all he wanted was an opportunity to show what he could do.” We’re trying to make it so that civilians and military veterans can be on the same page and talk.

For more on the Heroes Work Here Initiative, click here. Return to Front Row for more profiles through Memorial Day.

“It’s good to have money and the things that money can buy, but it’s good, too, to check up once in a while and make sure that you haven’t lost the things that money can’t buy.” — George Lorimer, American editor and writer 1867-1937

These days, Danielle DeSousa works as a production assistant on ESPN’s Bristol, Conn. campus.

DeSousa was a lawyer for 10 years in Florida before becoming a production assistant.

She’s learning to monitor telecasts, edit features, write scripts and help with the production of ESPN’s Outside The Lines.

DeSousa doesn’t seem remarkably different from the hundreds of other PAs, except that her journey to this entry-level position in the television industry is remarkable.

She’s 39 years old and just two years removed from a thriving, 10-year career as a lawyer in Tampa, Fla., primarily working as a prosecutor, civil litigator and later a corporate attorney.

But before she even thought of coming to ESPN, DeSousa questioned her passion for legal career and made a very difficult decision: She turned down an offer of a promotion.

“All I could think to myself was ‘I’m stuck in this miserable profession for another 10, 20, 30 years if I take it,’” said DeSousa.

“All I ever thought about when I was young was becoming a lawyer and going to law school. It was great in the beginning. I was a prosecutor out of law school for four years and I loved the trial work. I prosecuted anything from DUIs to drug cases to sex crimes to murders.”

In October 2009, DeSousa not only left her firm — a Fortune 250 company, she says — but she quit law, packed her bags and left Florida.

DeSousa travelled, visiting friends around the country.

She surfed in Costa Rica during the summer of 2010, when some friends — SportsCenter anchor Steve Levy and his wife Ani — helped turned her life in an unexpected direction.

DeSousa and her law school roommate, Ani Levy, wife of SportsCenter anchor Steve Levy.

“Danielle is my wife’s law school roommate, and she has always been a sports nut, which is kind of funny because my wife doesn’t care about sports at all,” Levy said.

Levy recommended DeSousa consider applying to become an ESPN production assistant.

“I told Danielle ‘look, you’ll probably have to take a massive pay cut, move someplace cold, work weekends and overnights. She was like ‘Where do I sign up?’ in essence.”

After getting the green light, Levy contacted ESPN coordinating producer Missy Motha.

“They took it from there,” Levy said.

“While Dani has thanked me on more than one occasion, Missy has also thanked me for bringing her such a solid candidate.”

In December 2010, DeSousa packed once again and moved from sunny Florida to cold Bristol, where she rediscovered her passion for sports.

She gave up a significant chunk of her salary to start from the very bottom on a field she had no experience in at a major sports network, but that didn’t phase her one bit.

“I downgraded my living space, my vehicle, but I upgraded my peace of mind,” DeSousa said.

“I wake up every day and I am happy.”

The transition wasn’t easy.

Levy describes it as “being a 30-year-old rookie that excels in the league despite never having played pro sports before.”

Danielle wouldn’t have been so eager to make the move without the support of her dad Everson DeSousa.

Everson had told his daughter to follow her passion for sports when she was a teenager, but she chose to try to make a lot of money as a lawyer instead.

Twenty years later, when his daughter needed him the most, Everson didn’t need to say “I told you so.”

Instead, he supported her move 100 percent.

DeSousa is making headlines at ESPN. Levy sees a very bright future for her.

“She could combine her legal background with sports. We have 3 or 4 legal analysts on the air all the time,” he said.

“There are a lot of opportunities when sports and law come together, and I think that makes Dani a tremendous asset here at ESPN.”

However, DeSousa isn’t thinking that far ahead just yet. She is just riding the wave and working on multiple projects with Outside the Lines hoping to become a field producer someday.

Her potential is, once again, limitless.

Every Saturday during college football season, you’ll find me working the sidelines for the SEC Network (check out my blog at: http://espnplus.com/blog/).

I’m also a sideline reporter for college football and basketball on the ESPN Networks, primarily ESPNU.

As early as the third grade, Capuano knew she had a love for science.

I call play-by-play for women’s basketball and softball and serve as studio host on a variety of specialty shows, typically involving those sports or the SEC.

But if you knew me a few years ago, sportscasting didn’t seem to be my career destination.

The first love was math. I remember starting kindergarten and being sent to second grade during math time. Then followed my love for science. The tangible evidence can still found at my house today.

Every childhood autobiography had me forecasting the same future: veterinary medicine — until that ill-fated high school assembly.

We’ve all been to this one: It was timed right before homecoming, where administrators hammer home a poignant anti-drunk driving message by showing a gym full of teenagers the most graphic car accident images they can find.

I leaned over to my best friend and said, “I feel a little light-headed.”

Next thing I knew, my head was in my lap and I was sitting cross-legged, turned 180 degrees from the direction I had originally been facing, asking the school nurse, “What is that?”

Smelling salts.

Yep, I fainted.

Even at 15, I knew that first fainting incident (there have been many since) wasn’t a good sign for a budding pre-veterinary science major.

But the love for science wouldn’t subside, despite my squeamish nature.

Enter the University of California, San Diego, one of the finest research institutions in America.

I spent my four years there either attending class, teaching class or at the Central Library (now called Geisel Library, following a ginormous donation by the man you know as Dr. Seuss.)

If I studied facing west on the higher floors, I could see the ocean and hang-gliders along the cliffs of La Jolla.

Yes, this is where I went to college. Tough life, right?

In a way, it was.

U.C.S.D. was NCAA Division III in those years.

That’s tough sports-fan sledding for a gal who first joined the “Blue Crew” (Los Angeles Dodgers fan club) at age 3. I also grew up idolizing the “Showtime” Lakers, and was one of 80-thousand-plus fans rooting for the Los Angeles Raiders at the AFC Championship Game at the Memorial Coliseum in 1984. The Raiders won the Super Bowl that year (thanks, Dad, but I can’t deny Mom’s influence: She took me to the classic UCLA-USC game at the very same Coliseum which pitted Rodney Peete of USC versus Troy Aikman’s UCLA Bruins.)

I decided to adopt the Arizona Wildcats as my “college team” and made many treks to Tucson for big-time games.

Think [former Arizona football coach] Dick Tomey and “Desert Swarm” (ask ESPN.com’s Pat Forde who inspired the “APB” on NT Rob Waldrop last year? Yours truly!)

Think [former Wildcats men's basketball coach] Lute Olson and his perfect hair; Damon Stoudamire and Khalid Reeves, then Mike Bibby and Miles Simon and an unexpected National Championship.

Even while I was thriving in my classes, the “fan”aticism in me was reaching a fever pitch.

The foundation was laid. A crossroads was on the horizon.

On college graduation day, I sat on stage, recognized for earning the “Highest GPA in the Major: Biochemistry and Cell Biology.”

Only one B-plus litters my transcript, from my first quarter of general chemistry (8 a.m. class, three days a week: classic freshmen miscalculation!)

For the most part, I was a curvesetter in my Bio classes, to the chagrin of many pre-med friends.

My veterinary dreams may have evaporated, but I’d found a new love: teaching.

The goal: junior college biology instructor.

The demand: at least a master’s degree, a Ph.D. would increase my chances at landing an even better job.

To increase my appeal to graduate programs, I spent senior year as an undergraduate researcher in a cell biology lab, constructing faux nuclei to be used in protein trafficking experiments.

Between that valuable experience, my GPA and a score in the 93rd percentile on the Biology-specific GRE, I was recruited like a five-star athlete.

What a wonderful feeling, to be truly wooed!

Official visits included campus tours and extensive interviews, followed by dinners at the homes of the department heads.

There were follow-up phone calls from some of the world’s most prominent professors.

All five schools I applied to accepted me. Stanford was reserving one of four spots in its prestigious “Cancer Biology” program for me, but in the end, I chose UCLA.

In the back of my mind, a small candle burned for the possibility of a future as a television sportscaster.

Stranding myself in Palo Alto (called “The Farm” for good reason) seemed like a no-win situation for my “other” potential career goal.

Kids, that’s what we call a “self-fulfilling prophecy.”

One year of classes, seminars and laboratory rotations later, I took a “leave” from UCLA, found a string of odd jobs to pay my bills and began to volunteer weekends in the sports department at a local TV news station.

It started with logging games and editing highlights, then moved into gathering postgame reaction at local events (you name it, L.A. has it – with two MLB, NHL and NBA teams).

Eventually, I was producing weekend sportscasts and compiling a resume reel to land my first on-air job. I loved every minute of those grueling 7-day work weeks, and still do.

The credits I earned in Year 1 of my Ph.D. pursuit in Biological Chemistry are still present in UCLA’s records.

I followed up with the registrar a few years ago, playing with the idea of completing my Master’s. I might still go back.

For now, I’m blissfully content in my role as a “student of the game”: traveling to a different campus every weekend from September through May, learning and sharing the stories of student-athletes and their coaches, celebrating our shared love of sports.

It’s a dream career discovered, albeit on a circuitous path.

And all of that studying at Central Library serves me well when I have to remember considerable details about the teams players I’m covering.

My molecular model set sits in my office, a fond reminder of my roots.

Do you enjoy hearing — and seeing — some of your favorite bands perform their interpretations of ESPN’s Baseball Tonight theme?

Every Thursday through the first half of the baseball season, a different artist’s version of the song will be revealed and highlighted throughout related programming. Grace Potter and the Nocturnals’ version has been featured the past week (see video after the jump).

Da Zoo’s version will be unveiled later this Thursday, another of the 11 major acts who want to merge sports and music with the network in this way.

Working with those artists is just part of ESPN Music Director Kevin Wilson’s job.

It’s a great gig the Bristol, Conn. native might never have landed if he had not been delivering pizzas for Vita’s Deli to Building 1 in 1993.

“I happened to be catering a party for ESPN — back then, there was no cafeteria. I was walking down the hall and took [ESPN Vice President] Al Jaffe’s name off the wall,” Wilson recalled.

“I wrote down his name and sent him a resume.”

Five months later, ESPN contacted him about applying for a vacancy in its music department.

“I’m very fortunate to have landed here,” said Wilson. “It almost feels like — without getting corny — destiny.”

Years later, Wilson’s worked with countless big names and many emerging artists to help augment ESPN’s programming with their unique sounds.

“I love putting music to images. I love making that emotion come to life,” said Wilson.

“And I love seeing a whole idea come together. That’s my favorite part. ”

Title:ESPN’s Music Director

What Do You Do: “I come up with a lot of the music strategies for the network. The main thing is I’m the liaison for a lot of the [music rights] clearance houses for the bands and the network. I come up with a lot of the creative stuff with the Band Of The Month things that we do, which are currently with The Beastie Boys and The Foo Fighters. I help facilitate and come up with all the bands that do all the cover songs for our Major League Baseball themes. I help build out the music strategies for X Games and other shows across the board.

ESPN Experience In Years: WIlson was hired in April 1994

Foot In The Door: After studying sound recording at the University of New Haven and music business at the University of Miami, Wilson found it difficult getting a job with the major record labels. He lived with his parents and worked at a friend’s business, Vita’s Deli, to make ends meet. Then one day, he delivered pizzas to ESPN and decided to apply for a job. Five months later, ESPN’s Senior Creative Director Noubar Stone contacted Wilson about a vacant music assistant’s position, typing cue sheets. Wilson eventually was promoted to a music coordinator position, where he helped manage the network’s music library. Later, he became the network’s Music Director.

Helpful Outside Experiences: “My love of music and my love of sports. Being a Bristol kid helped me, being a temp, I could live with my family. I had somebody to lean on. I don’t know if I could have dealt with being a temp in New York. And my educational background certainly helped me out a lot. Doing all those early-on tasks really helped me out. I didn’t look down upon them. [Also] Being a dad has helped me organize and grow patience — I’ve still got a long way to go. And [Coordinating Director Of Music] Claude Mitchell’s guidance.”

Strangest Thing About The Work: “There’s a lot of stress involved with these deals. Getting a Jay-Z song on air is not as simple as, ‘Hey, guys, why don’t we get some music on from Jay-Z.’ I don’t think people know how much negotiation needs to go on behind the scenes, even when everybody wants to do it. I wouldn’t call it strange, but that’s the biggest stress part of my job. There might be a perception that people in my department just sit around thinking about these fun things. There’s a lot of work that goes into getting it done.”

Best Advice To ESPN Job Seeker: “Try not to be so ‘tunnel-vision’ with your field. I’m very fortunate to have landed here. It almost feels like — without getting corny — destiny.” When I went to school for music business, it was very ‘tunnel-vision: The music business is this and this.’ Well, it’s not. Music is everywhere. . . . It’s about finding out what all your interests are and melding them together. “And not give up. Even though I was working in a deli and driving my parents nuts, I never gave up. I just kept looking.”

For more on ESPN careers, click here.

For more on ESPN’s connection to music, click here.