Senate Resolution No. 669

BY: Senator PARKER

HONORING Debbie Douglas upon the occasion of her
designation as recipient of a 2023 Women-N-Motion
Empowerment Award by the Young, Gifted & Black
Entrepreneurial Awards Program

WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body to take note of
and publicly acknowledge individuals who have distinguished themselves
through their exemplary careers, accomplishments, and purposeful lives
of service to their community and their profession; and

WHEREAS, Attendant to such concern and in full accord with its
long-standing traditions, this Legislative Body is justly proud to honor
Debbie Douglas upon the occasion of her designation as recipient of a
2023 Women-N-Motion Empowerment Award by the Young, Gifted & Black
Entrepreneurial Awards Program to be celebrated at its Awards Brunch on
Sunday, March 26, 2023, at the Simpson Restaurant and Bar, Brooklyn, New
York; and

WHEREAS, Founded by Carl O. Gray, the Young, Gifted & Black (YGB)
Entrepreneurial Awards Program recognizes individuals who continue to
reach levels of great success through hard work and determination,
proving to be inspiring role models to their community and peers; and

WHEREAS, Furthermore, in conjunction with the observance of Women's
History Month, this auspicious occasion features several outstanding
women who are leaders, motivators, business professionals, innovators
and entrepreneurs; and

WHEREAS, A native of Brooklyn, New York, Debbie Douglas began her
illustrious career in Human Resources (HR) as an HR Assistant at the
Shubert Organization, a unionized theatrical management company which is
home to Broadway theaters across the United States; and

WHEREAS, Debbie Douglas later joined the HR department at Paramount,
formerly MTV Networks, a global media and entertainment conglomerate
where she worked her way up from Assistant in Talent Acquisition and was
eventually promoted to Recruiter/TA Manager; in that capacity, she
managed the recruitment process from start to finish, from sourcing
candidates to negotiating job offers; and

WHEREAS, Stepping out of her comfort zone, Debbie Douglas explored
other opportunities and spent some time at Alloy Media + Marketing, a
non-traditional youth and media marketing company; in this role, she
shifted from sole recruitment to working as an HR Manager/Generalist and
was instrumental in formalizing the company's job posting process,
establishing their first Affirmative Action Plan, and negotiating with
the vendor for their first-ever Applicant Tracking System; and

WHEREAS, Debbie Douglas inevitably returned to Paramount as Senior
HR Manager of Human Resources and Talent Management at BET Networks; as
one of the dedicated staffing resources professionals, she focused on
full-cycle recruitment and new hire onboarding, with dedicated support
in management training and employee programs; and


WHEREAS, From there, she had a short stint at a global public
relations and communications company, Ketchum, as a senior recruiter
overseeing a small team in its New York office where she recruited for
all senior-level hires across the agency and offices in Washington,
D.C., Chicago, and Los Angeles; and

WHEREAS, Once again returning to Paramount, Debbie Douglas began
recruiting for all the brands under the Paramount portfolio across
various creative functions; she currently sits in the Director of Talent
Acquisition role, sourcing a diverse talent pool at mid-management
levels up to and including executive management; and

WHEREAS, With a sincere passion for the business of entertainment
and media, Debbie Douglas puts the human back in Human Resources and
acts as a partner with the lines of business and internal clients she
supports; and

WHEREAS, Debbie Douglas enjoys public speaking, mentoring, and
volunteerism; she is a proud member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.,
and sat on the Board of Candice's Sickle Cell Fund, Inc. (CSCF), a small
non-profit organization raising awareness for Sickle Cell Disease; she
is also an ongoing supporter of several non-profit organizations such as
Gyrl Wonder, Save a Girl, Save a World, and the Yvonne McCalla
Foundation, a breast cancer awareness non-profit organization; and

WHEREAS, After receiving her Bachelor of Science degree in Social
Work from Stony Brook University, Debbie Douglas earned her Master of
Science degree in Human Resources Management from The Milano Graduate
School of The New School University in New York; and

WHEREAS, Rare indeed is the impressive dedication shown by an
individual for the benefit of others which Debbie Douglas has displayed
throughout her life; and

WHEREAS, It is the custom of this Legislative Body to commend
individuals of outstanding character, who have shown initiative and
commitment toward constantly pursuing higher goals for themselves, and
acting as role models of leadership to be emulated by both peers and
young people; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
honor Debbie Douglas upon the occasion of her designation as recipient
of a 2023 Women-N-Motion Empowerment Award by the Young, Gifted & Black
Entrepreneurial Awards Program; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be
transmitted to Debbie Douglas.