Leaders in Film, Recruitment and Career Services Industries, Join Newhouse Advisory Board
Newhouse welcomes Dwight Caines ’87 and Valerie Workman ’86 to board.
The Newhouse School is welcoming leaders from the film and recruitment and career services industries as the latest members of the Newhouse Advisory Board.
Dwight Caines ’87 serves as president of domestic marketing for Universal Pictures, while Valerie Workman ’86 is chief talent engagement officer at Handshake, which describes itself as the “leading early career community” in the United States.
The Newhouse Advisory Board supports Dean Mark Lodato, faculty and staff in the school’s efforts to make Newhouse the country’s leading institution for education and research in communications.
“I am thrilled to welcome Dwight and Valerie, two dynamic figures in their respective fields, to the Newhouse Advisory Board,” Lodato said. “They will offer invaluable perspectives to our school as Newhouse works to ensure that our students are prepared to thrive in media, entertainment and communications after graduation.”
Caines and Workman will join the Advisory Board at its next meeting next week.
“Dwight Caines and Valerie Workman will bring unique insights to the Newhouse Advisory Board that will help the school’s mission of training and developing the next generation of communications leaders,” said Sandra Cordova Micek ’91, chair of the board. Cordova Micek is president and CEO of WTTW/WFMT in Chicago.
“I am so thankful that they have chosen to give back to their alma mater in such a meaningful way, and we look forward to their voices on the board and working with them,” she said.
As president of domestic marketing at Universal, Caines oversees media, digital marketing, multicultural marketing, data analytics and publicity. He previously served as
president of marketing at Sony Pictures Entertainment. During his career, Caines has worked in various roles in marketing hundreds of movies, including global franchises such as James Bond, Spider-Man, Jurassic World and The Fast and the Furious.
Caines is co-chair of the Universal Pictures Inclusion Committee, which strives to enhance a commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion among the workforce and its creative endeavors. He has been an active member of the Academy of Arts and Sciences Marketing and Public Relations Branch since 2010.
Holding a bachelor’s degree from Newhouse in television, radio and film (TRF) production, Caines serves as a mentor and teaches marketing in the Newhouse LA program. He delivered the keynote address at the 2022 Newhouse Convocation Ceremony.
As chief talent engagement officer at Handshake, Workman focuses on helping employers define and execute their talent acquisition strategies by providing thought-leadership on the future of work. She is a leading industry voice at the intersection of artificial intelligence, careers and global workforce planning,
Prior to joining Handshake, Workman served as the vice president of people at Tesla, where she reported directly to the CEO and became known as “Tesla’s Top Diversity Advocate.” In that role, Workman led the doubling of the Tesla workforce from 50,000 to 100,000 employees, published the company’s first diversity, equity and inclusion report, created a comprehensive online employee guidebook, enhanced pay equity processes, expanded mental health benefits and led the design and rollout of Tesla’s companywide Respectful Recharge training program. She started with Tesla as head of compliance, leading the governance and legal compliance operations that paved the way for the construction of Tesla factories in Shanghai, Berlin and Austin, Texas.
Workman’s two decades of executive leadership experience also includes stints in the hospitality and consumer packaged goods sectors. She is the author of the 2023 Amazon bestseller “Quantum Progression: The Art and Science of Career Advancement in the Age of A.I.” After graduating with a bachelor’s in communications from Newhouse, Workman earned a J.D. from St. John’s University School of Law, which bestowed her a 2024 Diversity Champion Award.