Chris Ornelas
Beasley Media Group has announced Chris Ornelas has been named General Counsel at Beasley Media Group. He will officially begin his new position on February 1, 2020.
The highly respected media executive most recently spent nearly a decade serving as chief operating and strategy officer of the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB), where he was responsible for overseeing the operations of and providing strategic guidance to NAB’s advocacy teams in addressing the diverse legal and regulatory issues facing broadcasters today.
Before joining the NAB, Ornelas was chief counsel on communications and technology policy in NAB President/CEO and former Senator Gordon Smith’s U.S. Senate office, overseeing all matters relating to communications, media, entertainment and technology before the Senate Commerce Committee. In that role, he developed and advanced multiple legislative initiatives on a wide array of communications and technology issues and advised the Senator on legislation that included digital content protection, media ownership, spectrum allocation, broadband deployment and regulations, and telecommunications reform.
The broadcast veteran’s career also includes nearly a decade in the Washington offices of law firm Wilkinson Barker Knauer, LLP, where he represented broadcast clients on policy, regulatory and transactional matters. In this capacity, Ornelas licensed some of the first HD Radio stations in the U.S. and assisted several broadcasters with regulatory matters surrounding the transition to digital and high definition television.
“I will miss Chris Ornelas’s wise counsel, good humor and strategic guidance of ‘Team NAB’ as our COO,” said NAB President and Chief Executive Officer Gordon Smith. “He’s been a selfless servant, a trusted colleague and a loyal friend during my years on Capitol Hill and at NAB. I’m so proud that Chris has a new opportunity to shine even brighter as Beasley Media Group’s new general counsel.”
“We are absolutely thrilled to welcome Chris into the Beasley Media Group Family,” said Beasley Media Group Chief Executive Officer Caroline Beasley. “I’ve had the opportunity to work alongside him over the years as an NAB board member and have learned that he is an incredibly thoughtful and dedicated person. His vast experience, outstanding reputation and proven leadership capabilities made Chris the absolute perfect choice to join our team. I am very thankful to Senator Gordon Smith and the entire NAB family for supporting Chris in his decision to join our Beasley Media Group family.”
“It is a privilege to have the opportunity to work with Caroline and the entire Beasley Media Group family as I begin the next chapter in my career,” said Ornelas. “I am incredibly grateful to Senator Gordon Smith and the outstanding NAB family for having had the privilege of working with them over the past 10 years. I look forward to continuing that relationship in my new role serving as General Counsel at Beasley.”
