Michele Ganeless
CEO, Comic Relief
Born in Brooklyn, Michele grew up in the New York City suburbs and went to Northwestern before starting her career at MTV. She joined the founding team of Comedy Central to head programming and then, after a brief stint at USA Network, returned as President. Michele led Comedy Central for 12 years, putting The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, South Park, and other Emmy-winning hits on the air. In 2025, Michele was named CEO of the nonprofit Comic Relief, which funds programs tackling childhood poverty.