2024 Leadership Conference Fellows

With nearly 30 years in the telecommunication industry and over 20 years of experience in Human Resources, I have dedicated my career to fostering talent and promoting diversity. Since joining WICT in 2015, I have actively volunteered at numerous events and became a board member in 2022. Currently, I serve as the 2024 Vice President for the Southeast Chapter, where I oversee the annual Inspire Awards and focus on membership, mentoring, and succession planning for 2025.

 

Recently, I accepted a role of Sr Director Human Resources Business Partner at Optimum based in New York headquarters. My professional journey is guided by my motto: never forget where I come from, always remain humble, treat people fairly and consistently, and reach back to bring others along. I am passionate about empowering others and contributing to an inclusive workplace culture.

Tori Manko is a nationally acclaimed strategic leader with an illustrious career spanning nearly two decades in executive support, leadership and operations within Fortune 30 companies. As the Senior Manager of Learning Programs and Events at Comcast Corporation, she drives operational excellence and innovative experiential learning initiatives that foster leadership development across the organization. Tori plays a pivotal role in conceptualizing, planning, and executing programs for the Enterprise Career and Leader Portfolio, working with 16 cross-functional teams and external vendors to deliver impactful learning experiences to audiences exceeding 5,000.

Her contributions have led to an 84% increase in program adoption and a 92% speaker NPS from over 4,000 internal learners. Additionally, she manages a near million-dollar budget, ensuring optimal resource allocation and identifying cost-saving opportunities.

A passionate mentor, Tori is dedicated to empowering professionals nationwide to advocate for their careers and personal growth. Her contributions to strategic partnerships have earned her national recognition, including the distinguished Admin Awards. Tori also serves on Comcast’s HQ DE&I Council, where she contributes to advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts across the enterprise.

Beyond her professional accomplishments, Tori serves as the Marketing Board Director for WICT’s Pittsburgh Chapter and is currently pursuing an MBA from Purdue University. In her personal life, she enjoys traveling with her husband, Douglas, diving into literature, gardening, and caring for her five rescue cats.

As Senior Manager, Corporate Communications for Cox Communications, Andi Bledsoe primarily supports the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) organization. The CFO organization includes finance and accounting, business operations, strategic sourcing and supply chain, content acquisition and programming, Cox Media, and the Integration Management Office. 
 
In this role, Andi serves as the communications lead for the Integration Management Office (IMO) – a team that is responsible for pre and post investment business acquisition activities, including the integration of new business acquisitions that align with Cox’s new growth strategy. 
 
Andi began her tenure with Cox Communications in 2015. Before Cox, Andi spent more than 10 years in the television broadcast industry in both the Oklahoma City and Dallas, Texas markets. 
Andi is a graduate of Oklahoma State University and holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism and broadcasting. Additionally, she holds an Accreditation in Public Relations (APR) and a certificate in Crisis Communication. She is the President of the WICT Heartland Chapter and is on the Executive Board of Infant Crisis Services. 
 
Andi lives in Edmond, Oklahoma with her husband and two children. She enjoys traveling, running and spending time with her family. 

Anne Loescher is the Senior Director of Promotion Strategy & Planning for the E.W. Scripps Company. In this role, she develops and executes enterprise-wide promotion strategies to maximize audience engagement and increase viewership for the company’s linear networks, CTV/FAST channels, and local stations. She oversees a department of 14 managers and planners. Previously, she worked at Turner Broadcasting (now part of Warner Brothers Discovery) and Sinclair Broadcast Group.

Anne has been a member of The WICT Network since 2013, and has served on the Southeast chapter board of directors for ten years, including a term as chapter president in 2017. She also serves as Mentorship Lead for the Scripps Women’s Network employee resource group, and co-founded the company’s mentoring circles program. Outside of work, Anne enjoys traveling, working out, and volunteering with Hands On Atlanta, a local nonprofit. She lives in Roswell, GA with her husband and three dogs.