Leigh Woisard Enters Second Year as Chair; Michelle Rice Elected as Vice Chair; 

Crystal Barnes Joins Executive Committee as Development Committee Chair

New Directors At-Large include Cindy Parsons, Executive Director of Sustainability & ESG, CSG International; Asif Sadiq, Chief Global Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer, Warner Bros. Discovery; and Nathan Watt, SVP, Commercial Operations, Afiniti; as well as Chapter Leader Designee, Eke Vermeer, VP, Public Affairs, Liberty Global

WASHINGTON, DC, (January 24, 2024) — The WICT Network today announced the members of its 2024 Global Board of Directors.  

Leigh Woisard, Principal, Communications Consultant, enters her second and final term as Board Chair. Michelle Rice, President, TV One & CLEO TV, has been elected Vice Chair and will become Chair in 2025. Crystal Barnes, EVP, Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Strategy, Paramount, joins the Executive Committee as Development Committee Chair.

New At-Large Members of the Board of Directors are Cindy Parsons, Executive Director of Sustainability & ESG, CSG International; Asif Sadiq, Chief Global Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer, Warner Bros. Discovery; and Nathan Watt, SVP, Commercial Operations, Afiniti. In addition, Eke Vermeer, VP, Public Affairs, Liberty Global, will serve a one-year term as Chapter Leader Designee. The full list of The WICT Network board members is noted below.  

The WICT Network Global Board is a subset of its 10,500 members. Each board leader brings deep industry experience and astute business perspectives to ensure The WICT Network remains at the forefront of the ever-evolving media landscape. Board member bios are available online here. 

"I'm honored to chair The WICT Network for a second year and am thrilled to welcome our new and returning global board members," Leigh Woisard said. "2024 is an exciting year for the organization as we celebrate 20 years of the PAR Workplace Diversity Survey and the expansion of our international footprint. We’re growing our Rising Leaders International Programme in London and extending the UK Chapter’s reach into Ireland. And of course, we'll continue to focus on providing powerful resources to empower our members in the media, entertainment and technology industries worldwide."

Full 2024 Global Board of Directors for The WICT Network 

Executive Committee  

• Leigh Woisard, Principal, Communications Consultant, Chair  
• Michelle Rice, President, TV One & CLEO TV, Vice Chair
• Catherine Bohigian, EVP, Government Affairs, Charter Communications, Treasurer
• Crystal Barnes, EVP, Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Strategy, Paramount, Development Committee Chair
• Karen Buchholz, EVP, Administration, Comcast, Industry Relations Committee Chair  
• Justin Connolly, President, Disney Platform Distribution, The Walt Disney Company, Chapter Development Committee Chair 
• Rhonda Crichlow, Chief Diversity Officer, Charter Communications, Strategic Planning Chair  
• Alaka Williams, SVP, Human Resources – U.S. Networks, Warner Bros. Discovery, Governance Committee Chair  
• Maria E. Brennan, The WICT Network, President & CEO/Ex Officio  

Directors-at-Large  

• Lisa Anselmo, EVP, Communications & Community Affairs and Chief Diversity Officer, Altice USA/Optimum
• Samira Bakhtiar, General Manager of Media & Entertainment, Games, and Sports, AWS 
• Val Boreland, Head of Content Acquisitions, TV & Streaming, NBCUniversal Entertainment
• Roy Cho, EVP, Distribution, AMC Networks 
• Patty Donaldson, Regional Director, Americas Service Provider, Cisco 
• Laura Gentile, CEO & Founder, Moonlight Drive
• Sara Edwards Hinzman, SVP, Distribution & Strategy, A+E Networks 
• Lori LeBas, EVP, Platform Distributions, The Walt Disney Company
• Soraya Loerts, Chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer, Liberty Global
• Ann McGlennen, Chief Human Resources Officer, Midco 
• Kia Painter, EVP & Chief People Officer, Cox Communications 
• Cindy Parsons, Executive Director of Sustainability & ESG, CSG International
• Laura Peterson, North America Communications, Media & Technology Industry Practices Lead, Accenture
• Asif Sadiq, Chief Global Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer, Warner Bros. Discovery
• Tina Simmons, EVP, HR XGIE, Comcast Cable Corporation
• Eke Vermeer, VP, Public Affairs, Liberty Global, Chapter Leader Designee
• Nathan Watt, SVP, Commercial Operations, Afiniti

About The WICT Network

The WICT Network is a global organization whose mission is to create women leaders that transform our industry. We do this by providing unparalleled professional development programs, commissioning original gender research, and supporting a B2B network that helps advance women. For more than 40 years, The WICT Network has partnered with media, entertainment and technology companies to help build a more robust pipeline of women leaders. Founded in 1979, and now over 10,500 members and 24 chapters strong, The WICT Network is the largest and oldest professional association serving women in media. Charter Communications, Comcast NBCUniversal and The Walt Disney Company are The WICT Network’s Strategic Touchstone Partners. Please visit www.wict.org or follow @WICTHQ on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and X for more information. 

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