{"687099":{"#nid":"687099","#data":{"type":"event","title":"Ask the Executive Anything: An Evening with Mike Toppo","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EIn this first-of-its-kind free event, Master\u0027s and Ph.D. students in Ivan Allen College are invited to share dinner with Mike Toppo, a longtime friend of IAC and former vice president at CNN. In his career spanning three decades with the Cable News Network, Toppo also previously served as senior editorial director, senior director for news operations and production, senior producer, and more. \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHe is a people-centered media leader who cares deeply about building strong teams, healthy cultures, and content strategies that genuinely connect with audiences. During his time at CNN, he helped shape content strategies for CNN\u2019s core products, launched the CNN Headlines streaming channel across FAST platforms, and created CNN\u2019s first digital \u201cwar room\u201d to bring editorial, data, and social teams together for real-time decision-making. \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHe is especially energized by work that balances performance with well-being. Whether it\u2019s improving engagement and watch time through experimentation, increasing video completion rates through training, or mentoring emerging leaders, his focus is on creating environments where people feel supported, confident, and motivated to do their best work. Collaboration, empathy, and clarity are central to how Toppo leads \u2014 and he takes pride in helping teams grow, adapt, and thrive while delivering real results.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EToppo says, \u0022I\u2019ve learned a lot about how to navigate through an organization while not beating myself up along the way. \u0026nbsp;Maybe I can help you develop those skills, too!\u0022\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/gatech.co1.qualtrics.com\/jfe\/form\/SV_9n2BDrWr2mpNJvo\u0022\u003ERegistration\u003C\/a\u003E is required.\u0026nbsp;\u003Cstrong\u003EPlease note: \u003C\/strong\u003ECompleting the form does not guarantee a spot. With only 15 spots available, we\u0027ll send a follow-up email to confirm your registration.\u003Cbr\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/div\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EAn inaugural free networking dinner for IAC Master\u0027s and Ph.D. students featuring former senior vice president of CNN Mike Toppo.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"An inaugural free networking dinner for IAC Master\u0027s and Ph.D. students featuring former senior vice president of CNN Mike Toppo."}],"uid":"36009","created_gmt":"2026-01-06 22:19:29","changed_gmt":"2026-01-13 21:26:51","author":"cwhittle9","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","field_event_time":{"event_time_start":"2026-01-16T17:00:00-05:00","event_time_end":"2026-01-16T19:00:00-05:00","event_time_end_last":"2026-01-16T19:00:00-05:00","gmt_time_start":"2026-01-16 22:00:00","gmt_time_end":"2026-01-17 00:00:00","gmt_time_end_last":"2026-01-17 00:00:00","rrule":null,"timezone":"America\/New_York"},"location":"Registration Required","extras":["free_food"],"related_links":[{"url":"https:\/\/gatech.co1.qualtrics.com\/jfe\/form\/SV_9n2BDrWr2mpNJvo","title":"Register Now"}],"groups":[{"id":"1281","name":"Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts"},{"id":"1285","name":"Sam Nunn School of International Affairs"},{"id":"1282","name":"School of Economics"},{"id":"1288","name":"School of History and Sociology"},{"id":"1283","name":"School of Literature, Media, and Communication"},{"id":"1284","name":"School of Modern Languages"},{"id":"1289","name":"School of Public Policy"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[{"id":"194683","name":"Talk"},{"id":"10377","name":"Career\/Professional development"}],"invited_audience":[{"id":"174045","name":"Graduate students"}],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EJacob Bratcher\u003Cbr\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:jacob.bratcher@gatech.edu\u0022\u003Ejacob.bratcher@gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}