What I Do I am responsible for all Regulatory, Compliance and Real Estate development for the Wireless Radio Access Network for Verizon. This involves planning, design, implementation, construction, operations and compliance of the wireless network in those disciplines. Safety and Compliance, as well as Financial Compliance, are critical parts of our jobs.
Why Engineering? I love innovation and process engineering! Wireless infrastructure and operations allows me to be on the cutting edge of developing technology based solutions that deliver the needs of the future - it truly is energizing to learn so much on the job as we go because some of what we do has never been done before! Engineering can be of a specific technical scope (i.e. mechanical, RF, civil) but it can also be of thoughts and processes. This is something I enjoy doing and collaborating with others to dream and achieve goals.
School Days I went to Loyola University New Orleans and Centenary University New Jersey and obtained a BS in Business. I am presently pursuing my MBA. I have been in the wireless and broadcast industry for 26 years and learned a lot on the job as technology was developed. I am grateful to work for a company that allows growth in role or within other areas where I have interest. I learn and grow on the job every day.
My Day At Work I spend a lot of time with the teams that do the actual implementation and building of the network, along with the planning teams upfront in the process, to bridge any gaps on what happens between design and construction. This is important to make sure we are constantly evolving our approach to building more efficient, effective and complete network solutions. Because a lot of what I do is compliance based, I also spend a lot of time with federal agencies (like the FCC) and our legal and compliance teams to ensure we have the proper rules and controls in place to maintain compliance in the work we do. I also spend a lot of time with partners we work with. Most importantly, I spend time with my teams to understand their work, roadblocks they may need help with clearing and to celebrate their wins and learn from opportunities they see as places we can improve and grow.
Best Part The innovation and ability to work with others towards bigger goals. Seeing work come together from multiple angles and be well orchestrated to accomplish something so important and meaningful gives me a large sense of belonging and pride.
Proud Moments The work that we do gives our customers a chance to use our technology and our network to develop human connections that matter. Staying connected to loved ones, being able to work or provide connectivity for education from home and providing a reliable connection for emergency services in times of need are 3 ways I see us show up every day and gives me pride.
Challenges Major challenges for me was making the needed (and wanted) time for learning and development. Everything moves so fast! Technology changes and big projects are demanding so sometimes there is not as much time in the day to spend towards learning and developing for myself and my team as I want.
My Family I have an amazing and talented son who is almost 16 and a supportive and wonderful husband (of just 3 months!). We live in Georgia. My mom and brothers live in Tampa FL.
Dreams and Goals Short 1 - 2 years I want to be focused on delivering a truly ground breaking experience to our customers in the world of 5G. I can't wait to see what is next! Personal goals, I want spend as much time with my son in his last 2 years of high school before he takes his next big step out into the world! Long 10 years plus I want to make sure that my goals and values stay on track to give back in meaningful ways that add value to the people I love and my community. I spend a lot of time within Verizon but also in my personal time to give back to those in need and help support opportunities for others to grow.
Inspiration My parents were definitely an inspiration as I was raised to see their hard work, determination and sacrifice to support their family but also their communities in need.
Want to be an Engineer? Stay focused on what you want and believe it is possible. Avoid the what ifs - if you spend too much time, or give too much energy, on the what if something doesn't work out view then you may miss the opportunities in between to grow. Growth doesn't only come from success, it also comes from trying something and missing the mark. Get back, look at what didn't work and try again.
Hobbies Race cars! I just started training to road race and love being on track. My first track day was on a Nascar track in Atlanta, GA and I love it!