Gale Gladney-Anderson

Network Engineer with extensive training in telecommunications technologies as well as problem solving.  I am responsible for the review, processing and vetting of small cell sites.  In addition, teaming up with field engineering, inner-office facility engineering, construction and project management is very important to ensure that any issued are resolved. I troubleshoot system issues with our IT team and off-shore developers to resolve process issues.  Lastly, I provide guidance and instruction to new field engineers on the site review and vetting system process. 

I wasn't initially interested in engineering however I enjoyed working on cars with my dad growing up and putting items together without using manuals. Performing scientific experiments as a kid and drawing and painting was also fun for me. I had more toy cars than dolls as a little girl.  Today I enjoy performing tune-ups, changing spark plugs and other tasks required to maintain a vehicle.  I love to learn new things, even at my age.

 My company gave me to opportunity to change my career direction.  I was able to take courses and I moved around within the engineering department holding several positions with increasing responsibility.   Working in engineering allows one to put the pieces together as far as the design, provisioning,  implementation, and working directly with equipment vendors to make sure the correct materials are in place.  You work independently and you work with different engineering teams.  I thoroughly enjoy figuring out issues and solving problems on my own and working with other engineering teams to resolve issues. 

Being a Network Engineer has given me the opportunity to learn about equipment, materials, fiber types, installation and troubleshooting.  Taking courses each year keeps me up-to-date on the latest technologies. The field is always changing which allows me to constantly learn new things.

As a child a played the violin from the age of eight through my teenager years, playing in the school orchestra and in an All-City Orchestra for several years, Color Guard, was a Girl Scout for many years and I was a Safety in Elementary School.  Safety means that I helped kids cross the street after leaving school. I participated many extra-curricular activities in Middle School and High School as well including Cheerleading, Drill Team, Orchestra and Student Council. Of course I worked on cars with my dad.  He taught me how to change a tire, change the oil and which tools to use for different tasks. 

My day at work includes reviewing cell sites for service, working with the wireless engineers and providing site review status.  My area of responsibility is the Mid-Atlantic Region. I respond to email, contact IT for system process flow issues, work with field and planning engineers and I respond to urgent executive level status requests when appropriate.  In addition, I participate in WebEx conference calls to discuss projects or to troubleshoot, to assist in the development of new process flows and responding to requests for quotes and answering chat messages.

I love being able to help fellow engineers.  Receiving daily requests for assistance with the computer systems, explaining why a process must be followed and teaming up to discuss and work out site challenges...there are a lot of great parts and I enjoy working as a team.  

The most proud moment was working to restore service by rerouting circuits in New York right after the September 11, 2001 attacks.  The engineering department I worked in at the time was responsible for getting New York's financial district back online as soon as possible. We were provided with diagrams of New York in order to learn the layout of all of the buildings including the twin towers. We worked 12 hour days six days a week and we were very happy to do it.  It was a small role however we felt like we were helping to get things back to normal.  Due to the situation(security) we were not able to leave our building in Baltimore during the work hours.  Yes, we were able to assist the New York field engineering teams by providing circuit designs to reroute New York circuits from our desks in Baltimore Maryland.  

Challenges include learning about engineering, staying up-to-date on the latest technologies and being one of the few women on my team however times have changed since I became an engineer 20 years ago.  There a more female engineers, Sr. Managers and Executives and more opportunities have opened up for girls and women to explore and have more options to choose from.

My family includes my husband, three Yorkshire terriers and 18 tropical fish. We keep feeders in our backyard therefore our extended family includes squirrels, cardinals, sparrows, blue jays and deer just to name a few.  I also have two brothers and one sister in my family and my husband has two sisters and four brothers in his family. We also have a lot of nieces and nephews who live in Arizona, Colorado, Guam, Delaware and Kansas.

My short team goal is to learn as much as I can about 5G.  My long term goal is to be able to work with A.I.  as part of a team or testing applications.  Artificial Intelligence is so exciting and the applications are boundless.

My parents have been my inspiration.  I learned how to adapt to different situations and they inspired me to become whatever I wanted to be.  As a little girl I played with my dad and my brothers which taught me that a girl could do anything.
 
I watched my mom go to college for Chemistry while I was in high school.  She went on to lead clinical trials for a major pharmaceutical company which included working in England.  My dad has always been hard working holding down multiple jobs so that my mom could stay home and take care of four children until we were all in school full time.

My parents taught us that volunteering to give back is very important therefore I have volunteered for different organizations all my life. My parents still volunteer today.

I would ask the student to search the different types of engineering fields online in order to find the field that best suits their interests.  The engineering field has broadened a lot since I graduated from college.  The engineering positions we heard about included Civil, Electrical and Mechanical engineering however today there are so many more fields to explore including Robotics Engineering.

Outside of work I am a Fine Artist however I also love to hike, fish, visit museums, travel and play with my dogs.  Most of my time outside of work is spent being an artist.  I paint in oils and acrylics on canvas and watercolor on paper.  I use epoxy in my art which used to be thought of as just an industrial material for buildings, coating countertops and floors. I use non-toxic food safe epoxy to make jewelry and other items. Lastly, I use wood as a medium by burning and carving objects into a wooden panel to create a picture.