Women in Telecom

When Verizon released its first-ever Human Capital Report in 2021, the goal was to articulate “the company’s commitment to attract the best talent, develop its employees to their full potential and inspire employees to build their careers at Verizon.”

Two years later, especially with the recent celebration of Women’s History Month, it feels like the right time to check in with several female VPS employees and see how those efforts to develop and further women's careers at VPS have paid dividends. Has that report made an impact? What does the report—and the goals outlined within—mean to you, and how much progress has been made at VPS in achieving those goals? On a more fundamental level, what is it like to be a woman working at VPS, and how does the company support the professional growth and advancement of its female team members?

Several VPS women took the time to share their thoughts on these topics and about their experiences at VPS:

For Jillian Alter, a VPS Communications Consultant, the document laid the groundwork to build a ready workforce for the future. Jillian believes that “VPS’s greatest strength is its employees.” It’s not a coincidence to her that the company scores 100% in the Disability Equality Index, 100% in the Corporate Equality Index (CEI), has been named the #1 Military Friendly Company by Military Friendly® and was recognized as one of Working Mother Media’s Top 100 Best Companies.

That kind of recognition is meaningful, especially in an industry that has long been male-dominated. For Account Director Christine Lee, it’s a welcome shift that the industry has “slowly evolved,” with “more women assuming management and leadership positions.” Sales Support Specialist Jennifer Turner has witnessed that evolution firsthand over nearly two decades.

“When I started at Verizon (MCI Canada) in 2006, it was a male-dominated industry,” she explains. “Since then, there has been a surge of women into the sector, including at Verizon. More women are taking senior and leadership roles at Verizon now. Verizon's promotion of inclusivity and diversity has helped attract more women.”

For Catie Hopiard, who occupies one of those positions as a Product Manager, the “professional journey at VPS has been “a journey of growth and development.” Catie’s career path has allowed her to work with a variety of different teams within VPS, an “experience that blends diverse elements of the business such as strategy development and implementation, financial acumen, and technical aptitude.” The work has “pushed [her] to learn and grow in multiple areas” and provided her with the leadership opportunities and responsibilities that have not only expanded her skillset but her leadership toolkit.

Those same opportunities and consistent support have led VPS Chief of Staff Maureen McCracken Smith to acquire impressive knowledge and operational expertise despite being someone who entered Verizon without a technical background.

“I’m proud of all of the knowledge and operational expertise I’ve gained while with the company, says Maureen. “I’ve held roles in provisioning, ordering, connectivity and onboarding, business IT requirements, and now serve as Chief of Staff in our Client Services team.”

Margaret Detch, a Senior Manager in the VPS Program Management Office, characterizes that diversity of experience and range of opportunities in VPS is “like working for a small entrepreneurial company.” It allows you to “wear many different hats” and “have broader exposure to key decision makers and succeed by driving new paths forward for the business.” For Margaret, the “continual investment by VPS in learning forward” has helped her earn her MBA, complete programs like the year-long Women of the World (WOW) Training that “has provided me with the tools and strategies to grow as a manager and to pursue different career opportunities.”

Catie Hopiard cites VPS's commitment to supporting and developing the careers of its talented women, pointing to “strong leaders who believed in me and inspired me to reach new heights, often challenging me to move outside of my comfort zone,” as well as mentoring programs and a “consistent focus on training and development” through programs like Leadership Edge, Change Execution, and Achieve training—as well as Leading Women’s Development programs.”

Maureen McCracken Smith says that support comes from the top and permeates the company: “Every time I’ve pursued new training or started a new role, I’ve had the support of my management and peers to help me succeed. I’ve had some of the best mentors along the way who have taken the time to help me understand my goals and set a path towards achieving them.”

In the past few years, VPS has doubled its opportunities for women to learn, network, and expand their careers, with innovative and impactful mentoring opportunities available through the company’s WOW (Women of the World) program. Additionally, an internal initiative pairs female employees with executive-level mentors to help them further their career paths.

“The great news is that Verizon does have 100% pay equity in salary for women and men,” says Margaret. And while there is still work to be done in fully realizing the goal of true equality in this traditionally male-dominated industry, the programs, priorities, and possibilities outlined in the Human Capital Report are a sign that meaningful progress is being made at Verizon. As Jennifer Turner puts it: “I feel we still have a way to go to address the challenges for women in this industry and others, but we are making great progress.”