In the January 2021 Issue:
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Dear member, Welcome all members, sponsors, and supporters of the Women’s Wireless Leadership Forum. It is with great honor and enthusiasm that I step into the role as President of WWLF. Although this past year has left us ungrounded and unsure at times, I feel an overwhelming sense of gratitude from the support of the WWLF community and the opportunity to provide leadership to an organization that has helped me grow leaps and bounds over the past decade.
As I move into this new role, I want to thank Carolyn Hardwick and Debra Mercier, outgoing President and Vice President, respectively, for their leadership and dedication to WWLF. Sending a special thank you to those departing Executive Directors and Co-Directors as well. It has been a pleasure serving beside you all and I look forward to continuing the momentum you helped foster. As we bid farewell to the outgoing leadership, please join me in welcoming the newly elected and appointed Executive Leadership team who will serve alongside me in the upcoming term: Beth Martindale, Vice President (vicepresident@wwlf.org)
Ashli Fuselier, Secretary (secretary@wwlf.org)
Michelle Salisbury, Treasurer
As we continue to adapt to our ever changing environment, we are committed to supporting our members and industry colleagues as we move through the next chapter. In doing so, the Executive Leadership team welcomes your suggestions and feedback in how we can assist with your personal and
professional development as part of the telecommunications industry and as members of WWLF. If there’s one thing I’ve learned during my tenure in WWLF, it’s that having a professional community is important, now more than ever. We will be working diligently over the next several weeks to fill in the leadership team to ensure we have support across all our initiatives. We’ve also received lots of
interest from members who are passionate about WWLF and are interested in getting more involved. If you are interested in getting involved with volunteer opportunities and investing in yourself, I encourage you to email us today.
On behalf of the Executive Leadership and Executive Directors, thank you for your membership and continued support.
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Three leaders share their wisdom: Looking forward to this year using 2020 insight
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You may have heard people describing the last year with the statement "We're all in the same storm, but we're not all in the same boat." And indeed, your experiences were both broadly universal and also exceedingly specific. Your colleagues and leaders are no different in that regard. We talked with three of them to discover what they learned last year, what surprised them, and what they plan for 2021. |
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Communication, Adaptation, and Innovation
Amelia De Jesus, Vice President—Site Acquisition at Crown Castle, started to read and research leading teams through crisis in March. “But managing large teams through crisis and ambiguity calls for proactive planning for crisis preparedness,” she says. “If I could go back, I would focus on creating a crisis plan and
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preparedness to better lead my team through a pandemic.” The initial transition from a primarily office environment to work from home went smoother than she expected. There were questions, of course. Would home Wi-Fi or VPN’s be able to support working remotely? Would team collaboration and communication be impacted? Would teammates be able to create structure and routines as they work from home? Would their work-life balance be impacted?
“Fortunately, our network supported working remotely, and our teammates were more productive,” De Jesus says. “And they appreciated the opportunity to work remotely for their health and safety, and that of their families.”
As people settled into the routine and cadence of virtual meetings, things got a little easier. Yet some team members struggled with the continued lack of social interaction and isolation. They craved to be back in offices.
This was exacerbated as time went on. Like many, De Jesus anticipated a few months of disruption at most. So while challenges arose from not having the in-person contact teams were accustomed to, the toughest challenges were around maintaining team engagement and morale as weeks dragged to months.
To address employee engagement, company leadership provided virtual learning and development sessions for their teams, hosted online team building activities, conducted more frequent and regular check-ins and one-on-one sessions, held team meet‐ups and meetings over video conference, and encouraged teammates to use their video capabilities. “We also reminded the team about maintaining a healthy work-life balance and encouraging well‐being practices while they worked from home,” she says.
Connection, adaptation, and innovation helped De Jesus lead through the pandemic. “That communication is key isn’t a new lesson, but it was certainly reinforced,” she says. “As a leader, I know uncertainty creates anxiety throughout the workforce. So communicating clearly and consistently, while being adaptive, is essential.”
It was important to connect with colleagues to remind them that she cared about them and their well-being. “Each teammate has his or her own set of circumstances,” she explains. “We put more purposeful focus on the team’s welfare and appreciation.” By grounding the team in their core values and goals, leadership ensured a feeling of shared purpose, engagement, and togetherness while adapting to overcome challenges.
One of De Jesus’s own adaptations that surprised her is how she felt about working remotely. “I’m such an extrovert. I love social interactions and daily in-person communication with my colleagues. I was surprised that I settled in to working remotely and enjoyed it. I guess it’s true what they say, ‘Life doesn’t get easier or more forgiving, we get stronger and more resilient!’’’
De Jesus is less surprised by the innovation. Necessity is the mother of invention, after all. “This pandemic has taken ‘challenge the status quo’ to a whole new dimension,” she says. “And that’s a good thing—we’ve seen many new ideas and opportunities present themselves as a result of the COVID crisis.”
And these deserve attention. De Jesus takes the time to highlight these opportunities and success stories to help to offset the negativity and give teams a forward and upward looking perspective.
As the pandemic continues into 2021, De Jesus is working to re-define internal processes, develop strategies and plan for uncertainty as best as she can. “I’m working to ensure a successful 2021 for my team and customers.”
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Prioritization, Patience, and Perseverance
Rebecca Hunter, who is now a Senior Manager of Government Affairs at SpaceX, started 2020 in a job where she regularly worked from home. But the position required a lot of travel, in-person conversations, and relationship building. |
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Initially,
the start of the pandemic wasn’t too bad. “I was used to working from
home and it was a nice break from traveling all the time. There wasn’t
much pressure regarding homeschooling,” she says.
“The longer the ‘stay-at-home’ persisted, though, it was much harder all the way around. Especially when I realized we were going to be in this for much longer than anyone initially anticipated or hoped.”
Then she faced two big challenges. The first was the company she worked for had to make the tough call that her role was not a core position. (Luckily, she found an incredible new opportunity with SpaceX!)
The second was homeschooling. As every parent in the pandemic knows, “working from home” and “working from home with children in virtual school” are not the same things. Hunter says this has been tremendously stressful for her and her teen-aged children.
“The bright side is I know there are many in similar situations,” she says. “I always try to remind myself how truly fortunate I am. It helps to get through the harder days.”
Hunter was surprised at how it’s easier to get virtual meeting scheduled and have great attendance. And she’s surprised herself, too. “I’m very camera averse. But over time I’ve found being on camera to be much easier…I honestly thought I’d never say that!”
Still, Hunter misses in-person interaction—virtual meetings will never replace that. “But that’s made me appreciate those times and opportunities even more,” she says.
She’s found prioritization, patience, and perseverance instrumental in getting through the year. “I’ve had to really dig deep into what is important and what is not–both with my job and with my family. And I’ve needed to be as patient as possible, which is sometimes a challenge for me,” she explains.
Then there’s getting things done, with all of the adjustments, and as new information and realities present themselves. Hunter’s noticed a willingness to adjust and keep going among herself, her children, and her colleagues. “Overall, it’s amazing what we can do when we work together to support each other. This doesn’t mean every day is a great day.” she says.
But what it does mean is doing what needs to be done, in spite of the fatigue that’s setting in with staying at home and limited social interactions. And to keep persevering, it helps for Hunter to also find the positives where she can.
“It’s important to find those silver linings,” she says. “Like recognizing the small moments that probably wouldn’t have happened in ‘normal’ life. Or that finally people outside our industry understand that high-speed connectivity for everyone is not a luxury. It’s universally understood to be a life need. And I’m happy to see us reaching underserved communities.”
In 2021, Hunter wants to keep being purposeful in what she takes on, letting go of stresses she can’t control, and adding in daily doses of optimism. “This kind of care for myself helps me support happy and healthy kids. And it helps me be more successful in my career, too!” |
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Preparation, Intention, and Positivity
“In the past, when I read intimidating ‘pandemic’ language in a contract, I’d go over it quickly, thinking ‘What are the chances that’ll happen?’ I’ll never underestimate that clause again—2020 showed us it can happen!” says Leticia Latino, President and CEO of Neptuno USA, Corp. |
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Latino had a slight timing advantage when it came to preparing for the pandemic. “Much of my family is in Italy. I began thinking about this in January when news started coming in from Europe about how bad things were. And I’m a realist. I expected it to be a traumatic and difficult experience.”
But those expectations didn’t make it any smoother—neither did online learning. Latino has two young children, and her energy went into making sure their needs were met. “I’d schedule my own meetings later in the day so I could help them with virtual schooling if they needed it.”
The new routine took a lot of adjustment. “Human beings are creatures of habit. And until we get into the new rhythm of things, we don't feel at ease,” she says. “It took me a while to get there. But once I figured it out, I could accept that work was going to suffer. And I could adapt.”
As CEO, she has her company and employees to think about. “Even though we’re essential services, things have still changed dramatically. Customers change their budget plans, they change timing. We’re closing at a substantially lower level than last year. That creates a lot of stress.” Her biggest goal in the coming year is keeping her company healthy and her employees’ jobs safe.
Even through the challenges, Latino discovered some happy surprises. “I thought networking would be very hard without travel and shows. But I’ve been able to expand my network substantially even though we haven't left home,” she says.
“People have been more open to connecting. Maybe because they feel the same way: that we have to do things differently if we want to make progress,” she says. Also surprising is the quality of the connections.
“At a trade show, it takes a long time to meet someone new, to assess if there are synergies or to get their attention. I’ve found the format of the virtual platform makes spotting people I’m interested in connecting with easier. And I’ve had a fair share of potential business connections reach out to me after participating in virtual events”
Overall, preparation, acceptance, and positivity helped Latino, her company, and her family through the year.
“Being Venezuelan, I have grown accustomed to planning for the worst and hoping for the best,” she says. But she also accepts that she can only plan so far. “We have to try and make the best decisions for the day we're living because things can change. But planning a little bit ahead for the future has been positive. And I think that has been a differentiator for us.”
Ultimately embracing that reality helped Latino make the most of the situation. “From the very beginning, we embraced being a family going through this together. With the travel time that I regained, I was able to focus on some personal projects, such as my podcast and my blog, giving me the creative outlet that I needed to keep my mental well-being,” she explains. “I think that's why, while this has been a very challenging experience, I feel I’ve grown a lot—personally and professionally—out of it.”
Keeping that positive outlook is important to her as well. “I’m a realist, but I’m also a positive person. If this year has taught us that anything can happen, it has also taught us that anything is possible.”
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Interviews and article by Kristen Stelzer. Kristen is a B2B technology and telecom writer and content strategist. She specializes in white papers, eBooks, case studies, and industry articles. And she has a special interest in helping women and women-owned businesses. She can be reached at Kristen Stelzer Content & Copywriting.
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WWLF 2021-2022 Call for Sponsors |
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Since the founding of Women’s Wireless Leadership Forum (WWLF), WWLF has been a guiding presence and key player to offer an avenue for members to share their expertise, broaden their contacts and advance their career opportunities. As we plan for 2021 and beyond, our dedication to “Keeping Women Connected” with each other and the industry would not be possible without the continued support of annual sponsors, event sponsors, and industry colleagues. Financial assistance from these loyal supporters has enabled WWLF to offer leadership development to members, numerous successful regional events, and provide a Fellowship Program award to a
member who is beginning her career in telecommunications.
We know you have many sponsorship choices in the industry, and we invite you to consider supporting us in 2021. We are committed to ensuring every company finds value in sponsorship through national advertising, complimentary passes to specified events, and regional publicity at networking and educational function. There are several levels, which have been customized to fit your organization’s needs.
Please contact the Executive Director of Ways & Means, Shamrose Ali, at
Shamrose.Ali@nationalroofingpartners.com or Sponsorships@wwlf.org for further details or to sign up for sponsorship.
Deadline to submit a sponsorship request is Friday, March 5th.
GOLD ($6,000)
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1 year advertising on the WWLF webpage, including hyperlink
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Your logo included in WWLF WIA (Connect X) and MWCA event invitations
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Your logo prominently displayed at WIA (Connect X) and MWCA events
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12 Complimentary Annual (2021) Memberships
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12 admission passes to the WWLF WIA (Connect X) and MWCA events
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4 Passes to each WWLF Regional Event and educational webinars, with advanced registration
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Opportunity to participate as a featured speaker for WWLF webinars and events
SILVER ($4,000)
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1 year advertising on the WWLF webpage, including hyperlink
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Your logo included in WWLF WIA (Connect X) and MWCA event invitations
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Your logo prominently displayed at WIA (Connect X) and MWCA events
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8 Complimentary Annual (2021) Memberships
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8 admission passes to WWLF WIA (Connect X) and MWCA events
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2 Passes to each WWLF Regional Event and educational webinars, with advanced registration
BRONZE ($2,000)
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1 year advertising on the WWLF webpage, including hyperlink
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Your logo included in WWLF WIA (Connect X) and MWCA event invitations
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Your logo prominently displayed at WIA (Connect X) and MWCA events
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4 Complimentary Annual (2021) Memberships
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4 admission passes to the WWLF WIA (Connect X) and MWCAevents
COPPER ($1,000)
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1 year advertising on the WWLF webpage including a hyperlink
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Your logo to be included on the WIA (Connect X) and MWCA event invites
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Your logo prominently displayed at WIA (Connect X) and MWCA events
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One Complimentary Annual (2021) Membership
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One admission pass to WWLF WIA (Connect X) and MWCA events
EXCLUSIVE FELLOWSHIP SPONSOR ($2,500)
The Fellowship Program's mission is to inspire and empower women who are new to the wireless telecommunications industry. This program provides its annual recipient with a Mentorship experience, involvement in the WWLF Committee, free WWLF membership and admission to various WWLF events, exposure on the WWLF website and news publication, a travel stipend for trip to WIA. The annual recipient is chosen through a rigorous selection process based on merit.
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Company recognition on all Program marketing materials
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Company recognition as Program sponsor on WWLF website
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Recognition as Program sponsor during WWLF events at WIA (Connect X) and MWCA
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Complimentary Annual (2021) Memberships for fellowship award winner(s) and mentor(s)
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Plaque given to sponsoring company at the end of the Program term
EXCLUSIVE NEWSLETTER SPONSOR ($3,000)
"The WWLF Connection" newsletter is released on the first Friday of every month running from April 2021 - March 2022 (12 issues). The newsletter will feature recaps from WWLF webinars (with applicable links), articles related to leadership and the industry, interviews from women in telecommunications, and updated WWLF and industry events. - Lifetime exposure on the WWLF webpage, newsletter archives
- Company name and hyperlinks promoted on LinkedIn with each newsletter release
- Company name prominently displayed on the header and footer of all newsletters; logo on footer
- Company recognition as newsletter sponsor on WWLF website
- 2 Complimentary Annual (2021) Memberships
- 2 admission passes to the WWLF WIA (Connect X) and MWCA events
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Monthly Networking Event: Motivation and Mugs
(1st Monday of every month) Our next event is Monday, February 1 from 10-10:45 am EST
Although times are getting somewhat back to normal, we're still not quite there yet. So
let’s come together and connect while enjoying our morning ritual of
coffee, tea, lemon water or whatever is your choice of drink.
During
Monday Motivation and Mugs, each attendee will have one minute to
introduce themselves and talk about what they are looking for/needing
during these times (job opportunities, connections, friendly support,
etc.).
Registration closes the Friday before the event. You'll receive a zoom link before the event. Register for the February 1st event here! |
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Vision, Goals and Drinks! Thursday, January 28th from 5:00pm - 6:30pm EST
Grab your glitter and lets get our goals going on for 2021! WWLF is hosting a Zoom Happy Hour where we'll set goals and create our own Vision Boards. We recommend you have handy: Poster board, scissors, tape or glue, picture cut-outs, magazines, glitter and other decorative items, and your choice of drink!
Create the highest, grandest vision possible for your life, because you become what you believe—Oprah Winfrey
Zoom link will be distributed on January 27th. Save your spot to set your goals now!
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Thank you to our exclusive newsletter sponsor |
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Connect with WWLF
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WWLF is a proud affiliate of WIA
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Women's Wireless Leadership Forum C/O WIA
2111 Wilson Boulevard, Suite 210 Arlington, VA 22201
© 2020 Women’s Wireless Leadership Forum All Rights Reserved
WWLF is committed to creating an inclusive environment where diverse voices are welcome in all aspects of our organization. WWLF values the knowledge and perspectives that our members bring to our organization from their diverse backgrounds. While all members are welcome to participate in both regional and national events, WWLF remains committed to the design and delivery of content to support the development of women in the wireless communications industry. |
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