Movers and Shakers: Telecommunications

by Sima Matthes (New York City)

It’s nearly a cliché to say that women are the communicators in this world; however, given the lack of women at the top of many of the top ten Telecom companies on the Fortune 500, one wonders if this news has somehow escaped the powers that be.

Yet we don’t need to look too deep into the list—just to Verizon, #2 in Telecom and #17 overall— to find not one but FIVE women at the executive level, all of whom have been with the company in its various prior incarnations, through mergers and splits.

Marianne Drost, senior vice president, deputy general counsel and corporate secretary for Verizon is responsible for strategic transactions, securities and finance, SEC reporting and disclosure and corporate governance in addition to her role as corporate secretary. She began her career at GTE in 1977 and continued there—save a brief hiatus at Cheesebrough-Pond’s Inc. legal department in 1984—until GTE became part of Verizon. She is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Connecticut College in New London and received her J.D. with honors from the University of Connecticut School of Law.

Claire Beth Nogay, is the senior vice president and chief network officer for Verizon Telecom’s Network Services Group. From her beginnings as an outside plant engineer in 1980, she has held progressively responsible positions within the company. In her current role, she manages all network engineering and operations functions for Verizon’s Domestic Telecom networks as well as the Network Capital Program from FTTP data and video network design to implementation. Over the years, Ms. Nogay has completed executive programs at the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania and the Center for Creative Leadership. She has served as senior vice president for Complex Services Delivery for Verizon Partner Solutions as well as VP for Competitive Local Exchange Carrier Operations. Ms. Nogay holds a degree in Civil Engineering from Princeton University.

Virginia P. Ruesterholz is president of Verizon Services Operations (VSO), which operates Verizon’s wireline network and wholesale business, as well as the finance operations, real estate and supply chain services that support all Verizon companies. She joined New York Telephone in 1984, and most recently served as president of Verizon Telecom. During her tenure, Verizon began introducing their high-speed fiber-optic technology. Her vision and leadership contributed to Verizon’s acknowledgement as one of the BusinessWeek 50 in 2007 and 2008. Ms. Ruesterholz holds a Bachelor’s in Chemical Engineering from Stevens Institute of Technology and an M.S. in Telecommunications Management from Brooklyn Polytechnic Institute.

Judith Spitz is the senior vice president and chief information officer for Verizon Business. Ms. Spitz has held her current position since 2006, since the acquisition of MCI by Verizon Communications, which resulted in the launch of Verizon Business. She is responsible for the design, delivery, and maintenance of infrastructure, product development and data centers that support the division’s global business. Ms. Spitz served as senior VP for Network and National Operating Systems from 2002-2005, and was one of the key systems delivery points for the launch of Verizon’s FiOS residential high-speed fiber optic service. Ms. Spitz has served as an adjunct professor and as a research associate in speech and hearing sciences. She holds three degrees in this area as well: a bachelor’s from Boston University, a master’s from Washington University and a Ph.D. from the City University of New York’s Graduate Center.

Doreen A. Toben has been executive vice president and chief financial officer for Verizon since 2002. Prior to this position, she was senior VP and CFO for Verizon’s domestic Telecom group. She is responsible for Verizon’s investments in improved technologies while keeping an eye on the bottom line and protecting investors. Toben began with AT&T in 1983 and was a force behind the string of mergers that led to the creation of Verizon. Her undergraduate degree from Rosemont College is in political science; her MBA in finance and marketing is from Fairleigh Dickinson University.

Other top women in Telecom include:

Kathy Walker serves as the Chief Information & Network Officer of Sprint Nextel (#58 for 2008). Ms. Walker was previously the Executive Vice President for Network Services. In her current role, she is responsible for the planning, design and operation of Sprint’s networks, as well as for the company’s information technology development and maintenance.

Walker’s career at Sprint began with her tenure in the management rotation program for Wisconsin Bell. At U.S. Telecom, she developed fiber optic network specifications. She has a bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering from South Dakota State University, and a M.S. and Professional Engineering degree from Missouri University of Science & Technology.

Shirley Bloomfield is senior vice president of Federal Relations at Qwest Communications (Fortune #187) and is the Company’s lead lobbyist. Prior to joining Qwest just about two years ago, Ms. Bloomfield was vice president of Government Affairs and Association Services at the National Telecommunications Cooperative Association (NTCA), which represents the public policy concerns of nearly 600 community-based telecommunications providers nationwide. Ms. Bloomfield also worked on Capitol Hill as a press aide for the House Budget Committee and as an aide to Congressman Dave Obey of Wisconsin. Ms. Bloomfield holds a BA in economics from Northwestern University and an MPA from American University.

Also at Qwest, Stephanie Comfort serves as the EVP of Corporate Strategy, a position that deals with analyzing the company’s competition in all markets and developing a comprehensive strategy. Ms. Comfort was previously in charge of the company’s investor relations program. She joined the company in 2002 following a position as a portfolio manager and strategist at Morgan Stanley where she specialized in telecommunication. She holds a BA in economics from Wellesley College and an MBA from the Wharton School.

Teresa A. Taylor recently became the executive vice president of the Business Markets Group at Qwest. She manages a team of over 4,000 employees nationwide providing voice and data communication services to business and government customers. Previously, Ms. Taylor was Qwest’s EVP and Chief Administrative Officer in charge of human resources, labor relations and corporate communications. Ms. Taylor has been with Qwest since its 2000, merger with her prior company—US WEST—where she had worked for 12 years. Ms. Taylor holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Wisconsin- La Crosse.

Finally, at Liberty Global (Fortune #292), Miranda Curtis serves as President of Liberty Global Japan, overseeing all the company’s investments in Japan. She has been involved with Liberty Global’s Japan activities since 1993, and has been focused full time on that market for the past 6 years. MS. Curtis joined the Liberty Group in 1988 and was promoted to President of Liberty Media International in 1999.

Ms. Curtis was educated at the Lycee Francais de Londres and took an Honors Degree in Spanish at the University of Durham. She also studied at the London Business School.

Further down the list, there are even more women in telecomm. But here’s some food for thought: Telecom #4 Comcast, #5 DirecTV and #7 DISH Network, to name but a few, have no female executives.