International Women's Day is celebrated in many countries around the world, not just here in the United States. This day is also held in March during Women's History Month. As a point of celebration, it is a day when women are recognized for their achievements without a filter regarding nationality, ethnicity or political persuasion and a month of recognizing the contributions that women have made to producing art, pursuing truth and improving the human condition. What's not to celebrate? And before anyone gets too distraught, there is indeed an International Men's Day coming up on November 19 . . . so celebrations for all are in order, and here at NTCA, we love a good celebration!
I do find that these occasions are terrific reasons to stop for a minute, catch your breath and be contemplative. The timing could not be better given the joint project we have been working on with our friends at NTIA as they have been creating a platform to recognize Women's History Month and Women in Construction week—all in March. They had asked for some stories of women in the broadband field, working in telecom or enrolled in training courses. We put out the call, and our Women in Telecom (WIT) responded in a big way sharing clips of why they love their job in the rural broadband space and why they would encourage other women to consider careers in broadband.
Laura Withers, our VP of Strategic Communications, joined me in viewing and packaging the clips, and just watching them put a smile of collective pride on our faces. Jordan Oja with Mi-Fiber talked about starting with the company as a customer service representative and then being given the opportunity to become a fiber technician to help customers in Missouri and Iowa troubleshoot network problems. Marisol Franco with BBT in Texas shared how her work in engineering support services directly impacts the service consumers receive, and Jacki Miskimins with Vantage Point showed how passionate she is about the work that all of her NTCA member companies are doing bringing robust broadband to the most remote parts of our country. There is more to follow with these amazing women and the others who were game to share their stores with us as the month progresses, but it all serves as another reminder of how NTCA members not only touch lives as they serve their customers but also as they recognize talent on their teams and within their communities regardless of gender.
Gathering with our WIT leadership at RTIME also reminded me of the vast leadership we have in our ranks. I am celebrating Cassidy Hjelmstad, CEO of SRT for her leadership in the Dakotas.
And Jennifer Prather, CEO of Totelcom, for becoming a "go to" for Congressional testimony as she shares the powerful story of her company bringing broadband to rural Texas.
And Rhonda Goddard, CFO for Nex-Tech in Kansas, for being a leading voice for Universal Service.
Kristi Westbrock, CEO of CTC in Minnesota, for rising to Vice Chair ranks of our Group Health Plan Trust Committee, ensuring that tens of thousands of rural Americans have excellent health care options.
And Tonya Mayer, CEO of Mobius Communications in Nebraska, for sitting on the NTCA Board of Directors . . . and the list goes on.
Every woman in the NTCA community—member or staff—deserves to be celebrated for her own individual and collective contributions to ensuring that all Americans, regardless of where they live, have access to comparable and affordable broadband service.