- Women of NATE Committee Chairwoman Andy Page Lee Introduction
- WON Profile: Kimberly Burns, Launch 3 Telecom
- Mentorship Motivators
- Where will you find the Women of NATE?
- Upcoming Events
- Recent Event Highlights
- Share A Recipe
- Book Recommendation
Release:
October 6, 2021
Women of NATE Today Newsletter
Volume 3, Issue 10
Happy October, Women of NATE!
This is my favorite time of year for so many reasons: Fall colors, the smell in the air, Illinois football, homemade apple crisp, running in cooler weather, and a busy fourth quarter for our company. Now I have yet another reason to look forward to Fall every year, the WON Leadership Summit.
Our Inaugural Women of NATE Women’s Leadership Summit was held on September 23, 2021 at the Gleacher Center in Chicago, Illinois. Ninety women from 31 states and three countries attended the one-day Summit, and after delays due to Covid, the energy in the building was palpable. Centered around the theme for the day’s event, “Using Your Voice”, I heard from attendees that the sessions were empowering and connective.
I was so inspired by all of our speakers, the input from their audience, and the conversations that were had throughout. I heard stories by so many women that I will never forget.
Having a community of women to collaborate, exchange ideas, and inspire each other is more important than ever. There is so much power in connection. It is my hope that we can keep that energy going, and the Women of NATE will be working this month on our next initiative, the Women Investing In Women Outreach Program to connect the WON Committee to women in the industry. We hope to roll this out by the end of the year. Details to come soon.
In the meantime, I hope that you will take the time to MAKE TIME this Fall. There have been so many reminders of how short life is recently. We talk about it a lot, but have you made a list for the things that you want more of? Less of? Make time for taking that walk at sunrise, put on some music and dance, learn something new, create something, or organize events with your friends. Put it on your schedule if you have to, but keep making time for inspiration, in as many ways as possible.
Women of NATE looks forward to continuing to create opportunities for women in inspiration, connection and growth in the industry. Registration is live for next year’s WON Leadership Summit at the Hotel Albuquerque, in Albuquerque, NM. We hope to see you there. Click HERE to register for the event. If you are interested in sponsoring the 2022 WON Leadership Summit, click HERE.
In the upcoming year, we also hope to see you on virtual events, join the Women Investing In Women program, and attend NATE UNITE 2022 in Las Vegas!
Andy Page Lee is the Vice President of Operations at Lee Antenna & Line Service, Inc., in Springtown, Pennsylvania and the Chairwoman of Women of NATE. She can be reached at ALee@LeeAntenna or 610-504-9600.
WON Profile: Kimberly Burns
Kimberly Burns is an Account Manager for Launch 3 Telecom. She has been working in the telecom industry for twenty years now and loves every minute of it! She focuses on the equipment and services side of the business, watching networks grow and the amazing evolving infrastructure. Kimberly is confident in the knowledge she bring to customers.
Her background and experience give her the opportunity to meet and help a variety of our customers with many different needs all over the West Coast. Being a part of the Launch 3 team has been extremely rewarding. While majority of workers in the wireless industry continue to be men, at Launch 3, females represent 50% of its leadership team and she is proud to be one of them!
Tell us something about yourself that would surprise us.
I started riding ATV’s when I was three years old on our Ranch in Chandler, Arizona.
Who is your ideal client and why should they connect with you?
Our ideal client is anyone in the wireless infrastructure industry looking for wireless material that will help you build and install a strong, secure wireless network. At Launch 3, we think of each individual sale or relationship with our customers as a partnership. The importance of making sure they are the ideal customer for us is equally as making sure we’re the right infrastructure solutions provider to them.
What is the weirdest job you've ever had?
Grocery shopping for my neighbor Patsy when she was in her 90’s. It wasn’t really a “job” because I did it for free, but she was a very picky and thrifty shopper! Having survived London in the early 1900’s she never outgrew the habits she picked up to survive during those times.
What is your favorite sport?
Water Polo currently, I love watching my nephew Jake Burns play. Jake toured in the Junior Olympics this last Summer and we may see him in a future Olympic game!
What would you do even if you didn't get paid to do it?
Rescue Animals!
What kinds of hobbies and interests do you have outside of work?
After work I love to recharge by hiking, biking, or doing a Pilates class.
When was the last time you laughed so hard you cried?
At the Catalina Wine Mixer in early September with my Besties!
Where would you like to travel to?
I’d really like to get to Greece, I love the culture and FOOD!
What is your role at Launch 3 Telecom?
I am an Account Manager, and I am loving this role. I really enjoy this because I get to talk with the customers every day and help them find quality cost saving solutions.
Favorite song right now?
Elton John & Dua Lipa- Cold Heart, check it out…
Who would you most like to have dinner with?
I would love to sit down with Thich Nhat Hanh.
What is the one thing, you can't live without?
My two rescue cats, Darth Vader and Pepe Le Pew. I adopted them from the local shelter on Valentine’s Day.
Mentorship Motivators
OUR MENTORING EXPERIENCE
By Lesley Liarikos and Monica Vink
Women of NATE Mentee Lesley Liarikos is the Vice-President and Chief Operating Officer of Tower Systems South, Inc. She is a committee member of the Workforce Development Committee and the Florida State Liaison for the Wireless Industry Network (WIN).
At the time the Mentorship program was launched, I was a committee member of the Women of NATE (WON). I immediately signed up as a mentee to show my support of the program. I believe providing support to a cause is always the way to make it successful. My goal when joining the program was to build relationships in the industry and gain the knowledge and experiences from those that are tenured in the telecommunications industry. I have had several mentors since the beginning of the program and with each one, I feel that I have formed ties, learned valuable lessons, and gained friendships. I truly appreciate the time mentors dedicate to this program to share, coach, and guide their mentees.
My current mentor is Monica Vink. Monica and I have coordinated our busy schedules to accommodate our virtual meetings. Even when “something comes up”, we always reschedule and make time. Consistency is so important and helps us stay connected. Monica and I have many similarities and many differences with our family life and work life.
An activity that Monica and I started was to read a self-help book about time management. We would read a few chapters and discuss how to incorporate the concepts we learned into our daily lives in the office and at home. It was interesting to read together and have different ideas to share.
In sharing our stories, we also discuss our work-life balance. As a daughter, wife, mother of three and now a grandmother, I struggle with creating a work-life balance. Since a very young age, I have been very dedicated to my work and my career. Many women have the same issues every day trying to maintain a family and succeed in their careers.
I am truly thankful and blessed to have Monica as my mentor. She has shared her stories and insights and always fills me with encouragement. She has helped me set priorities with my health and my family to find that balance.
The textbook definition of Mentorship is “the guidance provided by a mentor, especially an experienced person in a company or educational institution”.
My definition of our Mentorship program is a relationship between two people to guide, share, motivate, emotionally support and to be a role model. A relationship where you can give and receive constructive feedback, be honest and nonjudgmental. Where you can learn, share knowledge and network.
I highly recommend our Mentorship program for anyone that is interested in making a difference. It is a very rewarding feeling to be part of something that not only benefits you but has an impact on others as well.
Women of NATE Mentor Monica Vink is the Marketing Director for PerfectVision and a WON Committee Member.
Be Your Best. Leave everyone better, than you found them.
These philosophies were instilled in me by the two most influential women in my life, my mother and my grandmother. These strong women taught me that you rise by lifting others up around you. These two statements act as a guide to my every day. They epitomize what the mentorship program means to me and why I got involved.
Participating in mentorship is such a vital part of personal growth – whether as a mentor or a mentee. Mentorship can happen in either a formal environment or in an informal environment. Often in our lives there are specific relationships that lend to a mentor/mentee influence. Family, friends, colleagues, bosses, teachers or professional coaches – all of these people can play a part in shaping who we become. Cherish these relationships, foster them and learn from them as much as you can.
I am honored to work so closely with Lesley Liarikos as her mentor and grateful that I now call her friend. The time we spend together is rewarding and I feel that we have both grown from the experience. From the valuable lessons we teach each other to the friendship we have formed. We both recognize that we have busy schedules but dedicate and set aside the time to meet regularly and work on the goals we set out to achieve. When the demands of our day cause a diversion we both make each other a priority and ensure we reschedule our meeting. I appreciate her commitment to this and it lends to the success we have had.
Lesley and I set a goal in the beginning to focus on work life balance. What a big one! If we can find the secret sauce to work life balance she and I will brand that magic, bottle it and sell it. This elusive thing is such an important and powerful goal for the both of us and we feel that it should be the highest priority. What a cool thing to focus on to help each other. Lesley and I remind each other that we each work to live, not live to work and sometimes along the way we can lose sight of that in the grind. It’s critical though to take time for ourselves and to make sure our families are number one. Managing work life balance properly keeps that order intact.
Lesley and I have different backgrounds professionally but were paired together for the skill sets of leadership, time management and communication. These skills lend perfectly to finding better ways to manage the hectic lives we have. It has been through shared stories of both personal and professional experience that we continue to explore what work life balance means. We chose to read a book together about time-management and how to “Eat that Frog” which gave both of us several strategies to implement in our own lives. This was a fantastic exercise and gave us a good framework for the time we spent together talking about work-life balance. I recommend to all of us - Get a good book and share it with others! If anyone has recommendations for the next read – I’m all ears.
This experience with Lesley has been incredibly rewarding from all aspects. There are many times that I feel the roles of mentor/mentee are reversed as I’ve learned so much from her as well. To watch her growth personally and professionally and to encourage her in the journey is humbling. I’m filled with gratitude for the gifts of growth she has given me as well. I’m honored to be part of this journey with her and to watch my friend blossom as the leader she is.
Where will you find the Women of NATE?
Take Women of NATE with you!
Are you traveling for work or taking a leisure vacation? Take a creative photo holding a Women of NATE (WON) logo in front of a landmark that lets us know where you are.
Women of NATE was at one of Ireland's most popular destinations is the Iveragh Peninsula — known to shamrock-lovers everywhere as the "Ring of Kerry." The Ring, lassoed by a winding coastal road through a mountainous, lake-splattered region, is undeniably scenic.
While visiting Ireland at the Ring of Kerry, Launch 3 Telecom Inside Sales Representative, Kerry Gilmartin got engaged. She said YES!
Congratulations to the happy couple!
Submit your photos along with your name and location to nikki@natehome.com for a chance to be showcased in an upcoming Newsletter or social media post.
Upcoming Events
Recent Event Highlights
Women of NATE Boasts Successful Inaugural WON Leadership Summit
The Women of NATE (WON) Leadership Summit held on Thursday, September 23 at The Gleacher Center in Chicago, Illinois was a tremendous success. The Summit focused on building new chapters for change by women, for women and of women. This one-day Summit featured educational sessions, a keynote conversation, a safety self-defense class, and excellent networking and professional development opportunities for Summit attendees.
“This was such a successful event because so many people came together and supported it; from the NATE Board of Directors, NATE Administrative Staff, the Women of NATE Committee, sponsors, guest speakers, and both current NATE members and non-members,” said Women of NATE Chairwoman Andy Page Lee, Vice President of Operations for Lee Antenna & Line Service, Inc. in Springtown, Pennsylvania.
“What started as an ambitious idea for an inaugural Leadership Summit for women in the industry was truly its own reward. Over ninety women from thirty-one states and three countries were able to attend the day long event – network, attend educational sessions, hear from inspirational speakers, and take part in a Safety/Self-Defense class. We are continually listening to the Women of NATE members and expanding what we are able to offer. Our next initiative, Women Investing in Women, is an outreach program with the Women of NATE members that will be rolled out later this year. I look forward to our next Women of NATE Leadership Summit on September 20, 2022, in Albuquerque, New Mexico,” Andy continued.
The WON Leadership Summit showcased the following educational sessions:
Team
Kari Carlson, Tower Systems, Inc.
How to be a Successful Woman in a Male Dominated Industry
Marianna Kramarikova, International Electrotechnical Commission
Crush Your Fears
Kathy Gill, Tower Safety & Instruction
Transforming the Rules of Leadership
Jacque Messel, Lockton Companies
Stand UP – Women Supporting Other Women
Shelley Westall, Senior Account Executive
Deconstructing Success
T-Ann Pierce, T-Ann Pierce Coaching
Be Heard
Lynn Rogers, Shirley Ryan Ability Lab
Safety/Self-Defense Class
Andy Page Lee, Lee Antenna & Line Service, LLC
A special Thank You to the inaugural WON Leadership Summit sponsors:
To view photos from the WON Leadership Summit,
visit Women of NATE on the NATE website.
Women of NATE in Action
(Left) Women of NATE Dominique Valdez of eSystem Training Solutions, Sonya Roshek of B&T Group, Jordyn
Ladner of MILLERCO, Pat Cipov of Cipov
Enterprises, Inc., NATE Workforce Development Consultant Gemma Frockand Committee member Stephanie Brewer attend the NWSA Job Task Analysis Committee Meeting in Oldsmar, Florida.
(Right) Women of NATE Kat Lea of Jelco, WON Committee member Sheri O'Dell-Deuer and Kathy Stieler NATE Director of Safety, Health & Compliance connect at the NATE booth during the ASSP convention.
(Left) Women of NATE Committee member Therese O'brien and BeLinda Fadely hit the greens at the MDDC SWAP Golf Event.
(Right) Women of NATE Mentorship Mentee Darrin Wagner and Mentor and Committee member Jessica Cobb meet up during the NATE Summer Conference.
(Left) NATE members Dean Cobb (MDTS), Ryan Ford (DISH) and Jessica Cobb (MDTS and WON) visit at DISH Headquarters in Denver, Colorado.
(Above) Women of NATE members Sheri O'Dell-Deuer of Deuer Developments, Stephanie Brewer of USA Telecom Insurance Services Inc., and Chelle Eischens of VIKOR meet with FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr at Connect (X) in Orlando, Florida.
