Fiber Broadband Association Celebrates Women in Fiber Success

Growth in committee membership and representation at Fiber Connect 2024

WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Fiber Broadband Association (FBA) today announced it hosted the fourth annual Women in Fiber (WIF) Luncheon at Fiber Connect for the organization’s WIF Committee that has grown to 300 members in just two years.

The WIF Luncheon is a popular attraction at Fiber Connect events, sparking the creation of the WIF Committee in 2022. It was created to provide FBA members with resources to identify, develop, and promote women in the fiber broadband industry and highlight the link between female leadership and improved business performance. The WIF Committee has expanded to over 300 members, five subcommittees, and over a dozen women who have taken on varying levels of WIF leadership roles.

“This Committee celebrates women in the fiber industry and works on developing education and best practices to advance our industry forward,” said Katie Espeseth, FBA Senior Council Member and EPB Vice President of New Products. “Not only is this an exciting time for the fiber industry, but it's an exciting time for women in fiber. There are big opportunities ahead, and we want to provide women with encouragement and the tools they might be seeking to tackle challenges, achieve their goals, and help the industry flourish.”

Fiber Connect 2024, held July 28-31, in Nashville, Tenn., featured 75 female speakers, including the WIF Luncheon that featured three dynamic keynote speakers:

• Tina Ruffin, Vice President, DEI Officer, Tennessee Titans
• Chelsea Blythe, Executive Vice President of A&R, Universal Music Group Nashville
• Autumn Nicholas, National Recording Artist

“The Women in Fiber Luncheon at Fiber Connect 2024 was truly inspiring and a testament to the incredible progress and impact women are making in the fiber broadband industry,” said Alexa Edens FBA Women in Fiber Committee Chair and KGPCo Senior Director of Cloud Strategy and Business Development. “Events like these not only celebrate our successes but also provide essential resources and encouragement for women to continue advancing and leading in this field. I am honored to be part of such a forward-thinking and supportive community.”

FBA is not unfamiliar with female leadership—the organization’s team includes nine women who lead FBA research, workforce development, public policy, operations, membership, sales, and more. Additionally, there are six women on FBA’s Senior Council, Board of Directors, and serving as Committee Chairs.

To learn more about FBA’s Women in Fiber Committee, visit the website here or subscribe to FBA’s Fiber Forward Weekly newsletter here to stay updated. Save the date for Fiber Connect 2025, June 1-4, 2025, in Nashville, Tenn.

About the Fiber Broadband Association

The Fiber Broadband Association is the largest and only trade association that represents the complete fiber ecosystem of service providers, manufacturers, industry experts, and deployment specialists dedicated to the advancement of fiber broadband deployment and the pursuit of a world where communications are limitless, advancing quality of life and digital equity anywhere and everywhere. The Fiber Broadband Association helps providers, communities, and policymakers make informed decisions about how, where, and why to build better fiber broadband networks. Since 2001, these companies, organizations, and members have worked with communities and consumers in mind to build the critical infrastructure that provides the economic and societal benefits that only fiber can deliver. The Fiber Broadband Association is part of the Fibre Council Global Alliance, which is a platform of six global FTTH Councils in North America, LATAM, Europe, MEA, APAC, and South Africa. Learn more at fiberbroadband.org.