Black History Month commemorates “the central role of Black men and women in our shared history.” Martin Luther King Jr.’s “famous ‘I Have a Dream’ speech remains relevant to this very day.In that speech, Dr.King appealed to everyone listening to end racial, political, and economic inequalities,” shared David Huntley, retired AT&T Chief Compliance Officer.
“We know that when people have access – to education, economic empowerment, and an inclusive environment – the door to opportunity opens and possibility is limitless.” According to the Race in the Workplace: The Black experience in the US private sector report, “Black workers are underrepresented in the highest-growth geographies and the highest-paying industries.Meanwhile, they are overrepresented in low-growth geographies and in frontline jobs, which tend to pay less.” The report looked at data across 23 companies to find that “companies have successfully hired Black employees into frontline and entry-level jobs, but there is a significant drop-off in representation at management levels.” In the participating companies, “Black employees make up 14 percent of all employees, compared with 12 percent for the US private sector overall.At the managerial level, the Black share of the workforce declines to 7 percent.
Across the senior manager, VP, and SVP levels, Black representation holds steady at 4 to 5 percent.” At Allconnect, we are privileged to work with the best companies in the telecommunications field and we honor 2025’s Black History Month with recognition of the Black Americans who are the driving force within the industry.Freddie Figgers Freddie Figgers started the only Black-owned telecommunications company in the U.S.and is also an inventor and philanthropist. To help his father cope with Alzheimer’s disease, Figgers was a teen when he invented a shoe with a GPS tracker and two-way communication.
He now holds nine patents on various inventions, including a glucometer that sends a user’s glucose level alerts to a designated person and a doctor.At 19, he started Figgers Communication and applied to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for a telecommunications license to provide internet service to rural areas in northern Florida and southern Georgia.“When he received a license in 2011, at 21, he was the youngest telecom operator in the United States, and as of February 2020, Figgers Communication was the only Black-owned telecom in the country.” As reported by the BBC, “In the early days Freddie did most of the work himself – from laying the concrete for his first mobile phone tower, to installing fiber optic cables.” Figgers says his business goal “is to provide honesty and transparency while we provide quality and advanced products at an affordable price.” He expanded his telecom business into other areas, including Figg Health, Figg Cash and Figgers Wireless.
Figgers also runs the nonprofit Figgers Foundation, which provides financial help for senior citizens and students in his Florida community. Rhonda Nesmith Crichlow According to Charter Communications, Rhonda Nesmith Crichlow joined the company as Senior Vice President Chief Diversity Officer in 2016.She is “responsible for the overall strategic development and implementation of Charter’s diversity and inclusion initiatives.Ms.
Crichlow also oversees Charter’s Community Impact function, focused on strategic philanthropic investments and employee volunteerism initiatives.” Crichlow joined Charter from Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corp.as Vice President, Head of U.S.Diversity and Inclusion and President of the Novartis U.S.
Foundation.Earlier in her career, Crichlow worked as a tax attorney representing corporate clients.She also served as a judicial law clerk in the U.S.
District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.She has received numerous awards, including the 2016 Healthcare Businesswomen’s Association Luminary Award.She was a 2015 Top Blacks in Healthcare Award Honoree and recipient of the 2013 Cornerstone of the Community Award, according to DiversityInc Best Practices.
J.D.Myers II J.D.Myers II is Senior Vice President and Region Manager of Cox’s east region.
“In this role, Myers is responsible for leading employees and day-to-day operations from Massachusetts to Florida,” according to Cox.Myers has represented Cox as a market leader and the market’s Vice President of Cox Business, as well as the Vice President of Residential and Retail Sales for Cox Virginia.He has received numerous awards and honors, including the 2014 Cable and Telecommunications Association for Marketing TAMI Award, the 2014 Women in Cable Telecommunications Virginia Chapter Most Valuable Partner Award and others.
According to Cox, “Myers is a member of Cox’s National Diversity Council and serves on the board of the Mid-Atlantic Chapter of the National Association for Multi-Ethnicity in Communications (NAMIC), where he is a national career mentor of future business leaders.He is a member of the board of trustees for the George Mason University Foundation.He also serves as co-chair of the CTAM Business Services Council. Additionally, he is on the board of the Virginia Business Council, the Hampton Roads Economic Development Alliance, the Virginia Cable Telecommunications Association, and a trustee of the Hampton Roads Chamber of Commerce.” Myers served in the U.S.
Army as a non-commissioned officer.He earned an MBA in finance, a master’s degree in marketing and a bachelor’s degree in business administration from American University.He also earned an associate’s degree in electrical engineering technology from Regis University. Christi H.
Cornette Christi Cornette is altafiber’s Chief Administrative Officer and is “responsible for altafiber’s corporate marketing, brand strategy, employee development, human resources, internal and external communications, community involvement, and events and sponsorships.She also oversees the corporate real estate organization,” according to altafiber.With 30 years of marketing, sales and tech experience, Cornette focuses “on creating a work environment in which employees have the confidence to make decisions, solve problems, and constructively challenge the status quo to push the organization forward,” she states on her LinkedIn profile.
“I am an active mentor for females in the workplace and Iead the company’s culture and diversity initiative, which includes supporting 12 Employee Resource Groups (ERGs).These ERGs, which represent the diversity and inclusivity of our organizations, are run by employees and are making a positive impact on both the business and communities we serve.” Cornette is on the boards of the YWCA Greater Cincinnati and the CancerFree KIDS association, as well as president of the Joel Cornette Foundation.Pearlena Igbokwe Pearlena Igbokwe is Chairman of Comcast’s Universal Studio Group. Entertainment magazine Variety reported, as “the first Black woman to lead a major U.S.
television studio, Igbokwe leads four studios as chairman for the Universal Studio Group, including Universal Television, Universal Content Productions, Universal Television Alternative Studio and Universal International Studios.” Igbokwe was named one of the special achievement honorees for the fourth annual African American Film Critics Association (AAFCA) TV Honors in 2022.At the event, she received the Ashley Boone Award, presented to executives for their achievement within the industry.According to Comcast, Igbokwe worked at Showtime for 20 years, where she was involved in developing the pilot and overseeing the first five seasons of “Dexter.” Variety lists her other notable projects as “Hacks,” “Russian Doll,” “Never Have I Ever,” “Girls5eva,” “The Equalizer,” “The Umbrella Academy,” “Dr.
Death,” “Gaslit,” “Made in Chelsea,” “Clickbait,” “We Are Lady Parts” and “Making It.” She currently serves on the boards of the Hollywood Radio and TV Society and National Association of TV Programming Executives and the Television Academy Executive Committee.Kenneth J.Bacon Kenneth J.
Bacon has been a director with Comcast since 2002.Bacon is also a partner at RailField Partners, a financial advisory and asset management firm.He retired from Fannie Mae in 2021 as Executive Vice President.
Bacon also serves as a director of Ally Financial Inc., Arbor Realty Trust Inc.and Welltower Inc.and is a member of the National Multifamily Housing Council, as shared in his Comcast bio. Bacon joined nonprofit and trade groups, including the Corporation for Supportive Housing, the Stanford Parent and Family Advisory Board and the Real Estate Executive Council. According to The HistoryMakers, he earned his bachelor’s degree in anthropology from Stanford University and his M.S.
degree in international relations from the London School of Economics and Political Science.Bacon received his MBA from Harvard Business School.Kimberley D.
Harris Kimberley D.Harris is Executive Vice President at Comcast and General Counsel of NBCUniversal. Comcast shared that her role “oversees all international government and regulatory affairs for Comcast, supporting the company’s businesses worldwide.” Harris came to NBCUniversal in 2013 from Davis Polk & Wardwell, where she was a partner in the litigation department. Harris also served in the White House Counsel’s Office and was Senior Counsel to the Assistant Attorney General, U.S.Department of Justice, Criminal Division. Active in the community, she serves on the boards for Goldman Sachs Group Inc., Advocates for Children of New York, the Yale Law School Center for the Study of Corporate Law, the Mount Sinai Health System and the Brennan Center for Justice at the New York University School of Law. Harris earned her education from Harvard University and holds a law degree from Yale Law School. Donna Epps Donna Epps serves as Senior Vice President and Chief Responsible Business Officer at Verizon.
According to Verizon, Epps “ensures that responsible business practices are integrated into Verizon’s business strategy and leads Verizon’s stakeholder engagement with investors who are interested in environmental and other sustainability issues, consumer advocates, civil and human rights organizations, and social impact non-profits.” Epps has over 20 years of experience at Verizon, previously holding a variety of leadership roles across Verizon’s Legal, Public Policy and Federal Regulatory Affairs organizations. Before Verizon, Epps practiced law in the communications regulation and corporate transactions groups at Covington & Burling.Epps also serves on the National Urban League’s Executive Committee and Board of Trustees.She also serves on the UnidosUS Corporate Advisory Board and the Advisory Committee of the Center for Democracy and Technology. Epps attended UNC-Chapel Hill, earning a B.A.
in journalism and public relations.She also has a J.D.with distinction from Duke University.
Ralph B.Everett One of the pioneers of championing internet policy is Ralph B.Everett.
A telecommunications lawyer with deep broadband regulation and access experience, Everett was an influential White House committee member and the first Black American to head a U.S.Senate Committee staff.Everett “served for seven years as the president and CEO of the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, the nation’s leading think tank for policy analysis and research on issues of concern to African-Americans and other people of color.
He expanded the organization’s reach into telecommunications, broadband, and energy and the environment while strengthening its leadership on health policy.” Everett is currently a senior industry and innovation fellow at the Georgetown Center for Business and Public Policy, where he focuses on broadband regulation research.From South Carolina, Everett graduated from Morehouse College and earned his J.D.from Duke University Law School. Black tech student resources The telecom leaders featured here are examples of high achievers within their fields and can be the catalyst for Black students to consider careers in technology and communications. According to the 2024 Black Students and STEM Report, only 9% of the STEM workforce was Black as of 2021.
In fact, 54% of surveyed Black Americans believe “more visible examples of high achievers in these fields who are Black would make young Black people a lot more likely to pursue college degrees in STEM.” According to BestColleges.com, several historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) — including Spelman College, Howard University, Alabama State University and Prairie View A&M University — have scholarships and STEM accelerators to encourage more students to consider these career tracks.Written by: Robin Layton Editor, Broadband Content Robin Layton is an editor for the broadband marketplace Allconnect.She built her internet industry expertise writing and editing on the site since January 2020, as well as on Allconnect’s sister site MYMOVE.com… Read more Edited by: Anine Sus Editor I Read bio What to read next Read more Featured Digital Divide – Resources for parents to help their children learn online Ari Howard — 3 min read Featured Digital divide: Organizations that are helping bridge the gap Joe Supan — 5 min read Featured How libraries are helping to bridge the digital divide Joe Supan — 9 min read Latest Friday, January 31, 2025 Honoring Black leaders in the telecom industry Robin Layton — 8 min read Friday, January 31, 2025 $15/mo.
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