Industry Outlook, Workforce and Leadership

Tuesday, July 29, 2025
1:15 PM - 2:15 PM
Tackling Workforce Gaps: Adaptive Leadership and Innovative Training for Telecom Success
Track: Industry Outlook, Workforce and Leadership
Sable Lomax

The World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs Report 2025 projects that 35% of U.S. workers’ skills will be disrupted in the next five years, highlighting the need for upskilling in fast-changing sectors like telecom. This session gives leaders practical tools to upskill their team members using adaptive leadership strategies.  These resilient, high-performing team members will be better equipped to build, maintain and scale today and tomorrow’s networks.

 

3:45 PM - 4:45 PM
Planning for Growth: Strategic Options and Partnership Paths for ISPs
Track: Industry Outlook, Workforce and Leadership
Justin Soileau Chris Breeding

The session will explore the strategic crossroads broadband providers often face as their networks and businesses mature. It will focus on the natural evolution broadband operators encounter. Whether to continue to scale independently, sell the business, or form a strategic partnership. The session would normalize these decisions as common challenges across the industry. We would share insights based on our experience both operating as an ISP on a wholesale lease model and supporting acquisition evaluations for Cox. 

Wednesday, July 30, 2025
8:00 AM - 9:00 AM
Building Resilient Telecom Teams with WISER Adaptive Leadership and Coaching
Track: Industry Outlook, Workforce and Leadership
Erin Wheeler

Three-quarters of telecom companies identify the shortage of skilled workers as their primary challenge. Despite attractive salaries, this gap persists due to the generational preference for traditional four-year degrees over trades. Moreover, leaders of smaller workforces need to adapt to continual uncertainty while keeping teams engaged and high performing. This session will share a proven framework that empowers you to navigate change, build resilience, and confidently lead. Walk away with practical coaching techniques and adaptive leadership strategies to strengthen your team and drive results while maintaining your well-being as a leader.

9:15 AM - 10:15 AM
Executive Panel
Track: Industry Outlook, Workforce and Leadership
Janice Oliva

Join Janice Oliva, Endeavor Business Media, as she moderates a lively panel discussion with telecom game-changing thought leaders and strategists. The session will dive into topics including: Key network growth drivers and headwinds, fiber capacity questions, converged/hybrid networks, bridging the digital divide with creative network solutions and BEAD realities. Sponsored by Clearfield, Esri, Millennium, TAK Communications, and Vitruvi.

Thursday, July 31, 2025
8:00 AM - 9:00 AM
Wired for Excellence: Building the Telecom Workforce of Tomorrow
Track: Industry Outlook, Workforce and Leadership
David Gordon

In the telecom world, the most significant innovations aren't found in the cables or the code but in the people who build them. Discover how you can help your team close critical gaps in talent, training, and leadership to meet today’s rigorous network demands. This session explores workforce development strategies, technical upskilling, and adaptive leadership techniques that can equip teams with the expertise to manage high-performance networks and thrive in a fast-evolving regulatory and operational landscape.

8:00 AM - 2:30 PM
Workforce Development Executive Insights Panel Discussion & Half-Day Program
Track: Industry Outlook, Workforce and Leadership
 

Pricing:

  • Full Conference Registrants: Included in your registration fee
  • Non-conference Registrants: $75.00 (includes access to the Program for all three days and free access to the Exhibit Hall Wednesday and Thursday.)

8:00-9:00 AM:  State of the Industry Panel Discussion & Audience Q&A                                                    
Join broadband leaders as they explore the challenges, best practices and successes to recruit, retain and inspire the broadband workforce that evolves the fixed and mobile networks we all rely on to live, work and play.  

 Steve Harris   Chris Disher  Thomas Tyler  Fred Arnold  Bo Gresham

Steve Harris - Harris DigiTech Academy & Solutions/Learning Alliance
Chris Disher - Cajun Broadband
Thomas Tyler - CONNECTLA
Fred Arnold - Learning Alliance Corporation
Bo Gresham - Dycom

9:15-10:15 AM:  Best Practices: Training & Expanding the Broadband Workforce
CONNECTLA shares challenges/opportunities for the state and economic development; and providers share best practices/stories/future initiatives about broadband training and growth.

10:30-11:30 AM: Closing Keynote
Tom Maguire - Brightspeed
 
Tom Maguire
11:45 AM-1:00 PM: Lunch followed by Executive Fireside Chat & Audience Q&A (plated sit-down lunch, registration required + additional fee of $40)​​​​​

1:00-2:30 PM: Sponsored Tech Training Tours on Exhibit Floor 

9:15 AM - 10:15 AM
Unleash the Hero Within: Harnessing Organic Intelligence in the Age of AI
Track: Industry Outlook, Workforce and Leadership
John Armstrong Jeston Baker

According to the 2024 Global State of the Skills Economy Report by Cornerstone, demand for human skills continues to outpace digital skills, with North America seeing a 2.4 times higher demand for human skills. This underscores the market's need for programs that enhance human-centered capabilities alongside the telecom industry’s technological advancements. In this dynamic seminar, you’ll discover the five essential inner tools that drive success, helping you navigate uncertainty, make empowered decisions, and take bold action to lead with clarity in a rapidly evolving technological landscape.