Welling has never been afraid to step into the unknown, and that includes new territory for GFiber. Her team has expanded the provider’s national footprint by 20% YoY, negotiating and planning for approximately 70 active builds in up-and-coming communities. She also spearheads government and community relations, dedicating time to building relationships with local leaders to enable smoother market launches. Welling has also guided partnerships with the YMCA, Boys and Girls Club and more to empower GFiber communities and open new doors for female leaders.
How do you personally define “powerful” in the workplace today? I’ve found the path to greatest impact is in knowing when and where to effect change directly or through influencing and empowering others. I started out as a journalist, through which I learned how to ask thoughtful questions, observe people and read rooms. I use those skills daily.
What kind of innovation will ultra-fast, ubiquitous broadband unlock in the next decade? Access to fiber internet has, and will continue to, revolutionize how people live their daily lives in ways too great to list here. Continuing to unlock that goodness into the next decade will require local governments to fully grasp the promise of ubiquitous broadband and bring their policies and processes in line to allow providers to deploy this infrastructure at scale.