Colleen Langner

Langner’s move from marketing and sales into field operations shifted her focus to proactive plant maintenance and using advanced analytics to provide smoother service to customers. She says the industry should provide more internship and co-ops to college students, especially women: “Connecting young women to female executive leadership early on in their college career and then rotating them through different business experiences will lead to future full-time positions.”

What specifically does your company do to support and elevate the women who work there?
Cox does a phenomenal job with our Women’s Employee Resource Group, Diversity and Inclusion and Mentorship programs. These teams ensure women are recognized, developed and respected.

How can the industry do a better job of recruiting women and ensuring they have a path to senior positions?
We need to focus on offering internships and co-ops to women in college so they can experience our business first hand prior to graduation. Connecting young women to female executive leadership early on in their college career and then rotating them through different business experiences will lead to future full-time positions.

What advice would you give your 13-year-old self?
Keep your zest for life, anything is possible and, believe it or not algebra, will come in handy later in life.

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