Epley has played a critical role in identifying markets for strategic analysis and her efforts have resulted in the procurement of more than $50 million in public/private funding, expanding access to Ziply’s network to more than 17,000 underserved locations. She encourages her team members to share their insights, striking a balance between different approaches.
“Recognizing an opportunity for someone to elevate their performance is easy, but having the words that they can hear to seize that opportunity can be challenging. AI has helped me vastly improve my coaching and feedback.”
How do you believe convergence will change the industry? Right now, we have a once in a lifetime opportunity to get service to those who, despite everyone’s best efforts, remain disconnected from the internet of things. No one single solution can solve this challenge for all these communities, but together we can positively change their future while we find new ways to collaborate.
If you took a six-month sabbatical, how would you spend it? Finding time to immerse yourself in a new culture takes time, time I don’t really have with a busy career. Given the chance, I would spend months traveling in Europe to deepen my understanding of family and community. I would provide myself space to consider the things I value without the pressure of an objective. I also would deepen my culinary skills.
What inspired you to pursue a leadership role? Long ago, I was a claims adjuster. I often overheard my colleagues getting frustrated and ending calls with bitter language or yelling. Claims resolution with a focus on controlling the dialogue and an objective was infrequent. I started suggesting a more collaborative approach with transparency and candor. Soon the anxiety reduced, and productivity increased. That was when I knew I wanted to guide others to succeed.