NNEKA CHIAZOR
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Professional Reputation
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NNEKA CHIAZOR
Business Executive •
Community Leader •
Nneka Chiazor is Regional Vice President of Public and Government Affairs for Cox Communications Virginia. She is responsible for directing the region’s government relations, internal communications, media relations, product public relations, crisis communications and corporate social responsibility initiatives including local programming partnerships for Cox channels 9, 11 and 13 in Virginia.
She spent 20 years in Washington, D.C. as a thought leader in the technology industry for Verizon Communications where she shaped public policy on a variety of business and social issues including cybersecurity, privacy, public safety, digital literacy, and small business development.
Nneka serves on the Board of Directors of the Public Affairs Council, Virginia Cable Telecommunications Association and Virginia Public Access Project. Her passion for empowering others has led her to actively participate in numerous civic and business organizations such as the Federal Communications Bar Association, Women in Venture, Dress for Success Washington and Women United Hampton Roads.
She is a graduate of Concordia University in Montreal Canada (BSc. Computer Science), University of Maryland (MSc. Telecommunications Management) and Harvard Business School (Executive MBA). A global citizen with a love for fashion and film, Nneka currently resides in Virginia Beach with her husband and two daughters.
PASSIONS
I'm very passionate about uplifting others and giving people the knowledge and tools that they need to succeed. It gives me much joy to coach someone through a problem and have them come back and say my advice/counsel worked (or didn't) and made a difference in their lives.
CAREER
Regional Vice President of Public and Government Affairs
Cox Communications Virginia
Lead experienced staff of government and public affairs professionals in the region and direct activities that promote commercial growth, company visibility, building a strong company image, and increase public awareness and consumer propensity to do business with Cox. Manage relationships with federal, state and local elected officials and other community and public opinion leaders to maintain the company’s positive image among this important constituency, while ensuring a favorable political climate for Cox. Provide counsel and strategic input to other top executives in the development of Strategic Business Cases, ROI, IRRs and other economics to determine feasibility of potential public-private partnerships and rural broadband funding opportunities.
Selected Achievements
● Defined the transformative strategic regional partnership between Cox Communications
and Gloucester County, Virginia that resulted in rural broadband availability to previously
unserved communities.
● Provided strategic direction to the development and execution of programs that
increased employee engagement and support in Cox’s Political Action Committee (26%
YoY) and internal and external community initiatives (28.5% YoY)
● Significantly elevated Cox’s Corporate Social Responsibility profile and policies
regionwide by creating a public relations campaign that positions Cox favorable before
key internal and external stakeholders resulting in increased positive media coverage
(6% YoY).
Verizon Communications
Washington, DC
2003 - 2017
Vice President
Public Policy & Government Affairs
2015 - 2017
Head of Verizon’s national and homeland security public policy. Advised Verizon’s senior leadership team on national security, cyber security, and risk management strategies; provided analysis and recommendations on technical and operational policy considerations during merger/divestiture considerations, product/network design, and network operations. Developed digital engagement strategy for key policy imperatives. Oversaw research, analytics, influencer programs, content strategy/development, and online stakeholder management.
Selected Achievements
● Formalized CISO forum of the top 10 global ISPs to strengthen international cyber
coordination and incident response. Collaborated with industry trade associations
(CTIA, National Association of Broadcasters, National Cable & Telecommunications
Association, National Telephone Cooperative Association, and USTelecom) to build
issue-specific coalition preventing federal, state, and local regulation of
cybersecurity risk management practices.
● Orchestrated CTIA Board approval to pilot new indoor location technology
leveraging existing 9-1-1 platform that will enable, among others, thousands of
independent hotels to locate guests using mobile devices indoors. Worked with
CTIA’s CTO and other wireless service providers to create a scaleable business
model that saves Verizon and other carriers onerous regulatory costs and yields
CTIA $43 million in annual revenue.
● Partnered with Verizon’s Chief Diversity Officer and Verizon Ventures to create a
pipleine for small and minority-owned businesses in telecommunications and
technology. Coordinate with the US Small Business Administration and FCC Office
of Communication Business Opportunities to host annual supplier diversity forum
and venture “pitch” fest to aid these businesses in overcoming barriers to market
entry and navigating access to fiscal capital.
Executive Director
Federal Regulatory Affairs
2003 - 2015
Promoted after series of successes including bridging critical relationships with federal government. Charged with comprehensive oversight of telecommunications policy areas about public safety, cyber security, infrastructure resiliency and market competition policies. Led advocacy efforts with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), Hill and Executive Branch to create support for telecom policy issues.
Selected Achievements
● Capitalized short messaging service for emergency purposes (text-to-911).
Devised strategy and successfully brokered commercial agreement that created an
estimated $63.7 million in annual shared value for Verizon, three wireless providers,
and special populations with hearing or speech disabilities.
● Delivered $8.6 billion in shareholder value as a result of successful oversight and
negotiation of federal regulatory approval of Verizon’s sale of landline assets in 14
states to Frontier Communications. Achieved approval of the transaction within 18
months and without onerous conditions, fulfilling the strategic imperative to shift
emphasis to broadband, wireless and Internet business.
● Orchestrated Verizon's key role in the rebuilding of Haiti’s telecommunications
infrastructure after devastating earthquake. Negotiated a trilateral MOU among
Verizon, US Government and Haiti Government that offered the corporation
required liability protection and expedited deployment of technical assistance and
aid. Formally recognized by US Government for outstanding performance.
Testimonial 1
Testimonial 2
Education
2015 | Executive MBA (Leadership Development)
Harvard Business School
2002 | MSc. Telecommunications Management
University of Maryland University College
1996 | BSc. Computer Science
Concordia University, Montreal Canada
2011 | Georgetown University
Business Program for Telecom Executives
2005 | Program Management Institute
Program Management Certificate
2004 | George Washington University
Program Management Master’s Certificate
Professional Affiliations
● Federal Communications Bar Association
● National Association for Multi-ethnicity in
Communications
● Women in Cable Telecommunications
Professional Experience
2018 - present | Public Affairs Council
Member, Board of Directors
2018 - present | Virginia Public Access Project
Member, Board of Directors
2017 - present | Virginia Cable and Telecommunications Assoc.
Member, Board of Directors
2015 - 2017 | SOMOS
Member, Board of Directors
2016 - 2017 | Communications Sector Coordinating Council
Chair, Board of Trustees
Lead 50+ corporate members on interfacing with US Government agencies on a broad variety of national security and cyber security issues that threaten America’s critical infrastructure and economy.
2013 - 2015 | NG 9-1-1 Institute
Member, Board of Directors
Partnered with the U.S Congressional NextGen9-1-1 Caucus to promote awareness and secure funding for 9-1-1 and other more robust emergency communications systems.
Skills / Expertise
• Servant Leadership
• Public Affairs
• Public Policy
• Strategic Planning
• Government Affairs
• Social Media Strategy
• Corporate Communications
• Client Management
• Budget Management
• Social Enterprise
• Strategic Alliances
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