When Marsha Lindsey took the reins of Nevada Bell in November, it was only the latest step up the ladder for this soft-spoken woman. Twenty-four years ago, she started with SBC Communications, Inc., Nevada Bell’s parent company, as an information assistant writing articles for an internal employee newsletter, making use of a degree in journalism she earned from the University of Oklahoma. That was the beginning of a path that would take her from working on internal communications for employees to external affairs with customers to the top slot at Nevada Bell. Along the way, she honed her skills of listening to people and learning what was important to them, and then figuring out a way to provide what they needed.
Lindsey says she started out looking for a career in mathematics. In the early 1970s, the only job opportunity for a woman in that field was teaching, something that did not appeal to her. Recognizing her passions lay in business, Lindsey switched her major to journalism and took many business classes as electives. “My love and my hobby had always been journalism, and I knew I wanted to get into the corporate environment,” she recalled.
Following her graduation from the University of Oklahoma, she took a job as an information assistant, dealing with the internal affairs of SBC Communications. She says the position gave her the opportunity to work with a number of people now leaders in the telecommunications field, experience she values a great deal. She spent 17 years working in Oklahoma in a variety of jobs for SBC Communications, including advertising, human resources and community relations.
In 1992, she and her family moved to San Antonio, Texas, where she worked in external affairs. She says this marked the beginning of what she calls her second career, since the focus of her position turned to customer contact and community relations. At that time, she was working not only with elected officials and corporate customers but was involved with SBC’s grants programs and contributing to the community of San Antonio. About six months after she took the position, SBC relocated its corporate headquarters from St. Louis, Mo. to San Antonio.
Lindsey recalls the move as a wonderful opportunity both for herself and for the community. With the corporate headquarters now located in San Antonio, Lindsey’s visibility in the company increased along with the risk, although she says she welcomed the accompanying challenges. The company has a commitment to education and to being involved with the community in a positive way. “We try to be a catalyst for change in a community, and to make a collaborative effort to make the community a better place to live,” she said, adding that in Nevada, there are roughly 1,800 retired SBC employees.
Following the SBC/Pacific Bell merger in 1997, Lindsey moved to San Diego to become the executive director of internal affairs. While there, she represented the 4,600 Pacific Bell employees with various organizations, municipalities, agencies and educational organizations. She also developed Pacific Bell’s corporate giving strategy, as well as serving on the board of a number of non-profit organizations.
She says that level of involvement will continue as she heads up Nevada Bell. “I really appreciate the 87 years of service Nevada Bell has already provided,” Lindsey said. She also noted that the first challenges she sees for herself are to become a part of the system that already exists and to represent the company within the community, adding she is looking forward to the challenges that await telecommunications companies in the years to come.
“My philosophy has always been that I have to do a good job on the present job and do the best I can every day, and good things will happen. I think the opportunities presented by Nevada Bell are just that kind of opportunity, to share the knowledge that I’ve gained along the way and to learn more for myself,” Lindsey said.
According to Lindsey, one question she asks people in interviews is whether they would rather lead a committee on a small issue or be a member of a large committee for a major issue. She adds there is no right or wrong answer to the question, but how a person answers tells her a lot about how that person thinks. She says she has learned a great deal by choosing the latter path. Moving through the ranks of SBC, Lindsey says she has been able to see how the company operates from many different perspectives. “My tenacity and passion for the company afforded me different opportunities to learn about [it]. Everything from the people I worked with in Oklahoma who were providing topnotch customer service to our regulatory side to watching the changes we’ve made through the years to working with our priority sales people and how we work with large customers. I have learned so much about the business and the kinds of people involved, it has made a difference in what I can do today,” she said.
As she now steps into the lead of what could be seen as a committee with 900 members, Lindsey says she intends to continue doing what she’s done all along: listening and learning what’s important to the people with whom she works.
