Learn how Rebecca Newman-Mahoney uses her 20 years in the Air Force to help protect our infrastructure on Verizon’s Global Network Management team.
“When I first came to Verizon, the ERGs were a perfect place to give me that sense of belonging and gave me the chance to make an impact outside of my work role.”
Air Force veteran Rebecca Newman-Mahoney was unsure of her next move after retiring from a successful military career as a USAF Knowledge Operations Manager for the Air Force Office of Special Investigations (AFOSI).
So she decided to attend a Hiring our Heroes Career Fair where she met Head of Military & Diversity Talent Acquisition and Verizon VALOR ERG (Employee Resource Group) lead, Tommy Jones, who instantly saw Rebecca’s career potential on the V Team.
“Rebecca was one of my first hires when I joined Verizon in 2012,” Tommy shared. “She immediately impressed me with her investigative skills and I knew she’d be a great fit on our network team.”
Joining the V Team.
As a V Teamer for 8 years, Rebecca’s transition to the corporate workplace officially started on our Wireless Network Security Incident Response Team. Today, she’s an Incident Commander for our Global Network Management Team.
While her time in the Air Force’s Office of Special Investigations helped prepare her for her current role, her transition was different in terms of protections. She shares, “I went from protecting Air Force personnel and assets to working for a technology company protecting critical infrastructure within Verizon. This aligned well with my military training.”
Rebecca shares what Veterans Day means to her.
While there were some differences, Rebecca also found so many similarities between the Air Force and Verizon, including the attention to detail, a strong sense of inclusion, dedication to teamwork, and the importance of career development.
Making an impact in real-time.
Verizon’s Global Network Management Team is all about protecting the people, the infrastructure, and the brand. Rebecca’s team specifically supports the operations and engineering teams and helps them understand how cybersecurity initiatives and processes keep our network safe.
“It’s amazing to see the partnership in real-time with these talented engineers who work tirelessly to maintain our networks,” she said. “We work in tandem with them on the importance of network security and guide them to deploy the best applications and products.”
As part of our Verizon Credo, we run to a crisis, not away. Rebecca notes that this is especially true for her team: “There isn’t an incident where we don’t ensure we bring the most knowledgeable subject matter experts with our analysts, working through the night knowing the most important thing is to serve our customers.”
Feeling at home with Verizon’s inclusive culture.
For Rebecca, Verizon’s culture fosters inclusion with multiple ways for employees to be supported through mentorship, team-building events, personal and career development, and volunteerism.
Rebecca personally works to foster an inclusive culture as a member of three Verizon ERGs: Verizon VALOR, Verizon WAVE, and SOMOS Verizon.
“When I first came to Verizon, the ERGs were a perfect place to give me that sense of belonging and gave me the chance to make an impact outside of my work role.”
An especially meaningful volunteer opportunity for Rebecca was Operation Gratitude in which V Teamers write letters to deployed service members. This activity held a lot of significance for Rebecca who recalls what it’s like being deployed: “When I was deployed, I can’t tell you enough how mail is key, and getting a letter, email, or care package is so important and encouraged.”
Why consider a career in Network Management?
The best and most reliable network needs the best talent to maintain it — and that’s where diversity is key, Rebecca notes. “When we hire those in the military transitioning to corporate and other diverse backgrounds, it gives us a range of skills and different mindset that will inevitably increase productivity and our innovation,” she said.
Rebecca advises candidates considering a career on this team to ask themselves how they can use their talent to make an impact.
“In my day-to-day, the interactions with leaders and peers are so empowering. They’re authentically engaged and value your skills and want you to excel based on the goals you set for yourself.”
