OVERVIEW
Jeannie Diefenderfer is an accomplished CEO, board member, and former C-suite leader. She brings deep expertise in the technologies and telecommunications space, following early training and an illustrious career at Verizon Communications. Diefenderfer currently serves as an independent director on the boards of DigitalBridge Group (NYSE: DBRG), Irth, and also serves as a Workforce Development & Support Advisory Panel Member for the NSA. As an ExCo mentor, she leverages her experience in both operating and board roles to help her clients develop and scale.
"I could not have imagined a better match for me [than Jeannie]. I was a little apprehensive about who I would be matched up with. Now I’m thinking - oh my gosh, how did the timing work out so perfectly?"
– Deputy Director, Non-Profit for Community Development
CAREER HISTORY
Her earlier board roles include serving as Network Advisory Council Chair of Accenture, and as the Chair of the Nom & Gov Committee at Windstream Holdings. In addition, she served as a member of the NACD NJ Chapter Board, Chair of Olin College of Engineering, and Vice Chair of Women in America.
Diefenderfer had a 28-year tenure at Verizon Communications where she served as SVP of Global Engineering & Planning, Chief Procurement Officer, and SVP of Enterprise Customer Care.
During her time at Verizon, Diefenderfer ran and expanded the world’s largest voice and data network to connect six continents and shifted the complexities of customer care into a strategic growth driver. She managed organizations with up to 10,000 staff, operating budgets up to $1 billion and capital programs over $10B. She rallied her teams around a common vision and strategy, shifted routine thinking into continual innovation, and improved important business drivers such as capital productivity and cost efficiency.
PERSONAL
Diefenderfer has been recognized for her leadership by business and industry groups, including NACD Directorship 100 honoree, Directors & Boards Racial & Ethnic Directors to Watch, Outstanding 50 Asian Americans in Business and Asian Women in Business Corporate Leadership Award.
A native of South Korea, she immigrated to the US when she was 13 years old. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering from Tufts University and an MBA in Management and Operations from Babson College. She currently resides in Chester, New Jersey.
