NCSC VP and Telecom Industry Leader Nancy White Plans for Retirement

NCSC Vice President of Development Nancy White has announced her retirement, effective June 28. After graduating from college, White lucked into an unplanned job in the telecom industry—and then stuck around for 40 years! She joined NCSC (then RTFC) in 2018 and immediately began engaging with members at industry events and promoting the benefits of membership.

“It’s funny because I never planned to be in this industry. After college, I moved to Nashville and was working my first job when I received a call to come talk with a company called Northern Telecom, which had its U.S. headquarters in Nashville,” White recalls. “They offered me a job that included traveling all over the U.S. to get to know their different types of operations—what a blessing it was.”

White said the fast-paced evolution and nationwide revolutionary impact of the industry made her stick with it all these years. “Each year of my career was filled with opportunities as well as challenges, but it was always exciting!” she said. 

Before moving into the rural ILEC space as general manager of North Central Telephone Cooperative in Tennessee, White worked a variety of jobs in the telecom space, including roles in Operations, Small Business Systems and Wireless for Nortel and other companies.

Technology Revolution

“All of these were great adventures and all different,” she said. “I didn’t need to leave this industry to find wonderful, smart people and new opportunities.”

White has seen a technological revolution over the course of her career. She worked through the eras of digital switching, the wireless explosion, fiber optics and high-speed internet.

“One of the great things about this industry is that it is always changing, innovating and growing. Wireless brought amazing capabilities and gave us the freedom to move without being tied to a wire,” she said. “In the long run, I think high-speed internet and all the yet-to-be-dreamed-about solutions delivered by fiber optics will have the biggest impact on the industry—at least that we know about today. Tomorrow always brings something new!”

Industry Achievement

In February, White was presented with the 2023 NTCA Outstanding Associate Member Achievement Award at the association’s annual RTIME conference in Tampa Bay. The award “recognizes outstanding personal and professional accomplishments to honor associate members who, in conjunction with their NTCA membership, have performed extraordinary service for the benefit of the telecommunications industry.”

“That was such an honor because I was chosen by NTCA members. Working with talented, passionate people in this industry has been the most rewarding part of my career,” White said. “It is also very satisfying to be part of the growth that is happening with NCSC’s business and to see how we help our members make a real difference to their customers in rural America, which is where I grew up.”

Now that retirement is on the horizon, White continues to be enthusiastic about what her next role might be. “I love my job and the people I’ve worked with. Retirement means I won’t be working full time anymore and can pick projects or causes that I want to do.