Kathryn Oakes, an operations manager for Cox Communications in Phoenix, has been named the most recent recipient of the Catherine Oakes Memorial Leadership Scholarship for Women.
The SCTE Foundation created the scholarship in 2013 to honor Catherine Oakes, the long-time SCTE executive who died suddenly on Nov. 16, 2013.
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As the most recent scholarship honoree, Kathryn Oakes, who is no relation to the award’s namesake, was been awarded a grant of $3,500 to attend the WICT 2017 Rising Leaders Program for industry professionals at the manager or director level who have demonstrated their potential and their desire for leadership and career advancement.
Kathryn Oakes joined Cox as a residential services supervisor in 2003 and has served as an operations manager for the company’s business services unit for the past nine years. Oakes leads a team of more than 30 employees and is a multiple winner of Cox’s Circle of Excellence Award. An active member of WICT for the past eight years, she served two years as programming chair of WICT’s Southwest Chapter and currently is chapter president. She received the Lucille Larkin Fellowship Award in 2014 for her contributions to the industry.
“Kathy holds her team accountable to metrics that allow us to exceed our customers’ expectations,” wrote Gayle Porterfield, director of operations for Cox Business Arizona, in a recommendation letter. “She is respected among her peers and often volunteers to take on additional projects and assignments. She’s implemented several process improvements that have saved our company thousands of dollars while simultaneously improving efficiencies. She holds her team and herself to the highest standards.”
“I enjoy learning about the technical aspect of our business,” said Oakes in her application. “Attending the Rising Leaders Program will provide me new tools in my tool belt. Winning this scholarship will help me to improve upon my technical knowledge of the telecom industry. Combining this essential knowledge with my current skill set will allow me to take the next step in my career.”
Kathryn Oakes’ scholarship application was among the submissions that were reviewed by past recipients of the Women in Technology Award, which is presented annually by the SCTE/ISBE, Women in Cable Telecommunications (WICT), and Cablefax.
