T-Mobile Un-Carrier All-Star Spotlight: Jennifer Silveira
Part of a series looking at five T-Mobile women of 5G - tech standouts who are creating a promising future for wireless connectivity.
Jennifer Silveira
T-Mobile’s SVP of South Regional Network Engineering & Operations
Jennifer Silveira has been a key player in T-Mobile’s success for 27 years. Originally working in the oil business, Jennifer says she decided to switch career paths when she saw the potential in wireless technology and knew she wanted to be part of it. Fast forward almost three decades later, and Jennifer stands as one of T-Mobile’s founding females, having helped to create the nation’s largest, fastest and most awarded 5G network. Currently based in Frisco, Texas as the company’s SVP of South Regional Network Engineering and Operations, Jennifer has been instrumental in driving an unprecedented wireless experience for customers.
"It's incredible to see our growth," she says. "I always believed in the company, but to change from being the underdog to being the leader is an adjustment, and you have to change your leadership style and your expectations because someone is chasing you now."
In addition to her leadership role, eight years ago Jennifer was approached by then T-Mobile President of Technology Neville Ray to lead the company’s Women in Technology DE&I group, with the goal of fostering a more inclusive environment. At first, she wasn’t exactly sure how to go about it — until she realized that just speaking up made a real difference.
"I never saw my gender as a limitation," she says. "I wasn't raised that way. But I always have authentically believed in the value of building your network. I’ve worked across the organization, and while I don't have all the answers or consider myself the smartest person in the room, I'm not afraid to ask questions and collaborate. So that has allowed me to mold who I am, who I work with and how I work. When we started Women in Technology in 2016, I thought, ‘Why me?’, but I’ve always taken advantage of the opportunities in front of me and believed in paying it forward or reaching back. And no surprise, what I found was an amazing group of women."
Jennifer says the 5G journey is just getting started and she can’t wait to see what’s next.
"I'm excited to see what it will bring," she says. "I think we’re only just on the cusp of it all because the world hasn't caught on yet. It’s not just that 5G makes things faster. It has the potential to transform our culture for the better and improve people’s lives, and that’s monumental."
