Stan Sigman Leadership and Innovation Series

Speakers and Events

October 12, 2023

Jennifer Van Buskirk, EVP & GM Mid-Markets, AT&T Business

EVP & GM Mid-Markets, AT&T Business

Jennifer Van Buskirk

Jennifer Van Buskirk, EVP & GM Mid-Markets, AT&T Business, is the featured keynote for the Fall 2023 event in the Stan Sigman Leadership and Innovation Series.

Jennifer Van Buskirk is an innovative leader at AT&T, a global communications leader serving more than 135 million mobile, broadband and pay-TV customers in the United States, and millions of business customers, including nearly all of the Fortune 1000.

Jennifer Van Buskirk’s previous roles include Senior Vice President of New Distribution and Senior Vice President of of Mobility Strategy, and Vice President and General Manager of AT&T Mobility and Consumer Markets for North, Central and West Florida.

Jennifer joined the former Cingular Wireless in 2001, and held several operations and staff positions throughout her tenure, including Chief of Staff to the Chief Executive Officer of AT&T Mobility and Consumer Markets. Prior to entering the wireless industry, Jennifer worked in Management Consulting where she focused on strategy, process improvement and large-scale IT implementations while working for Kurt Salmon Associates, KPMG, and Answerthink. Jennifer holds a bachelor’s degree in Industrial and Systems Engineering from Virginia Tech and an MBA from Kennesaw State University.

Stan Sigman

Sigman was instrumental in the industry-shaking AT&T partnership with Apple’s iPhones, which allowed the telecommunications company to be the exclusive carrier of iPhones in the first years they were on the market. Paul Roth: "Apple saw an opportunity in the U.S. mobile market, so Steve Jobs went looking for a partner. He had a vision that Stan shared, but it required each company to do something neither had done before — to make an enormous bet on a partner. Until the day he died, Steve Jobs never forgot that Stan believed in him. Stan always said he never bet on a company. He bet on a person.”

Purpose of the Sigman Series

As a celebration of his legacy, the Stan Sigman Business Leadership and Innovation Series emphasizes Stan Sigman’s leadership style. Those who knew Stan Sigman well knew him as a visionary whose leadership style encouraged, unleashed, and revealed innovation in others. Stan Sigman built successful teams of strong leaders who were given the freedom to make decisions and accountability for results. These are enduring lessons in timeless traits that lead to success in business, leadership, and in life. The Stan Sigman Business Leadership and Innovation Series provides an ongoing vehicle and platform to explore these key elements of success.

Inaugural Stan Sigman Speaker Series Event

On October 13, 2021 the Paul and Virginia Engler College of Business hosted the successful inaugural presentation of the Stan Sigman Leadership and Innovation Series. In honor of the program’s namesake, distinguished WT Alumni, Stan Sigman, who had passed in December 2020, the inaugural event featured former AT&T Vice Chairman, Mr. Ralph de la Vega. Mr. de la Vega, who was a mentee and contemporary of Mr. Sigman’s, addressed the campus on a variety of topics related to the value of education, importance of leadership, and the value of hard work, as key foundational elements that lead to success, both in business and in life. This first session was moderated by Dr. Anne Macy, Edwards Professor of Business, in a “fireside chat” format that was both informal and conversational. The session concluded with Questions and Answers from the audience with a few prominent questions from students.