Karen Gurley
Karen Gurley is a seasoned telecommunications leader with nearly two decades of industry experience spanning tower operations, fiber infrastructure, business analytics, and project management. Currently serving as Asset Manager at TowerNorth, she brings a hands-on, operationally grounded approach to asset oversight while leveraging deep expertise in analytics and systems modernization. Over the course of her career, she has built a reputation for combining technical knowledge with business strategy to drive efficiency, growth, and cross-functional alignment across complex infrastructure environments.
Prior to her current role, Karen served as Senior Manager of Financial Systems and Analytics at Trueline Infrastructure Solutions, where she led digital transformation initiatives and modernized financial and reporting systems. She also spent more than 12 years at Crown Castle, progressing through roles including Tower Structural Analyst, Project Manager, and Senior Data Analyst. Throughout these positions, she managed large-scale telecom projects across multiple U.S. markets—including Phoenix, Anchorage, Pittsburgh, and the Atlanta metropolitan area—developing a comprehensive understanding of engineering review, vendor management, construction bidding, and data-driven decision-making.
Karen’s expertise spans digital transformation, asset management, engineering review, construction vendor coordination, Power BI reporting, and enterprise AI integration, including internal training and implementation of OpenAI ChatGPT tools. A self-described “numbers person,” she is passionate about analytics, operational clarity, and building scalable systems that support business performance. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of South Alabama and is actively engaged in industry organizations such as Women in Wireless and the Georgia Wireless Association. Her long-term professional goal is to lead a high-performing data management team within the telecommunications sector.
• University of South Alabama - BFA
• Women in Wireless
• Georgia Wireless Association
What do you attribute your success to?
I really attribute my success to my mom. My mom was very smart, very quick, very clever. But the times that they were when she was having children, she was expected to stay home and take care of the children and didn't really get to work anymore, and I feel like she always regretted that. So me and my sister both were the ones that she always told to go to college, get degrees, and work and be successful, and not have to worry and not have to stress about the things that our parents stressed about when we were younger. We don't want our children to have to stress either, so our goal really is to build a foundation so our kids are supported and successful. I just look back on it now and I'm like, Mom, I'm so sorry, because staying home with kids is harder.
What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
If you want to go into telecommunications, the biggest thing is to learn everything from the ground up. Learn the things from the field, learn what the construction team is doing, learn how things work together. It'll make you more knowledgeable in any field you're in. If you're working in data, you'll understand the data better. If you're working in people management, you'll understand what each person's working on individually. So really knowing how everything fits together in the construction portion of telecommunications will take you anywhere. I mean, you'll be able to switch between companies, you'll be able to switch between different areas. Right now I'm back on the cell tower side where I was in the very beginning, but I switched over to fiber for a while, which flows differently, but it's still construction regardless. If you know construction, you can follow the process. A lot of people get into it and they don't understand how it works, but when you're working with someone and they understand how things go together in the process and they're just on it, it just makes you so happy. It makes life so much easier.
What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
One of the biggest challenges in my field is the importance of networking—success is highly relationship-driven, and who you know truly matters. There is also a strong need for mentorship and the ability to adapt across evolving technologies, including both tower and fiber infrastructure.
At the same time, digital transformation presents significant opportunity. Leveraging tools like Power BI and AI solutions allows us to improve efficiency, strengthen decision-making, and stay competitive in a rapidly changing industry.
What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
The values most important to me in both my work and personal life are education and self-sufficiency. I believe in continuously learning, building my skills, and creating a stable foundation not only for myself but for my family.
I also deeply value mentorship and knowledge-sharing. Supporting others, strengthening professional networks, and remaining adaptable in a changing environment are principles that guide how I grow and contribute.
Locations
TowerNorth
Acworth, GA 30102