Norma De Alva, CQA, CQE
Norma De Alva, CQA, CQE, is a seasoned quality leader in the telecommunications and data center industries, currently serving as Director of Quality for the Datacenter business unit at CommScope. With 17 years of progressive experience, she oversees a global team of 21 engineers across China, India, Europe, Mexico, and the U.S., managing customer-facing escalations, quality management systems, and continuous improvement initiatives. Norma has worked with leading technology clients, including Google, Microsoft, Meta, Oracle, and X Corp, ensuring rigorous quality standards in rapidly growing, high-demand markets.
She began her career as a summer intern at ADC Telecommunications immediately after earning her B.S. in Industrial Engineering from the University of Texas at El Paso in 2008. Her career evolved through TE Connectivity and CommScope, with key roles in engineering quality, supplier quality management, and product development support. Norma has also earned her MBA with a concentration in Supply Chain Management from the University of Texas at El Paso and completed the MIT Professional Education program, Women in Leadership: Becoming an Agent of Change. Her expertise spans ISO 9001 and TL9000 standards, root cause analysis, preventive action strategies, and customer complaint resolution.
Norma attributes her success to the dedication, integrity, and perseverance instilled by her parents, along with a clear vision and daily commitment to continuous improvement. She is passionate about leading by example, fostering trust, and empowering her team to reach their full potential. An advocate for women in engineering, Norma encourages young professionals to embrace challenges as opportunities and to pursue careers with purpose and passion. Outside of work, she contributes to philanthropic initiatives such as UNICEF and maintains a focus on personal balance and well-being alongside professional achievement.
• Certified Quality Auditor (ASQ)
• Certified Quality Engineer (ASQ)
• University of Texas at El Paso – B.S., Industrial Engineering
• University of Texas at El Paso – MBA, Supply Chain Management, Accelerated Program
• MIT Professional Education – Women in Leadership: Becoming an Agent of Change
• Speaking with Impact Program
• Top 100 Senior Women Leaders in Chihuahua Mexico
• American Society of Quality (ASQ)
• UNICEF (contributor)
What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to the values instilled by my parents since I was a little girl - dedication will get you anywhere. If you have a well-defined purpose in life and a vision of what you want to do and become, your dedication every single day and small habits will take you there. Throughout my career, it's been about keep going, right? Little by little, every single day, improve that 1%, but keep going, don't stop there, keep progressing. Then in a blink of an eye, you would be on the other side and you would look back and see everything you've done that has taken you to this new step of growth. I also think it's important to keep a balance with your life - it won't serve that you are a director or VP and you're miserable. You have to be happy and enjoy with your family your successes, and have that life balance to be happy in every aspect, not only professionally, but mentally, physically, and personally.
What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I've received throughout these 17 years can be summarized as: whatever you do, it must be your passion. That passion makes you be happy - you want to be happy with whatever you do. As you are that person or leader with the people around you, you want to lead them by example. If you want a team to follow you, you want to set that example first so they can see that you're hands-on as well, and if you as a leader do something, you're giving them that lead for them to follow you. That way, more people come on board with your vision to walk the same path together as a team. I would also say be the change you wish to see in the world - being that agent of change. Don't stay in your status quo, but question why you're doing the thing that you're doing, not continue to repeat it over and over again, because there may be a better way to do it, and more efficiently. I would summarize it as passion, happiness, and lead by example.
What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I think one of the biggest challenges for women in engineering has been that we've always been a minority in engineering fields, as it's been categorized as a men's field. In the beginning, it was challenging to be the only girl in conference rooms full of men, and I was very young and also being Latin. You could feel a bit overwhelmed, or that you don't have a voice in those rooms because they're mainly the minority men. But I was able to overcome that quickly and I inverted that to be something to be proud of. I said, wow, I'm the only woman in this room - this is my opportunity to show what I got from my mind, what my ideas and thoughts, and put them on the table. I was able to transform that challenge to an opportunity for me, to show that yes, it can be a woman in a majority men field, and that could serve you as a path for success. The good news is that it has improved over the years as more women have joined the engineering field. Now you see more women in conference rooms and in higher leadership roles, which is good - better opportunities for women to continue growing and develop and to hire leadership positions.
What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
The biggest challenge has been that engineering and telecommunications have been male-dominated industries. When I started, being the only woman in conference rooms full of men was challenging - you could feel overwhelmed or that you don't have a voice in those rooms. However, I've seen this transform into an opportunity. The field has improved tremendously over the years as more women have joined, and now you see more women in conference rooms and in higher leadership roles. On the opportunity side, we're experiencing massive growth in the data center and AI industry, which has pushed us to have more robust processes and be more agile. We work with really big companies like Google, Microsoft, Meta, Oracle, and X Corp that are growing a lot in this space. This growth presents exciting opportunities for the company in terms of new business, increased revenue, and expansion.
What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Definitely integrity is number one. That level of integrity - as people see you, hear you, and see your actions - that's how they get to know who you really are and if you are trustworthy. Gaining that trust and respect from others is very important in the workplace because that's what makes you an approachable, trusted leader. It makes your job much easier to drive that collaboration and stronger relationships that are meaningful, and to walk together through that vision of success and reaching our goals. In the same way, honesty and dedication are values that can take you along the way as well. These are values instilled by my parents since I was a little girl.