Her Story
About Talissa
Talissa Fugate, PMP, is a senior telecommunications and infrastructure operations leader serving as District Manager – Implementation and Operations for the Desert Southwest at Arium Networks. Based in Phoenix, Arizona, she oversees large-scale market deployment initiatives, guiding cross-functional teams through engineering, permitting, and construction-facing project execution. Her role emphasizes operational leadership, stakeholder coordination, and the successful delivery of complex regional implementations. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in Economics with a minor in Russian from Willamette University, where she also competed as an NCAA softball athlete, demonstrating early leadership and discipline in both academics and athletics. She later completed her Master of Science in Global Management at Thunderbird School of Global Management, strengthening her global business perspective and strategic management expertise. Throughout her career, Talissa has built more than a decade of experience in the telecommunications and infrastructure sector, including progressive leadership roles at Crown Castle. Her work spans project and program management, engineering coordination, and national-scale deployment initiatives. She has also contributed in advisory and engagement roles, including service with the University of California, Irvine Division of Continuing Education, where she supported customer experience program development. Her professional focus centers on leadership development, mentoring emerging talent, and fostering strong partnerships across internal teams and external stakeholders.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Talissa
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to the foundation I was fortunate to have growing up, particularly the influence of my mother. She is a strong, fearless woman who taught me the importance of advocating for myself, being candid about my ambitions, and never being afraid to take up space in my career. Just as importantly, she instilled in me a responsibility to bring others along with me—to mentor, support, and help them navigate their own journeys. That foundation gave me the confidence to enter a complex, and often challenging, industry and be able to hold my own. I also credit my success to the curiosity and global perspective I developed through traveling the world from a young age, which encouraged me to ask questions, explore different paths, and discover early on what I was passionate about becoming. Ultimately, my success has been a combination of resilience, curiosity, a willingness to speak up, and a commitment to continuously learning and lifting others as I grow.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
One of the best pieces of career advice I've ever received was: if you can share a piece of candy with somebody, you can solve any problem. This advice came during my journey before starting in the industry while I was serving an internship at the Oregon State Capitol. It taught me the importance of being able to walk into a room and solve challenges through curiosity and collaborative relationships.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
The advice I would give to young women entering this industry is to remain open-minded and never assume you know everything. Some of the most valuable growth comes from staying curious—asking questions, seeking different perspectives, and being willing to continuously learn. Curiosity not only helps you develop your own expertise, but it also gives you the ability to challenge the status quo and contribute to changing the dynamics of the industry.
I would also encourage women to trust their voices and recognize the value they bring to the table. You don’t have to have every answer on day one; confidence is built through experience, preparation, and a willingness to keep learning. Stay curious, stay adaptable, and never underestimate the impact you can have by showing up authentically and continuing to grow.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
Balancing the use of futuristic tools, such as AI, to optimize organizational strategy and structure while driving project efficiencies with workforce stability is one of the largest opportunities we have in the industry. This is also a unique challenge given the proprietary nature of some of the projects we execute for our customers.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
The values that guide me, both professionally and personally, are transparency, curiosity, accountability, and leadership. I believe transparency creates trust, and trust is the foundation of every strong relationship. Curiosity has always been a driving force for me—it keeps me asking questions, learning, and challenging the way things have always been done. Accountability is about having the integrity to own your decisions, follow through on your commitments, and continuously grow. And leadership isn’t about a title; it’s about the impact you have on others—lifting people up, creating opportunities, and leaving things better than you found them. Those are the principles that shape how I lead, how I work, and how I live.
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