When experts talk about ambitious professionals moving around a lot, they’re mostly talking about people changing jobs as they seek new responsibilities and opportunities.
Lauren Adelson-Luft has done it differently. She’s been working at Verizon — either as an employee or a consultant — for 20 years, relying on her confidence, curiosity and determination to earn countless promotions. Today, she’s CIO of corporate systems at Verizon’s Global Technology Solutions division, where she’s bringing greater transparency to IT while finding ways to use technology to drive innovation at the telecommunications giant.
“I’ve always been someone who thrives on change,” Adelson-Luft said. “At Verizon, our networks and our systems are not what they were 20 years ago; cloud was a thing in the sky 20 years ago. Verizon gave me opportunities at a young age to get exposed to different parts of both the business and technology, which helped prepare me for where I am now.”
She’s now paying it forward at Stevens Institute of Technology, as the newest member of the board of advisors to the School of Business.
“I’m excited at the opportunity to join Stevens,” said Adelson-Luft, a Hoboken, NJ, resident and a leader at a corporation with deep connections to Stevens. “I did my undergrad at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, so I’m familiar with the technology-school environment, but even though I’ve spent 20 years in technology, it hasn’t always been on the IT side — it’s been mainly on the business side.”
That’s exactly the niche the School of Business occupies. Its teaching and research challenges future leaders to think about technology’s possibility in solving new kinds of problems; the school is leading MaCuDE, an AACSB International initiative to reimagine management curricula worldwide for the digital age.
One of Adelson-Luft’s most recent initiatives is Talent Transformation, which aims to upskill her division for the evolving technical challenges facing her teams.
“In the past, the most successful technical people were promoted to manage people, and they didn’t always enjoy the same level of success,” she said. “Being a leader in technology means having those interpersonal skills — communication, team building, humility — along with being open to change.”
“Talent Transformation has a heavy technical focus, but also includes leadership skills,” she added. “We want to be able to show our employees what direction we’re headed in, so they can be more proactive about their own careers and make decisions on what skills they want to develop in order to advance.”
Dr. Gregory Prastacos, dean of the School of Business, said Adelson-Luft’s unique interests and perspective make her an excellent fit for the board as the school moves the MaCuDE initiative forward.
“Lauren has made a career for herself through a willingness to see technology as an enabler of problem-solving, but also thinks critically about its uses and limitations — in other words, exactly what drives the success of so many of our students and alumni,” Dr. Prastacos said. “I’m excited to have her join the board and look forward to doing great things together.”