In honor of Women’s History Month, we are featuring women throughout the month of March who are influencing and leading Tilson’s mission to build America’s information infrastructure. For this week’s #tilsontuesdays employee highlight, meet Alda Licis!
Alda is the Vice President of Tilson Infrastructure, our affiliate company and national Competitive Local Exchange Carrier (CLEC) licensed to own and operate telecommunications infrastructure in all 50 states. Alda leads a team of industry experts focused on financing and developing telecom assets for leaseback in three categories: poles, towers, and fiber.
“When I started at Tilson in 2019, Tilson Infrastructure was a newly formed company,” said Alda. “I was excited at the opportunity to shape Tilson Infrastructure’s future success on the heels of Tilson’s strong reputation. This entrepreneurial spirit is very much alive today as we continue our growth trajectory. I love change and the challenge that comes with staying ahead of the telecom industry’s rapid pace as we develop creative ways to serve our customers. I believe that entrepreneurship is the work of revealing and realizing previously unseen potential. Uncovering that potential in my team and my customers gets me out of bed in the morning!”
When asked what Women’s History Month means to her, Alda said, “Women’s History Month helps drive awareness that we must continue to proactively build a more equitable society where young girls and women more frequently see women in leadership positions. Seeing other women in influential positions deeply impacted my own professional journey and success: I was empowered by my mother, an ophthalmologist, and my grandmother, a professional portrait photographer in Latvia, pre-World War II. Women’s History Month reminds me to thank the women who came before me and struggled for a seat at the table. My mother graduated from medical school in the 1950s and had to change into her surgical scrubs in a janitor’s closet because there were no changing rooms for female surgeons. This month is also an opportunity to encourage and thank men for their support. My father handed me a screwdriver as often as he did my brother, so I took it for granted that we were equals. When men openly support women, women are respected by other men, which reinforces gender equality.”
Outside of work, Alda enjoys spending time in the Colorado mountains: walking, hiking, cycling, and skiing. At home, she enjoys spending time gardening and cooking. Alda is from rural southeast Wisconsin and now lives in Louisville, Colorado, with her husband and two sons. Her favorite sports team is the Queen’s University Golden Gaels where her oldest son plays volleyball, her favorite food is fish and chips (a Friday night staple in Wisconsin), and her favorite show is Ted Lasso.
Fun fact: As the daughter of Eastern European immigrants from Latvia, Alda is fluent in the Latvian language and culture. She met her husband when she was 14 years old at a Latvian summer camp, and later sent her two sons to the same camp. Both her sons are fluent in writing and speaking Latvian, also known as Lettish.
Thank you for your leadership, Alda! We’re so thankful to have you on the team.
