April Horton
New York,NY
Summary
Accomplished at Verizon, I leveraged strategic planning and relationship building to influence policy and enhance organizational impact. Spearheaded advocacy campaigns and developed lobbying strategies, achieving significant legislative advancements. Excelled in government relations and public policy, ensuring Verizon's interests were represented effectively at municipal and state levels.
Results-driven leader with strong background in strategic management and organizational growth. Skilled in developing and implementing effective business strategies, optimizing processes, and driving team performance. Known for adaptability, effective collaboration, and delivering measurable outcomes in dynamic environments. Strong communication and problem-solving abilities, coupled with focus on fostering productive and positive team culture.
Overview
32
32
years of professional experience
Work History
Director State Government Affairs
Verizon
01.2014 - Current
- Spearheaded grassroots advocacy campaigns, mobilizing constituents to communicate directly with legislators on priority issues.
- Exhibited skills in advocacy, negotiation and influence without authority and excelled in organization and prioritization.
- Developed effective lobbying strategies for advancing organizational interests within the legislative process.
- Provided strategic guidance to executive leadership on navigating complex political landscapes for optimal results.
- Monitored legislation and regulatory developments closely, proactively identifying opportunities for intervention and engagement.
- Responsible for developing and implementing Verizon's legislative strategy, community engagement tactics and content in support of company goals and positions across all business units.
- Responsible for representing Verizon and working with third parties to influence policy makers at the municipal and state government level across NYC.
- Accountable for strengthening VZ’s political impact using extensive government experience and network.
- Supporting Verizon state regulatory team to influence decisions in key regulatory initiatives
- Responsibilities relating to identifying and influencing proposed municipal and state legislative activities working with advocates.
- Planning and executing strategies to ensure that any municipal and state legislation has a positive or neutral impact on the company.
- Interacting with members of municipal and state legislative bodies.
- Serving as primary strategic liaison to company affiliations, special business, third party groups, grassroots local influencers and thought leaders.
- Providing team direction on communicating key messages and strategic initiatives to stakeholders.
- Representing Verizon in a variety of forums including providing testimony at council meetings/hearings that address legislation impacting Verizon.
- Supporting cross functional wireless and wireline consumer business and network teams in delivery of next generation interactive media, video, OTT (Over The Top) Video, voice, data, cloud gaming, and connected home services via local franchise agreement.
Sr Manager Government Affairs
Verizon
02.2006 - 12.2013
- Provided strong leadership to enhance team productivity and morale.
- Led cross-functional teams to achieve project milestones and deliver high-quality results.
- Established strong relationships with clients and stakeholders, ensuring long-term partnerships and repeat business.
- Improved team performance by providing comprehensive training and fostering a collaborative work environment.
- Collaborated closely with peers from other departments to drive organizational success jointly as one cohesive unit.
- Streamlined communication between team members, resulting in improved coordination and timely completion of projects.
- Conducted post-project assessments to identify areas for improvement in future foundation installations.
- Oversaw foundation operations, streamlining processes for increased efficiency and effectiveness.
Manager
Verizon
08.2000 - 02.2006
- Provided company information and policies to customers upon inquiry and answered questions via phone, email, or online chat.
- Enhanced customer satisfaction by promptly addressing inquiries and resolving issues.
- Escalated critical customer issues to supervisor to avoid lost revenue and canceled policies.
- Boosted customer retention rates by providing exceptional service and building rapport with clients.
- Managed high volume of inbound calls while maintaining a professional demeanor and ensuring timely resolution of issues.
- Resolved customer billing errors by researching issues in system, asking open-ended questions, and determining root causes of problems.
- Contributed towards improving overall customer feedback scores by consistently delivering high-quality service experiences.
Waterhouse Securities
Reconcilation Specialist
06.1993 - 09.1996
- Assisted in training new team members on reconciliation procedures, ensuring consistent quality across all operations.
- Safeguarded company assets by proactively identifying potential risks during account reviews.
- Supported audit processes by providing timely and accurate documentation related to account reconciliations.
- Contributed to the development of internal controls designed to prevent fraud and mitigate risk exposure.
- Managed high-volume workloads effectively, prioritizing tasks based on urgency and complexity.
- Developed comprehensive reports for management, highlighting key findings from account reconciliations.
Education
Master of Arts - Industrial And Organizational Psychology
Columbia University
New York, NY06-2002
Master of Arts - Liberal Arts And Sciences
Fordham University
Bronx, NY06-2000
Skills
- Relationship building
- Strategic planning
- Verbal and written communication
- Decision-making
- Strategies and goals
- Organizational development
- Competitive intelligence
- Strategic networking
- Government relations
- Public policy
- Corporate communications
Section name
- Collaborated with other nonprofit organizations to develop joint initiatives that benefited the broader community at large.
- Led financial literacy initiatives.
- Coordinated food drives for improved local food bank stock levels.
- Improved public safety, participating in community watch programs.
- Lead and coordinate event awarding over 200 scholarships for the past 17 years.
Awards
City & State - Bronx Power 100
Dominican Chamber of Commerce - Most Honorable Partner of the Year
New York Women's Chamber of Commerce - Small Business Champion
Madison Boys and Girls Club - Corporate Citizen Award
Business Council of Westchester - 40 Under 40
Bronx Times Reporter - 25 Influential Women
Timeline
Director State Government Affairs
Verizon
01.2014 - Current
Sr Manager Government Affairs
Verizon
02.2006 - 12.2013
Manager
Verizon
08.2000 - 02.2006
Waterhouse Securities
Reconcilation Specialist
06.1993 - 09.1996
Master of Arts - Industrial And Organizational Psychology
Columbia University
Master of Arts - Liberal Arts And Sciences
Fordham University