Senior Vice President – Public Policy and Strategic Alliances
Verizon Communications
Donna Epps is Verizon’s Senior Vice President for Public Policy and Strategic Alliances. A proven leader and exceptional advocate, she is responsible for developing Verizon’s strategic public policy positions both domestically and abroad. She is responsible for the company’s public policy position on a wide-range of critical issues, including 5G, consumer privacy, broadband, competition, and consumer protection. Additionally, Donna leads Verizon’s Strategic Alliances team where she is responsible for managing the company’s relationships with national policy and advocacy organizations representing a myriad of diverse consumer interests. Donna also previously led Verizon’s Privacy and Cybersecurity Legal team, which included the Chief Privacy Officer and covered all privacy and cybersecurity policy and compliance-related matters She currently represents the company before the White House, Federal Communications Commission, Federal Trade Commission and the U.S. Congress.
Donna is a seasoned government relations executive with over 20 years of public policy, public affairs, and corporate social responsibility experience. She has extensive knowledge of federal government regulatory processes and specializes in technology policy issues. She is an innovative thought leader with an established track record for leading high-impact, strategic policy initiatives and campaigns. She excels in building diverse external coalitions to advance short and long-term business objectives.
Donna is a dynamic communicator, who drives cohesive, cross-functional collaboration internally and externally with key stakeholders. She has skillfully leveraged consumer and community partnerships to drive policy advocacy and social impact.
Donna also leads Verizon’s engagement on key societal policy issues impacting diverse communities. She advises C-Suite leaders on successfully navigating the increasingly complex and shifting policy landscape related to high-profile social issues. She has strengthened Verizon’s reputation with key influencers in the public and private sectors by leading programmatic initiatives to address the policy concerns of Verizon’s diverse set of stakeholders.
Donna serves on the Board of Trustees for the National Urban League, the Corporate Advisory Board of UnidosUS, and she Co-Chairs the Advisory Board of the Center for Democracy and Technology, an international think tank that uses technology policy to shape democratic values. She previously served on the FCC’s Advisory Committee on Diversity and Digital Empowerment.
Before joining Verizon, Donna was in private practice at Covington & Burling LLP, an international law firm. She was also a law clerk for Judge Audrey B. Collins of the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California. Donna earned her J.D., with distinction, from Duke University School of Law and her B.A. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.