Rhonda Cook founded Pure Speed LIGHTWAVE in 2010, building an organization with a clear vision and strongly aligned management team and staff. With 40 years of experience in the telecommunications industry, she is experienced in overseeing all aspects of the company’s operations, including strategic planning, financial planning, staff growth and development, legal and contract negotiations, regulatory compliance, call center operations, risk management, and IT project management. She has initiated, reviewed, and overseen numerous generations of innovation, including technical hardware, network management, and software platforms to create a more efficient and scalable organization. Prior to founding Pure Speed Lightwave, Ms. Cook joined Phonoscope Enterprises Group as one of four staff members in 1979, serving as president for 23 years beginning in 1991. She was instrumental in building the cable television division that was sold in 1997 and led the effort to redesign business process, policy, and strategy for realigning the focus of the business.
Ms. Cook is a native Houstonian and worked in the graphic design and radio broadcasting fields in her early career. She received a B.A. in Communications and graduated Magna Cum Laude from the University of Houston. Ms. Cook has a deep interest in local history. She is proud that Pure Speed Lightwave is the wide area network provider of the Cypress Fairbanks School District, where Ms. Cook attended school and graduated from Jersey Village High School.
Ms. Cook is a founding and active member of the Vistage group of business owners since 2013. She was inducted into the 2014-2015 VIP Woman of the Year Circle for excellence, leadership, and commitment to her profession, while encouraging the achievement of Professional Women by the National Association of Professional Women. She periodically has been a speaker at telecommunications conferences, including Metro Connect 2018. Ms. Cook was recognized as one of the 20 Women to Watch in Telecom for 2018 by Capacity Media. Recently, Ms. Cook became a member on the advisory board of St. Thomas University’s Global Cyber Security Program whose goal is to establish a moral and ethical lens through which technology and its application in knowledge within human society is to be viewed.
