Kathy A. (Waples) Walker
Former Chief Information & Network Officer
Sprint Telecommunications Company
Overland Park, Kansas

Education:
South Dakota State University
1981 B.S. Civil Engineering

Missouri University of Science and Technology*
1982 M.S. Engineering Management
1999 Professional Degree,
Engineering Management

*Prior to 2008 Missouri S&T was known as University of Missouri-Rolla

Prior to 1965 UMR was known as the Missouri School of Mines and Metallurgy

Kathy Walker is Managing Director at OPENAIR Ventures, a venture capital firm in Kansas City, MO that is focused on innovation & invention in the wireless space. The firm is vested in capitalizing on the explosive growth in mobility and the accompanying industries that will grow as a result of this trend.

Prior to this role, Walker was the Chief Network and Information Officer at Sprint Nextel, where she was employed for more than 24 years. In this position, she was responsible for the planning, design and operation of all information technology and network organizations within the company. Walker was the first network officer to combine the operations of wireless and wireline telecommunications, a current trend that other operators around the globe are replicating. In addition, she was responsible for deploying the first national 3G wireless network in North America.

Walker serves on the Board of Trustees for Missouri S&T and the Engineering Advisory Board. In 2005 she was inducted into the Women in Science and Engineering Hall of fame. Kathy and her husband Mark (1981 BS Civil Engineering and 1982 MS Engineering Management) reside in Olathe, KS.