Anne's Journey
Anne’s story began with her parents who emigrated to the United States in the 1960’s from their native country of Taiwan to pursue the American dream. Anne’s father, Dr. Ming-Chwan Chow, earned his Masters and PhD in Electrical Engineering while Anne’s mother, Joann Chao-Chu Chow, ensured their familial aspiration for a better life was a constant top priority. Born in the Midwest and raised on the East Coast, Anne is the older of two children and a proud second generation American. She and her brother were raised in a modest immigrant household in suburban New Jersey and taught incredible lessons which helped to serve as the foundation of her leadership to this day.
One of the fundamental priorities of Anne’s upbringing was education. This focus on education spanned academics as well as the arts and other experiences. At the young age of 4, she started piano lessons and at age 10, she was accepted into and enrolled in the Pre-College Division of the Juilliard School of Music in New York City. Her parents encouraged her to get involved in a diverse range of experiences from Girl Scouts (she remains a lifetime member to this day) to athletics and community activities. They believed that anything worth doing was worth doing to the best of your abilities. This belief has also been infused in Anne’s approach to coaching and leadership.
Anne decided not to pursue a career in music after realizing that while her skills were good, they were not great. Very focused on becoming financially independent, she felt that her musical skills were also insufficient to make a living, and became determined to follow in her fathers footsteps to pursue a degree in Electrical Engineering. She attended Cornell University, one of the most beautiful campuses and competitively diverse programs in the world, She was drawn to the possibility and potential of the school, drawn by their outstanding engineering program as well as their culture which embodies it’s founder’s motto, “I would found an institution where any person can find instruction in any study.” Another set of experiences, learnings, and revelations resulted in her staying at Cornell for six years, earning a B. S. and M. Eng. in Electrical Engineering and a Master of Business Administration with Distinction from The Johnson School. Her collegiate background helped spur her early interest in leading at the intersection of people and technology.
Her full time corporate career started as a network engineer in 1990 at AT&T in Bedminster, New Jersey. Over the course of her 32+ years at AT&T, she held 17 different roles including product/P&L management, strategy and planning, customer service, international operations, direct and indirect sales and marketing. She was appointed as CEO of AT&T Business in 2019 and led her team through the pandemic in the midst of unprecedented market upheaval around the world, serving customers with communications solutions across all sectors including small and medium sized businesses, global multinational enterprises, the public sector as well as nearly all of the Fortune 1000. She led numerous transformations both for AT&T’s businesses as well as in support of her client organizations which spanned industries such as retail, manufacturing, healthcare, energy, transportation, logistics, and more. Her integrated solutions approach harnessing advanced connectivity with an emphasis on end-to-end customer experiences has helped her clients and partners alike over the years innovate, operate, and scale. She became known for her unique style of leadership which prioritizes people, relationships, trust, and culture as the foundation for growth and success.
In addition to her decades of customer relationship experience, growth, service excellence, and leadership of high performing teams, Anne has had an unwavering commitment to ensure a positive and lasting impact on people and communities. She has championed DEI and ESG imperatives throughout her career, creating numerous initiatives, programs, and organizations at AT&T including the AT&T Women of Business, AT&T’s Asia Pacific Womens’ Organization, and AT&T’s Women of Color imperative. Areas of passion and purpose for Anne include gender equity, women in STEM, next generation leaders, organizational culture, and education.
Anne has served on a diverse range of non-profit boards including the Girl Scouts of the USA, Asian American Justice Center, New Jersey Chamber of Commerce, APIA Scholars, and Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies. She also currently serves in strategic advisory roles to organizations such as the Dallas Mavericks, Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, and Georgia Tech’s President Advisory Board. Her community leadership has included consecutive record breaking years as the Annual Campaign Chair for the United Way of Metro Dallas from 2020-2022 and currently includes her role as 2023 Cotes du Coeur Chair for the American Heart Association of Dallas. She believes wholeheartedly that each of us have a commitment to better the communities in which we live and work.
Anne’s leadership philosophy has always been centered on people as she believes that talent lies at the core of success, transformation, and progress. She has led numerous groups in various formal and informal roles over the decades and has developed a reputation known across the industry for inspirational leadership, performance excellence as well as agile cultures of trust and partnership. Her contributions and impact have been widely recognized throughout the years including the: 2022 Luminary Award by the Diversity & Flexibility Alliance, 2021 Woman of Achievement by Seramount, 2021 Woman of Power & Influence by the National Organization of Women, the lifetime achievement Pinnacle Award by the Asian American Business Development Center and more.
Anne and her family live in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. She and her husband have been married for over 25 years and have two Gen Z daughters who are their pride and joy. They are also parents to a very spoiled, rescued Australian Shepherd. She is a self-proclaimed foodie, believing that cuisine has always played a vital role in cultures, communities, and camaraderie. In her spare time, she enjoys fitness boxing, traveling to new places, supporting the local community, and spending time building meaningful relationships.
