33. Tracey Edwards

Many of the power-listers have been climbing the corporate ladder for years, but how many can say they’ve climbed a telephone pole, too? Edwards began her career with Verizon in 1979 as a summer hire operator and has advanced through the ranks to now oversee more than 5,000 employees. Edwards is ultimately responsible for the Fios all-fiber network build out as well as the connectivity and maintenance of more than 2.5 million consumer and business access lines for Verizon’s local and long distance networks on Long Island, Westchester and Upstate New York. She comes from a family of community volunteers and is active in many civic and political organizations. In addition, Edwards is both a role model and spokesperson for the African-American community and currently serves as the Long Island regional director of the NAACP.