Editor’s Note — In observance of Women’s History Month, Nebraska Today is honoring Husker alumnae in March. Every Tuesday and Thursday, we’ll publish a feature story about Nebraska graduates making their mark on the world.
From Nebraska to New York City, alumna Angie Klein has used her homegrown talents to make marketing waves wherever she goes.
The Battle Creek-born Husker excelled as a marketing and advertising student at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. When she wasn’t attending classes that would lay the foundation of the professional she is today, she could be found taking on leadership roles in student organizations and utilizing networking opportunities.
Following graduation in 2001, Klein began her career at Verizon. She was placed into a rotational two-year development program with the company in Dallas and Huntington Beach.
During her formative years with the company, she was part of a team that brought high-speed internet to homes across America through the Verizon Fios fiber-optic network. Now, as vice president of marketing, Klein leads the consumer segment’s marketing team for the telecommunications company.
The skills Klein uses in her New York City office are the same as those she strengthened as a student on campus. From the fundamentals of business in her accounting, finance and economics classes to her creative-oriented courses in the College of Journalism & Mass Communications, Klein said her college education has been essential to developing her career.
One of those foundational courses was Advertising Campaigns, taught by Professor of Practice Stacy James, in which Klein’s group was tasked with creating a branding campaign for the Downtown Lincoln Association. Not only did it win a Nebraska ADDY Award, but it was implemented by the association. Klein said the class allowed her to step beyond academia and apply what she’d learned in the classroom. For Klein, it was also gratifying to see her group’s work displayed on banners and billboards when she would come back to visit.
Klein thinks being a Nebraska native sets her apart in the business world. She said her mindset comes from her small-town roots and the winning traditions of Husker football in the 1990s.
“There is a sense of pride in the work I do that stems from how I grew up in Nebraska and who we are as a people,” Klein said. “Simply, if it’s worth doing, it’s worth doing well.”
Current students should take advantage of their Nebraska years and use the time to discover work that will challenge them, Klein said.
“Have high expectations of yourself, be optimistic, and be a solver, as all of those skills are transferrable and desired everywhere,” Klein said. “And lastly, have an immense amount of fun.”
