Cathleen De La Garza is president of Uniti Fiber, fostering Uniti’s commitment to building and operating its fiber network, along with its “customer obsessed” focus. Previously, De La Garza acted as Uniti Fiber’s Chief Development Officer. She led the development and alignment of the companies short- and long-term growth strategy. Her team – comprised of the project management, order management, off net project management, product group, and solutions team – is dedicated to both internal and external customer service as well as service implementation.
As a commissioned officer in the United States Air Force, De La Garza was among the first female combat pilots in the US military, serving as an F-15C fighter pilot for twelve years. Her tours of duty included Operation Southern Watch and Operation Noble Eagle in the Middle East and stateside. De La Garza joined the team at Southern Light after leaving the service in 2005.
De La Garza holds a Bachelor of Arts in Government from the University of Texas at Austin, as well as a Master of Arts in Organizational Management from The George Washington University.
Active in her community, De La Garza currently serves as a member of the Board of Directors for the Women’s Foundation of Alabama, as a Regional Council member for Leadership Alabama and member of the Lower Alabama Bayhawks Lacrosse organization. Cathy participates in various veterans’ organizations throughout South Alabama, including executive sponsorship for Uniti’s diversity and inclusion group for Veterans and First Responders, Proud to Serve. She is a member of St. John Catholic Church (Bromley, AL), serving on the finance committee and as a religious education leader.