Influential Women Spotlights Dr. Lakysha Laing: Advancing Human-Centered Leadership And Customer Experience Innovation
Dr. Lakysha Laing is a seasoned contact center strategist and human-centered leader with more than 30 years of experience in telecommunications, customer experience, and operational leadership. Throughout her distinguished career, she has held leadership positions with major organizations including Cox Communications, Verizon, Cablevision, now Altice, and Kaplan Test Prep. Based in Chesapeake, Virginia, Dr. Laing currently leads contact center operations focused on improving customer satisfaction, employee experience, and operational performance through data-driven strategy, innovation, and people-centered leadership.
Over the course of her career, Dr. Laing has developed a reputation for transforming complex customer experience operations while building high-performing teams through coaching, engagement, accountability, and process improvement. Her leadership philosophy recognizes that successful operations depend not only on technology and metrics but also on understanding the people behind the numbers—both the customers being served and the employees responsible for delivering that service.
Dr. Laing has led significant enterprise initiatives, that required adaptability, cross-functional collaboration, and an unwavering focus on maintaining service excellence during a period of unprecedented disruption. Her ability to navigate operational complexity while keeping employee and customer needs at the center of decision-making has become a defining feature of her leadership. She is also known for developing coaching and performance systems that have contributed to improvements in Net Promoter Scores, first-call resolution, and employee engagement. Her work frequently bridges departments and functions, bringing together IT, marketing, field operations, and sales to create more cohesive customer experiences and ensure that organizational strategy remains connected to the people it ultimately serves.
Dr. Laing’s academic background reflects the combination of technology, business, and leadership that has characterized her professional journey. She earned her Associate and Bachelor’s degrees in Information Systems, followed by an MBA in Business Administration, and completed her Doctorate in Business Administration at the University of Phoenix. Her educational foundation has allowed her to approach business challenges from both analytical and strategic perspectives. At the same time, her decades of hands-on experience have taught her how to translate those insights into practical results.
Beyond her corporate career, Dr. Laing is also a published author and advocate for foster youth and health awareness. Her advocacy is informed by lived experience as a foster care alumna and breast cancer survivor, giving her a deeply personal understanding of resilience, perseverance, and the importance of using one’s experiences to create opportunities for others.
Dr. Laing attributes much of her success to resilience and an unwillingness to give up. Rather than accepting others’ predictions about her that couldn’t possibly know her strength, she became determined to prove them wrong. That determination has remained a constant throughout her life. For her, success has never meant pretending to have more capacity than she does; it has meant being fully present and committed to whatever she can contribute. She stands firmly in what she wants, being transparent about her goals, and seeking clarity whenever something is unclear. These principles have helped her navigate both professional challenges and moments of personal uncertainty.
Over the past several years, Dr. Laing has also undergone an important evolution in how she approaches leadership and authenticity. Approximately two to three years ago, she realized that she had spent too much time seeking external validation and unintentionally shaping herself around other people’s expectations. She had received feedback that she could sometimes come across as “too much” or intimidating, which initially made her question whether she needed to tone herself down or fit into a narrower professional mold. A mentor helped her recognize that she did not need external validation to define her identity or leadership style. That realization allowed Dr. Laing to become more comfortable leading authentically. Today, she believes in being firm but fair, sharing honest perspectives, and trusting that the right opportunities will naturally align with her values and capabilities.
For Dr. Laing, authenticity and alignment matter more than a title or status. This philosophy has become particularly meaningful as she continues developing from an operational leader into an increasingly strategic executive. One of the biggest challenges Dr. Laing currently identifies is what she describes as breaking through the “tactical ceiling.” She has established considerable strength and a solid reputation in execution and operations, particularly within fast-paced contact center environments. However, she recognizes that her next stage of development involves consistently demonstrating strategic capabilities as she steps into next-level leadership. To bridge that gap, Dr. Laing is intentionally pursuing opportunities that demonstrate broader organizational impact. She is focused on areas such as budget ownership, management of high-cost initiatives, and projects that require long-term strategic thinking rather than solely day-to-day execution. Her goal is to demonstrate that her leadership extends beyond operational excellence into organizational strategy, financial responsibility, innovation, and long-term vision.
At the same time, Dr. Laing remains intentional about maintaining a healthy work-life balance. She incorporates daily reflection into her routine, using it as an opportunity to evaluate what she has learned, consider what could have been done differently, and remain purposeful about her development. She believes professional growth is not simply about achieving the next title but about becoming a more thoughtful, strategic, and effective leader.
For young women entering male-dominated industries, Dr. Laing has a straightforward message: use your voice confidently and intentionally. She believes women are in the room for a reason and that their perspectives have value, even when they are one of only a few women—or the only woman—at the table. She has seen women remain silent during meetings despite possessing significant expertise, only to have others speak on their behalf. Dr. Laing encourages women to speak up and respectfully reassert their perspectives when necessary. She believes those perspectives should be supported by data and communicated with confidence. When women remain silent, she says, they risk allowing others to define their expertise rather than defining themselves.
Her leadership values are rooted in respect, integrity, and accountability. With her teams, Dr. Laing emphasizes three fundamental principles: know your people and understand how to communicate with them effectively; understand the business and stay ahead of where the industry is going; and always be honest, particularly when commitments cannot be met.
In a data-driven business environment, she considers transparency essential. Leaders and employees rely on accurate information to plan, make decisions, and execute effectively. When communication is honest and expectations are clear, teams are better equipped to respond to challenges and build trust. For Dr. Laing, integrity means maintaining the same standards in every interaction and treating people with honesty and respect regardless of their position. She applies those principles to her personal life as well.
Dr. Lakysha Laing’s leadership philosophy is anchored in a powerful truth: resilience is not just surviving hardship—it is choosing to show up fully, protect intentional boundaries, and turn adversity into purpose. As a foster care alumna and breast cancer survivor, she has shattered limiting expectations, proving that where you start does not dictate where you finish. Across more than three decades in operational leadership, Dr. Laing empowers the next generation to own their worth, command their voice with confidence, and lead without compromising who they are.
Learn More about Dr. Lakysha Laing:
Through her Influential Women profile, https://influentialwomen.com/connect/Lakysha-Laing
Influential Women
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