Debra Freitas, Co-Founder and CEO of Light Source Communications (LSC), has been honored in the prestigious TITAN Women in Business Awards 2025.
According to TITAN, the awards honor remarkable individuals showcasing exceptional achievements, leadership, and impact across the business landscape. Debra was recognized with silver honors in two categories: Outstanding Female Executive Award-Outstanding CEO and Outstanding Female in Information Technology-Outstanding Woman in Digital Transformation.
The Outstanding Female Executive Award honors exceptional achievements of female leaders across all industries, fostering growth and inspiring teams with their impactful leadership. The Outstanding Female in Information Technology Award honors women who lead and innovate in IT, software or technology services, whose expertise and solutions enhance operational efficiency and drive digital transformation. Debra welcomed these awards as they highlighted what has been a busy start to 2025 for her and LSC. Check out the full list of winners here.
‘Perseverance and Adaptability’ Key to Success
While the awards are nice, Debra didn’t get to this point without her fair share of challenges and setbacks in her career. And she doesn’t see that as a bad thing.
Debra advises the next generation of women looking to break into the digital infrastructure industry to stay resilient when they inevitably encounter adversity.
“My experience has shown that persistence and adaptability are key to thriving in leadership roles,” Debra recently told JSA TV in a video series highlighting Women in Digital Infrastructure.
The series aired throughout March in recognition and celebration of Women’s History Month, which included International Women’s Day on Saturday, March 8, 2025. Interviewees were invited to share their story on how their career led them to digital infrastructure and to offer advice to women considering a role in the industry.
Technical, Hands-On Experience Critical
In addition to resilience, Debra recommends building a strong foundation that includes gaining as much technical experience and hands-on experience as possible. “My background in commercial construction provided me with invaluable skills in project management, problem-solving and also dealing with different types of people, which seamlessly translated into the telecom space,” she said, noting she started in one male-dominated industry before transitioning into another one.
Mentors and allies are also critical to helping support and guide women on their journeys, and they can also play a key role in another important concept to embrace: continuous learning. “Digital infrastructure, particularly in today’s market, is changing so rapidly, so we’ve got to stay up to date with emerging tech and do not be afraid to step outside your comfort zone and try to learn something new or to ask someone for some help on some new tech you don’t fully understand,” Debra told JSA TV. Watch the full interview:
Tulsa Build Ahead of Schedule, Phoenix on Time
The Women in Digital Infrastructure series was one of two JSA TV interviews that Debra participated in during March. She also spoke with JSA TV at Metro Connect USA 2025 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, highlighting LSC’s progress on its Tulsa, Oklahoma, network expansion, among other updates.
LSC has operated a 50-mile dark fiber network in the Tulsa metro area for years. It has been such a successful route that the company is adding another 80+ miles of dark fiber, with construction well ahead of schedule. At the same time, LSC has been working on a 300+ mile route in the Phoenix, Arizona, metro area. That route is on time, with construction set to finish by the end of the year.
Debra credits the LSC team — which she and Co-Founder and CSO Pete Empie have been building up over the past year — for the company’s recent successes. With over 35 years of experience, COO Dan Enright has put together a strong team that has helped ensure LSC’s success on the ground. Additionally, industry veteran Joe Patton joined LSC as CRO, along with the most recent hire to the leadership team, Matt Gutierrez, CFO. “We feel really good about our leadership team,” Debra told JSA TV. Watch the full interview:
