Deandra Zabala | 2024 Latina of Influence
Hispanic Lifestyle is honored to recognize Deandra Zabala, Senior Manager, Consumer Markets with T-Mobile as a Latina of Influence. Ms. Zabala will be recognized for her leadership in our community during Hispanic Lifestyle’s Connecting Latinas of Influence | Inland Empire to be held on May 23, 2024 in downtown Riverside, California.
Deandra’s upbringing was shaped by four strong, independent Hispanic women. Throughout her life, her mom, aunt, grandmother, and sister encouraged her over and over to set bold goals and trust the more she invested in herself, the more she would get back. Surrounded by their infectious optimism, Deandra grew up feeling unstoppable and determined to empower others by sharing this gift of confidence in the future.
Deandra started in the telecom field after high school, first as a retail sales associate and now nearly 25 years later as one of T-Mobile’s top senior managers for Los Angeles. From the start, her passion to help new employees learn the ropes and advance stood out as a strength and true calling. She understands the business side well and is credited for leading one of the highest volume stores for T-Mobile. Among her accolades, Deandra was recognized for a Peak Achievement Award, one of the highest forms of recognition from T-Mobile and later chosen for a Leadership Development Program that led to being promoted to a District Manager. Driven to give back and help future leaders, Deandra appreciates knowing her impact as a coach is that much stronger because she has actionable insights that come from understanding store operations and sales strategies. Her talent for hiring and developing the best talent to serve in Southern California is recognized for contributing to record breaking sales results.
Foundational to her approach as a mentor is teaching others how to show up well by not being afraid to rethink outdated ideas. This means coaching her team to focus on what’s possible, how to get past the fear of tackling something that has never been done before as well as motivating everyone around her, including herself, to embrace stretch opportunities to test fresh approaches to ongoing challenges. She’s flattered when people say “leave it up to Dea to be the first one to try a new way” and humbled when she gets it right.
Deandra is proud to be the Chair Lead for Southern California for T-Mobile’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) program for the past three years. Through this role she helps make sure her teams feel supported and have a safe space to express varying opinions. She uses her relationships and access to top leadership to help ensure the needs of over one thousand T-Mobile employees across Southern California are respected and considered. Her peers as well as senior managers recognize how she thoughtfully works to create a culture where people with different backgrounds and beliefs can prosper, grow, and reach their goals. One example of ensuring everyone at the table has a seat as well as a voice is at the end of her meetings she always asks for feedback and gives her peers and direct reports the opportunity to ask questions or provide their opinion. She also knows not everyone is comfortable speaking up in a group setting so always welcomes feedback via email or Teams Chat.
Deandra is as dynamic as the world of wireless telecom she leads in. She loves to organize community events like toy drives, food collections as well as programs supporting veterans. Passionate about life and the possibilities, she is proud to be known for being the kind of fighter you want in your court and a role model for aspiring future leaders. Deandra is both honored and humbled to think how young Latinas see her path and feel empowered to follow thanks to her example and achievements. Every day she is motivated to pay it forward, especially for her niece who she wants to encourage to be brave, confident and grow up knowing she can do anything in life. Most of all, she thanks her family for teaching her how to use influence to empower a culture where people can and do think differently for continual growth.
Nominated by Vickie Fite
On behalf of T-Mobile, it is a pleasure to nominate Deandra Zabala as a 2024 Hispanic Lifestyle Latina of Influence serving the Los Angeles market. We celebrate her contributions and how she breaks down barriers to create culture and opportunities for growth for herself and others in the fast-paced world of wireless telecom.
