One View Communications CEO Vanessa Carter On Navigating The Channel

In honor of Black History Month, CRN talks to Vanessa Carter, CEO of One View Communications, about her transition from channel manager to CEO, and how she’s seen the channel change over the years.

Vanessa Carter, CEO of Glenwillow, Ohio-based solution provider One View Communications, started her career in the channel as a manager.

“I always found myself advocating for the customer. The customer could be a vendor or could be an end-user. As a channel manager, it was always a negotiation thing, and it didn’t always work out the way I planned or set the expectation with my end-user,” Carter said.

After growing frustrated with the back and forth, Carter decided it was time to branch out so she could better advocate for customer.

“In 2012 I decided to just kind of take all of that knowledge, the experience and the relationships, and start One View Communications.”

Over the years, Carter says she’s seen the faces of the channel with more women of color, younger men, and minorities at conferences and shows.

“It’s encouraging. It’s inclusion. And you know that things are progressing when you see more diversity in the channel.”

But it is important to note there is still much room left for improvement when it comes to getting more people in tech.

In January the National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, or NCSES, which is part of the U.S. National Science Foundation, released the Diversity and STEM: Women, Minorities, and Persons with Disabilities 2023 report.

The report found that Hispanic, Black, American Indian, and Alaska Native populations make up a combined 31 percent of the U.S. population, but 24 percent of the STEM workforce in 2021.

As the channel continues to show promise of more diversity, Carter has advice for younger people just entering the channel: “The one main characteristic that’s very important is understanding how to establish and to nurture relationships because the channel is all about relationships.”