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Milestone Moments: Celebrating 40+ Years at Cox

Recently we recognized employees who are celebrating a special milestone: being with Cox Communications for over 40 years! Here, we’re learning the stories of some of these special employees.

Donnell “Doni” Rustich: 43 years at Cox

Senior Director, Technology

Doni was hired as a customer service representative on her 18^th birthday and says she really “grew up at Cox.”

“I feel very lucky to have landed with Cox at such a young age and had an opportunity to grow along with the company,” said Doni, who lives in San Diego. “I’ve had many different roles over the years, and I’ve always loved the work I was doing at the time because I felt valued and my work was fulfilling.”

As a Senior Director of Technology helping to lead the Master Billing Customer Relationship Team, Doni is responsible for building Cox’s billing strategy and roadmap for the future. Her accolades at Cox include an Award of Excellence and Leader of the Year award.

One of her favorite career experiences happened in 1995, when she was asked to lead a major billing system conversion.

“I was uncertain about my readiness and nervous about taking on such a big and important project,” Doni said. “My leader had confidence in me though and gave me the encouragement and support I needed to take on the lead role. The project ended-up being a big success and it helped me realize that I was capable of doing bigger and better things.”

Marla Butler: 41 years at Cox

Senior Manager, Corporate Field Operations

Marla Butler has been a Cox employee for 41 years. What encouraged her to stay with the company?

“It begins with the Cox culture,” Marla said. “Cox truly cares for our customers, our employees and the communities we serve. For me personally, I have always felt valued and appreciated. And just as important, I feel as though I am adding value to our customers and our company.”

Marla said that she cherishes the relationships she has cultivated over the years at Cox.

“Because Cox is a family-oriented company, it has been easy to develop relationships that I will forever be grateful for and that I will continue after my retirement from Cox.”

One project that Marla is particularly proud of is her position as field operations lead for Cox’s Go All Digital (GAD) project from 2013-2017. The mission of the project was to reclaim all analog video bandwidth within three years, while complying with federal data encryption guidelines. With Marla’s leadership and collaboration across the enterprise, the team successfully completed the project.

“I am most proud of the work and the partnerships we created and managed during the GAD project,” Marla said. “Cox hands-down has the most committed and dedicated employees. Together, we can accomplish anything.”

Want to read more stories like this or discover a day in the life at Cox? Check out our employee blog or search for open roles to learn more.