CenturyLink's Gowen discusses Networx and the future of telecom

After a nine-year tenure with CenturyLink (NYSE: CTL) and its predecessor company Qwest, Diana Gowen, senior vice president and general manager of the public sector of CenturyLink, is retiring from the company. A 35-year telecom veteran who has spent a great deal of time focusing on the public sector, Gowen may be best known for enabling CenturyLink to win a seat on the Universal portion of the General Services Administration's (GSA) multi-billion dollar Networx telecom services contract. In an interview with FierceTelecom Senior Editor Sean Buckley, Gowen spoke about what winning the Networx deal meant, cybersecurity, her transition, the current status of the industry and her expectations for the future. Hot Seat