Zenita Henderson builds relationships wherever she goes, and those relationships last. The habit started early, in Pennsylvania. When Henderson’s family left Philadelphia for the suburbs, she easily moved from her diverse elementary school in the city to one where she was one of the few Black students. “It never was an issue,” she says. “I’ve just always had a personality that got along with everybody.” A popular student, the only thing that got her in trouble was too much talking and socializing.
Henderson’s career began as a detour. She had long planned to become a nurse, influenced by an exceptional practitioner who cared for her grandmother after she’d had multiple strokes. After working a series of jobs and partway through nursing school, Henderson’s finances required her to get a new job. She went to work as a data entry operator for Toner Cable Equipment, owned by her neighbor, cable pioneer Robert Toner.
A year later, she applied for a customer service job with Jerrold Electronics. “I kept thinking, I’ll work for a little bit and then get back into [nursing],” she recalls. “But I had such a great time I never looked back.”
Henderson moved up at Jerrold, a division of General Instrument. She eventually helped establish the company’s international operations. “It was like riding the train and laying the track at the same time,” she recalls. “This small tiger team locked arms and helped build the ecosystem to support doing international business. I’m still friends with many of them to this day.”
A few years after she switched from customer support to marketing at GI, Motorola acquired the company, and later sold it to ARRIS. Representing ARRIS on industry trade show committees, she built more relationships. Mentors advised her to establish her own voice.
Henderson had resisted personal attention, seeing herself as “a very good Robin” to the Batman executives she supported. “I wouldn’t say I decided to step out into the spotlight,” she says. “I think I was thrown. Notable women in the industry would get upset with me because I would not take credit for my work. It’s still hard but I’ve learned to do it.”
As head of marketing for the Society of Cable Telecommunications Engineers, Henderson became more visible within the industry – exposure that led to a job as SEGRA’s chief marketing officer. She eventually added sales to her portfolio and worked on SEGRA’s expansion into new verticals. She joined Point Broadband as CMO in 2024.
Along the way, Henderson has built an extensive resume of volunteer responsibilities with Women in Cable Telecommunications, NCTA, Syndeo Institute, the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, and other industry organizations, as well as Big Brothers Big Sisters and the Blind Institute of Technology, which trains and connects employers to technology professionals with disabilities.
Henderson encourages young people entering the telecommunications industry to speak up for themselves. “I do not want an employee that just does what I want them to do,” she says. “I want them to love what they do and tell me what they think.”
