Sam Attisha

As senior vice president of network and field operations for Cox Communications, Sam Attisha oversees operations across Cox’s West Region (Arizona, California, Idaho and Nevada), leading teams serving more than three million residential and business customers and communities through Cox’s fiber-powered network.

For the last 17 years, Sam has held various local, state and national leadership roles across the company in operations, business development, and public affairs, including senior vice president and region manager for California for six years and national roles in operations.

He serves on the management council for the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce, is on the board of directors for CalBroadband and the San Diego Tourism Authority and is the board of directors’ audit chair for Monarch School, which educates unhoused K-12 students.

Attisha has received numerous accolades, including the San Diego Business Journal’s CEO of the Year (2020), the South County Economic Development Council’s Lifetime Achievement award (2020), the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce's Visionary Award (2022), and the Junior Achievement of San Diego's Lifetime Laureate honor (2024). He has also been named to the San Diego Business Journal’s “San Diego 500 Most Influential People” list for seven consecutive years.

Attisha emigrated from Iraq at three years old, and he grew up in San Diego County. He earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of San Diego, and an MBA from California State University, Sacramento.

He enjoys watching sports (including rooting for the home team San Diego Padres and University of Michigan football), cooking, reading and giving back.

He and his wife, Shereen, an OB-GYN, have three sons, one of whom commissioned into the United States Marine Corps in May 2024.