Jason W. Adkins
CEO
Bluebird Network
Jason W. Adkins joined Bluebird Network in March of 2024. He is a twenty nine-year fiber industry veteran, most recently serving as CEO of Unite Private Networks. Adkins also served as a part of the management teams with Windstream, Kentucky Data Link, Inc, (KDL), Level 3 Communications, TelCove, Conterra Networks and KMC Telecom. Adkins earned a B.B.A. in Marketing with a minor in Economics from James Madison and earned an MBA from Radford University.
Sarah Bleau
Director, Middle Mile Program
NTIA
Sarah Bleau joined NTIA in February 2021 has spent the better part of her career buying, building, and selling fiber networks. She took on the leadership role for the Broadband Infrastructure Program in Fall 2021 and saw the program through to the award recommendations and announcements made in February 2022. She is the Director for the Middle Mile program and based in Denver.
Rod Cameron
Vice President of Wholesale Carrier Services and Operations
Frontier Communications
Rod Cameron brings over 25 years of extensive experience in telecommunications. His diverse expertise spans leading all aspects of Wholesale Operations including sales/ordering/finance operations, and contract/offer management. Over the years, Rod has held various roles, including Director of Business Operations. Currently, he serves as the Vice President of Carrier Services for Frontier Wholesale, where he leverages his deep industry knowledge to drive strategic growth and innovation.
Ryan D. Carr
Partner
M/C Partners
Ryan Carr is a Partner at M/C Partners, where he leads origination, deal diligence and portfolio company support for investments in a variety of communications and technology services segments. He serves on the Board of BAI Connect, celito.net, Denovo and Zentro (previously Everywhere Wireless). Ryan previously served on the Board of Thrive Networks (acquired/recapitalized by Court Square) and as Board Observer of PlumChoice. Prior to joining M/C Partners in 2016, he worked at MVP Capital, a telecommunications, media and technology focused boutique investment bank, where he completed a number of financing and M&A transactions in wireless communications and infrastructure, fiber infrastructure and media sectors. Ryan also previously worked as a certified public accountant in the energy and telecommunications sectors of KPMG. He holds a B.B.A. in Finance, Accounting and Entrepreneurship from Gonzaga University.
Matt Case
Senior Product Manager
Frontier Communications
Matt Case has over 33 years of experience in the telecommunications industry. He has spent 8 years in the Incumbent Local Exchange Carrier (ILEC) sector with a focus on Wholesale services, and 25 years in the Competitive Local Exchange Carrier (CLEC) business, specializing in Enterprise voice solutions, MPLS, and SD-WAN offerings. Currently, he is a Senior Wholesale Product Manager at Frontier Communications, where he has been for 4 years, leveraging his deep industry knowledge and expertise to drive innovation and growth in Wholesale product management.
Gerry Christensen
Head of Partnerships and Regulatory Compliance
Caller ID Reputation
Gerry Christensen is responsible for regulatory compliance as an internal advisor to Caller ID Reputation® and its customers as well as externally in terms of policymaking, industry solutions and standards. In this capacity, Gerry relies on his knowledge of regulations regarding B2C communications engagement. This includes the Truth in Caller ID Act, the Telephone Consumer Protection Act of 1991, state "mini-TCPA" laws and statutes governing consumer contact, various FCC rules, and the FTC's Telemarketing Sales Rule (FTC TSR). Gerry coined the term, "Bad Actor's Dilemma", which conveys the notion that unlawful callers often (1) don't self-identify and/or (2) commit brand impersonation (explicit or implied), when calling consumers. These rules are addressed explicitly in the FTC TSR (see 310.3 and 310.4) and implicitly in the Truth in Caller ID Act. Gerry has expertise in VoIP, messaging and other IP-based communications. He is an expert in solutions necessary to identify unwanted robocalls as well as enabling wanted business calls. This includes authentication, organizational identity, and use of various important data resources such as the DNO, DNC and RND. Gerry is also an expert in technologies and solutions to facilitate accurate and consistent communications identity. This includes authentication and validation methods such as STIR/SHAKEN as well as various non-standard techniques. His expertise also includes non-network/telephone number methods such as cryptographically identifiable means of verifying organizational identity. In total, Gerry's knowledge and skills make him uniquely qualified as an industry expert in establishing a trust framework for supporting wanted business communications.
Mignon L. Clyburn
Former Commissioner
Federal Communications Commission
Mignon L. Clyburn served as Commissioner on the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) from 2009 to 2018, and acting chair from May to November of 2013. During her nearly nine years at the FCC, Commissioner Clyburn was committed to closing persistent digital and opportunities divides that continue to challenge rural, Native and low wealth communities. Specifically, she pushed for the modernization of the agency’s Lifeline Program, which assists low income consumers in defraying the cost of voice and broadband service, championed diversity in media ownership, initiated Inmate Calling Services reforms, emphasized diversity and inclusion in STEM opportunities, and fought to preserve a free and open internet. Previously, Clyburn served 11 years on the South Carolina Public Service Commission. Prior to that, she was the publisher and general manager of the Coastal Times, a family-founded, Charleston-based weekly newspaper focusing on issues affecting the African American community. She is currently the principal of MLC Strategies, LLC. Clyburn is a graduate of the University of South Carolina and holds a BS in banking, finance and economics.
Chad Crank
Managing Director
Grain Management
Chad Crank is Managing Director at Grain Management, a Washington, D.C., based private equity firm with over $8 billion in assets under management, primarily focused on acquiring operating digital infrastructure assets. Prior to Grain, Chad worked at Stephens Inc. from 2003 to 2016 as Head of the Telecom & Media investment banking group where he advised on telecom M&A deals totaling over $100 billion in value including several successful Stephens principal investments. Before Stephens, Chad worked in strategic planning at Alltel and served as an Armored Cavalry Officer in the U.S. Army after graduating from West Point. He has an M.B.A. in Finance from the Kellogg School of Management where he graduated as an Austin Scholar and a MPA in Economics from the John F. Kennedy School at Harvard. Chad serves on multiple boards including Ritter Communications, Great Plains Communications, Young’s Communications, Quintillion and 123Net.
Dan Davis
CEO & Co-Founder
Arcadian Infracom
Dan Davis has 25 years of global operations, strategy, finance, regulatory and legal leadership experience in telecom infrastructure, data center, cloud, medical device and biotechnology companies. After retiring from CenturyLink in 2017 and prior to founding Arcadian Infracom, Dan provided corporate strategy and finance advice to technology companies, as well as private investors in the infrastructure space. At CenturyLink, Dan served in various legal, operational and corporate executive roles for nearly 15 years, most recently as its Vice President of Corporate Strategy. While at CenturyLink, he was a core member of the M&A teams that acquired $30 billion of network, data center and software companies. Dan joined CenturyLink in 2003 after CenturyLink’s acquisition of LightCore, a long-haul fiber company where he was a founding executive. Currently, Dan is the CEO and founder of Arcadian Infracom. Founded in 2018 by seasoned communication industry leaders and headquartered in St. Louis MO, Arcadian is a critical information infrastructure development, construction and operations company. Arcadian builds diverse, lower latency long-haul and middle-mile fiber routes connecting major data center locations and subsea landing stations for its cloud and content customers, while also providing access to new global fiber backbones to digitally stranded rural and tribal communities along its route for its telecom, cable company, ISP and enterprise customers. Arcadian purposefully routes its fiber through remote rural and tribal communities to help bridge the digital divide in the U.S. Arcadian currently has six long-haul fiber routes under development in the Southwestern and Western U.S. that, when completed, will add 3,500+ route miles of critically needed new fiber infrastructure.
Matthew Doran
Manager of Utilities & Permitting
Crown Castle
Matthew Doran is Manager of Utilities & Permitting with Crown Castle, overseeing teams responsible for securing entitlements in service to fiber and small cell network development. Crown Castle’s growing footprint necessitates active collaboration with state and local jurisdictions and electric utilities. Doran’s work with utilities across the west region include municipal, coop and investor owned. He has developed and managed programs for asset joint-use that focus on win-win outcomes for Crown Castle and outside agencies. Prior to his work at Crown Castle, Doran has led product development and sales teams across industries. He is most proud of consulting work on public private partnerships in the telecom space and joint-patent development for integrated small cell pole technology.
Garner Duncan
Vice President of Government/Education & Wholesale
Ezee Fiber
Garner Duncan’s career in telecommunications has spanned over 20 years. Currently, he is the Vice President of Gov./Ed. & Wholesale for Ezee Fiber, managing all aspects of the Wholesale & Gov./Ed. Team including creating and developing strategic partnerships within the Education & Municipal market segments and collaboration with fellow wholesale carriers. As one of the founding members of the Ezee Fiber leadership team, he is involved in the overall strategy and execution of Ezee Fiber, including new market selection for our strategic expansion plans. His previous experience includes a Regional Director position with Windstream running the Enterprise team for South Texas. Prior to Windstream, Garner was the VP/GM at Alpheus Communications managing all day-to-day operations of the South Texas enterprise sales team. Garner earned a BS in Political Science at Texas A&M University.
Ben Edmond
CEO & Founder
Connectbase
Ben Edmond is the CEO and founder of Connectbase, where he is responsible for leading the company's strategy, culture and operations. Prior to founding Connectbase, Ben served as the chief revenue officer at Global Capacity, where he was responsible for all aspects of the company’s customer go-to-market strategy and execution. Ben has 25 years of experience in the fiber, telecom and networking industries, encompassing broad expertise in the areas of executive leadership, strategy, product, customer experience, sales, marketing and operations.
Michael Galvin
Chief Administrative Officer
Granite Telecommunications, LLC
Mike Galvin leads Granite’s strategic and tactical legal initiatives, initiating the development of corporate policies and assists with major sales, large vendor relations, employment matters, public relations and marketing and is responsible for the work of in-house and outside counsel. Before Granite, Mike was a partner at a prominent, Boston-based law firm that specialized in business and commercial disputes, and also worked as a state prosecutor. He is active in several bar and civic organizations, including the Federal Communications Bar Association and the YMCA. He also is a multiple time Ironman finisher. He lives near Boston with his wife and three children.
Alberto Garcia
Government & Community Affairs Manager
Google Fiber
Alberto Garcia brings a wealth of experience in government and community affairs to his role as GFiber's Government and Community Affairs Manager for Colorado, Idaho, and Utah. He has navigated complex policy issues and diverse stakeholder engagement throughout his career, including serving as a Policy and Stakeholder Engagement Director for the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment and as Legislative Administrator for the City and County of Denver. Alberto also served on the Westminster City Council, giving him first hand understanding of the challenges faced by local communities.
Anna Gentry
Senior Corporate Counsel
Microsoft Corporation
Anna Gentry is Senior Corporate Counsel on the legal team responsible for managing Microsoft’s global telecom regulatory compliance and policy strategy. In addition to providing telecom guidance to Microsoft services such as Skype, Outlook, and Xbox, Anna serves as the team lead for the Europe region and focuses in particular on policy issues related to privacy, law enforcement access, numbering, and fraud. Prior to joining Microsoft, Anna was as an attorney advisor in the Wireless Telecommunications Bureau at the FCC.
Brian Gregory
Senior Director, Product Marketing
Intermedia Cloud Communications
Brian Gregory is the Senior Director of Product Marketing at Intermedia Communications. He has responsibility for guiding Intermedia’s service provider marketing initiatives, including product strategy, content development, business analytics, and go-to-market execution. Brian has held various roles in marketing and product management at communication service providers and technology concerns, including Ribbon, Metaswitch and Sprint.
Carl Guardino
Vice President, Government Affairs & Policy
Tarana
Carl Guardino serves as the Vice President of Government Affairs & Policy for Tarana. After three decades in CEO and senior officer roles, including 24 years as CEO of the Silicon Valley Leadership Group, Carl came to Tarana after leading global government affairs for Bloom Energy. Carl also serves as Chair on the CA Transportation Commission, which annually programs and allocates nearly $10 billion in transportation improvements throughout the state. Through his past leadership roles, Carl has led and co-led 19 statewide, regional, and countywide ballot initiatives, winning 18 out of 19 campaigns. Carl graduated from San Jose State University, where he is a Distinguished Alumnus. Outside of work, Carl is a runner, cyclist, and triathlete, having completed 19 marathons and three IRONMANs.
Kenny Gunderman
President and CEO
Uniti Group Inc.
Kenny Gunderman is President and CEO of Uniti Group Inc. He has 20 years of experience in the telecommunications industry and is focused on growing Uniti's real estate portfolio of mission-critical communications infrastructure. He has prior experience at Stephens, Lehman Brothers and KPMG. He currently serves on the board of the Arkansas Game and Fish Foundation, the Hendrix College Board of Trustees and the NAREIT Board of Governors. Kenny earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Hendrix College and an M.B.A. from Yale.
John Haraburda
Product Lead - TNS Call Guardian®
Transaction Network Services
As Product Lead, John Haraburda oversees TNS Call Guardian®, working closely with the wider Analytics and Advanced Carrier Applications team and colleagues in sales, marketing and operations to support and grow the industry-leading call analytics solution. A technology professional with strategic expertise in network and information system development and delivery, John has worked in sales, product management and business development for nearly 30 years. John has championed fraud prevention and robocall mitigation solutions across the US and the world for over two decades, driving solutions to improve the consumer experience and mitigating risk. Having previously worked in Product Line Management and Solutions Engineering at TNS for over seven years from 2008, John most recently held the position of Principal Sales and Business Development Consultant for iconectiv. He has also worked at Cavalier Telephone and Equant. John has a Master’s degree in International Business from the American University and a B.A. from George Mason University.
Matthew Hartley
Executive Director, Product Architecture
MetTel
Matthew Hartley is an executive product director for MetTel's flagship communications ticketing system, Bruin. Matthew's product focus is on data analytics, dashboarding, and API integration. He works closely with MetTel's direct and wholesale customers gathering requirements and translating those requirements into software solutions working with internal engineering teams. Matthew is a 25-year veteran in developing and selling enterprise software solutions across industries.
James H. Henry
Senior Managing Director
Bank Street Group LLC
James Henry has been actively involved in the communications infrastructure and services sector for more than two decades. His extensive and multi-disciplinary knowledge of the industry is the product of his roles as an industry analyst and as an investment banker executing capital markets and strategic transactions for companies and financial sponsors. James is a Co-Founder and Senior Managing Director of Bank Street and has been a driving force in the growth and development of the firm's investment banking practice with a focus on the Bandwidth Infrastructure sector. Bank Street has been at the forefront of key strategic transactions in this sector and counts 123NET, altafiber, FirstLight Fiber, Greenlight Networks, Lumos, Metronet, Point Broadband Unite Private Networks, and many others among its roster of clients and recently executed deals. Prior to Bank Street, James was a Senior Managing Director at Bear, Stearns & Co., where he served as the senior research analyst focused on the communications infrastructure and services sector. As a recognized expert, James has testified before Congress on communications sector regulatory matters, been quoted in national publications as well as trade periodicals and speaks regularly at industry conferences.
Tracy Irwin Hewitt
Vice President, Data Products & Monetization
EchoStar
Tracy Irwin Hewitt is VP of Data Products & Monetization at EchoStar. She has 15 years of experience in AI/ML and recently led the development of the first Generative AI products for DISH Network and Boost. During her first year, she also drove an Agile transformation of the Data Warehouse that increased efficiency by over 400%. Tracy was recognized as one of the “Global Data Power Women of 2024” by Chief Data Officer Magazine. Previously, she built the “Global Smart Mobility Team” at Ford Motor Company from the ground up where she and her team were recognized as “the most innovative team at Ford,” the first to monetize connected vehicle data, and a finalist in a National AI-driven software competition.
Kyle Hildebrand
Chief Revenue Officer
Vivacity Infrastructure Group
Kyle Hildebrand, Chief Revenue Officer, has more than 20 years’ network communications industry experience, including partnering with communities, government agencies, critical infrastructure clients and Fortune 500 companies to deliver large-scale, integrated technology and communications solutions. Kyle oversees the company’s business development, project development and marketing functions and is responsible for revenue-generating operations, facilitating and executing growth strategies to ensure continued success and profitability. Prior to Vivacity, Kyle co-founded eX² Technology, a Vivacity company, and was instrumental in growing the business into a reliable source for designing, building, maintaining and commercializing critical fiber broadband networks in the U.S. Before eX², he was the Director of Corporate Development and Strategic Business Development for G4S Technology/Adesta and Assistant Vice President for 21st Century Systems. Kyle is a Certified Fiber to The Home Professional (CFHP) and Project Management Professional (PMP). He has founded multiple successful companies, served on the Board of Directors and advisory boards for multiple organizations and non-profits and has multiple gubernatorial appointments. In 2017, he was appointed to serve as a voting member on the FCC Consumer Advisory Committee.
Andrés Irlando
President & COO
Zayo Group
Andrés Irlando has served for the past two years as President of Zayo Group, a $2B+ communications infrastructure company owned by private equity firms DigitalBridge and EQT with operations in North America and Europe. He is involved in all aspects of the business, including strategy, driving organic growth, rightsizing costs, and corporate development and integrations. Andrés has almost 20 years of experience in senior executive roles within the telecom and technology industries. He previously led multi-billion-dollar business units and large employee teams at Verizon Communications, including as President and Senior Vice President Public Sector, President Southwest Region, President New York Region, and Vice President Customer Service. Andrés also served six years as CEO of Verizon Connect, a $1B fleet and mobile resource management Software-as-a-Service company with operations in North and South America, Europe, China, Australia, and New Zealand. He scaled Verizon Connect into the largest subscriber base in its Internet of Things vertical in the world, overseeing due diligence, acquisition, and integration of a dozen global companies. Andrés also collaborated with Verizon Ventures on its technology and telecom investment strategy and portfolio management. Andrés previously served five years as President of the Cesar Chavez Foundation, transforming it from a start-up into a national foundation and monument. He also served eight years as an intelligence officer in the United States Navy Reserve. Andrés currently serves on the Board of Directors of Genuine Cable Group, a private equity (Audax Group) portfolio company. He also serves on the Board of Trustees of both Chapman University and Children’s Health Care of Atlanta. Andrés previously served as a Commissioner on the Los Angeles City Planning Commission. Andrés earned a Doctor of Jurisprudence from Stanford Law School and a Bachelor of Arts from Harvard College.
Angie Kronenberg
President
INCOMPAS
As President of INCOMPAS, Angie Kronenberg is responsible for managing the association’s policy team and its work before federal, state, and local governments, and she leads the association’s efforts on membership and business development. She joined the association in 2013 as its Chief Advocate & General Counsel and was promoted to President in 2023. Angie has successfully influenced and shaped some of the most complex, high-profile matters in the communications space, and she is an expert on technology and telecommunications policy, including broadband deployment, access, and availability, universal service, net neutrality, merger reviews, competition policy, and administrative law. She also has been integral to the association’s modernization and growth. FierceTelecom named Angie a "Rising Star in Wireline" in 2014 and one of the Top Women in Wireline in 2015 for her advocacy work on behalf of INCOMPAS and its members. Angie is a member of the Federal Communications Bar Association and has been involved in its leadership as a former Executive Committee and Nominations Committee member. Before joining INCOMPAS, Angie was legal advisor to FCC Commissioner Mignon Clyburn, where she was primarily responsible for the Commissioner’s wireline and broadband agenda, including the Commissioner’s work as chair of three federal-state joint boards. Prior to that, Angie was a special counsel in the Spectrum and Competition Policy Division of the FCC’s Wireless Telecommunications Bureau. She also practiced telecommunications and media law in the Washington, D.C. office of Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP for more than a decade. Angie earned a Juris Doctor, magna cum laude, from the Columbus School of Law at The Catholic University of America, where she also earned a certification from The Institute for Communications Law Studies, and she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree, magna cum laude, from Baylor University and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa.
Alexander Lee
Senior Director of Hyperscale, AI & Data Centers
Frontier Communications
Alexander Lee is an accomplished leader in the telecommunications and data center sectors, with over 25 years of experience driving growth and innovation across the hyperscale, AI, and data center industries. Currently, Alexander serves as Senior Director of Hyperscale, AI, and Data Centers at Frontier Communications, where he leads initiatives focused on expanding digital infrastructure and optimizing data center solutions to meet the growing demands of modern industries. Prior to his current role, Alexander spent nearly eight years at Zayo Group, where he led sales teams focused on supporting clients globally in the Media, Entertainment, Consumer Services, and Technology sectors. He was instrumental in developing colocation and connectivity solutions for some of the world’s leading companies. Earlier in his career, Alexander held senior positions at ScaleMatrix and American Internet Services, where he honed his expertise in private cloud solutions, colocation, and disaster recovery services. His vast knowledge of telecommunications infrastructure, coupled with his ability to manage strategic partnerships, has positioned him as a key player in the evolving landscape of digital transformation. As the moderator for this panel, Alexander brings his extensive experience in fiber growth, network dependencies, and innovative approaches to monetizing and productizing real estate assets in the wholesale telecom industry. His insight into critical factors influencing industry growth ensures a dynamic and forward-thinking discussion.
Rick Medeiros
Vice President
Verizon Partner Solutions
Rick Medeiros is Group Vice President of North America Sales, and Global Solutions Engineering for Verizon Partner Solutions. In this role, Rick leads the Sales, Solutions Engineering and New Business Development efforts for Verizon Partner Solutions in North America. This includes top strategic carriers, local exchange carriers, Internet Service Providers, and Applications and Content Delivery providers. Previously, Rick served as Division Vice President across multiple organizations within Verizon Partner Solutions where he was responsible for evaluating strategic opportunities, creating new business initiatives and account management activities within customer partnerships. Prior to joining Verizon Partner Solutions, Rick held several sales leadership roles within Verizon Enterprise Solutions where he was responsible for delivering business solutions to Verizon’s global enterprise clients in key industries. Rick earned his Bachelor’s degree from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.
A.J. Moul
Vice President of Wholesale Sales
Frontier Communications
A.J. Moul is a seasoned telecommunications executive with a proven track record of leadership and success. Serving as the Vice President of Wholesale at Frontier Communications, A.J. leads strategic initiatives in the Cable/Carrier and Hyperscale/Datacenter/Technology segments. With over two decades of experience in the industry, AJ has held various senior leadership positions, including Vice President roles at Zayo Group, where he led their Media, Entertainment & Technology segment. AJ's commitment to excellence and strategic vision continues to drive success in the telecommunications sector.
Jennifer Parkhill
Senior Director, Program & Project Management
Verizon Partner Solutions
Jenn Parkhill leads the Strategy Execution and Communications team for Verizon Partner Solutions, the multi-billion dollar, global wholesale business unit of Verizon. Parkhill is responsible for the execution of key strategic initiatives and engaging with key cross-functional teams to deliver on goals. Jenn was named to Capacity Media’s “ 20 Women to Watch” in 2023 & 2024 and is a strong champion for DEI and talent upskilling initiatives. Prior to this role, Jenn led marketing communications for Verizon Partner Solutions where she was responsible for the development and implementation of strategic marketing and communications plans. Parkhill has a strong focus to prioritize Voice of Customer feedback from multiple forums; partner events, advisory boards, surveys, and focus group sessions. Previously, Parkhill held roles at Charter and Comcast, where she focused on the creation of highly effective teams and programs to deliver on product revenue targets. Parkhill received a B.A. degree from the University of Western Ontario, Canada and M.B.A from the University of Colorado.
Chip Pickering
CEO
INCOMPAS
Chip Pickering has been CEO of INCOMPAS since January 2014. During that time, INCOMPAS has achieved significant growth with leading internet, backbone, business broadband, wireless, and international companies. Under his leadership, INCOMPAS has led numerous public policy campaigns promoting competition through an open internet and in the business broadband market. Pickering was a six-term Congressman representing Mississippi’s Third District. During his time in the House, he served on the Energy & Commerce Committee, where he was vice chairman from 2002 to 2006 and a member of the Telecommunications Subcommittee. He also was co-chairman and founder of the Congressional Wireless Caucus and an assistant minority whip of the House. Previously, Chip worked for Sen. Trent Lott (R-Miss.) and served as a staff member on the Senate Commerce Committee, where he helped shape the Telecommunications Act of 1996. Because of his role in drafting the 1996 Act, he became well known as a Congressional leader on telecommunications issues. While in Congress, Chip served as chair of the subcommittee overseeing the transition to the commercial internet, the establishment of domain names, registries, and internet governance. He also successfully led a bipartisan legislative effort to codify net neutrality principles through the House in 2006. Prior to joining INCOMPAS, Chip was a partner with Capitol Resources LLC, a public affairs and government relations firm, where he represented an array of telecom clients, including wireless, cable and competitive broadband providers, as well as non-profits and companies specializing in education, energy, technology and defense.
Anand Rathi
Senior Director, Product Management
TransUnion
Anand Rathi is the head of Product for Access Carrier Provisioning at TransUnion. He has 25 years of experience in the telecom industry and is responsible for the Network Access Management portfolio including product management, development, service delivery, and customer care services. Anand also leads the Digital Transformation initiative for the access connectivity industry with the Universal Order Connect (UOC) product suite. Anand is a well-respected leader and has collaborated in multiple industry bodies like MEF, OBF-ASOG, LNP, WICIS, etc. Anand holds a bachelor's degree in Electronics from the Amravati University, Shegaon, Maharashtra, India.
Nick Reifschneider
Vice President, Network Voice Products
Sinch
Nick Reifschneider serves as the Vice President of network voice products for Sinch. He is responsible for the growth of voice solutions on the Sinch Super Network including local and long distance termination, inbound and outbound toll-free services, U.S. and global phone numbers, messaging, and PSTN Connect services. With a background in product, marketing, and operations, Nick works closely with our CPaaS, UCaaS, wireless, cable, and IXC customers to ensure their goals are met. In his tenure, he’s helped scale Sinch from a regional voice provider to the largest independent voice network in the United States delivering over 250B minutes of use on our network annually and 160M numbers in service.
Brandy Reitter
Executive Director
Colorado Broadband Office
Brandy Reitter joined the Colorado Broadband Office (CBO) in 2022 and is responsible for providing oversight and management of the office's programs and statewide strategy for broadband deployment. Her work includes educating community and industry leaders, supporting regional collaborations, fostering relationships with partners, and mobilizing resources to improve the access and affordability of high speed internet. She works to assist with policy and legislative development, serves on various broadband boards and supports the work of the office. Her professional experience includes 18 years in local government management in cities and towns across the state of Colorado. As a former Town Manager, she built broadband programs in rural communities and has leveraged resources to deploy broadband in her communities. Her local government experience includes managing towns in Weld, Chaffee, Saguache and Eagle Counties. She has served in roles in public utilities, economic development and government operations in the City of Longmont, City and County of Denver and the Government of the District of Columbia. She has a Master of Public Administration from the Un
Karen Rohrkemper
Senior Vice President of Network Implementation & Operations
Crown Castle
Karen Rohrkemper is the Senior Vice President of Network Implementation & Operations for Crown Castle. Her team is responsible for the build and ongoing operations encompassing over 115k small cell nodes and 90K route miles of fiber with a $1B capital budget. Additionally, she and her team are responsible for project delivery, design, permitting, and build for all new small cell and fiber deployments in the United States driving continued year over year growth. Karen has over 20 years of experience in the telecom industry, having worked 17 years at Cincinnati Bell before joining Crown Castle in 2018. Her wide-ranging experiences have included sales, product management, wireless services and data analytics. She led the comprehensive turn down of wireless for Cincinnati Bell in 2014 when the decision was made to sell the spectrum to Verizon. She began with Crown Castle as a Regional Vice President, leading planning, engineering and construction for the Central region before advancing to her current role in 2021. Karen offers a unique combination of strategic and tactical thinking, along with creative vision and practical effectiveness. She is highly committed to building a culture of commitment through transparency, accountability, fully collaborative teams and leader excellence. She considers herself a positive energizer with a continuous improvement focus.
Mark Sher
Senior Vice President, Product Marketing
Intermedia Cloud Communications
Mark Sher, a 30-year telecom and cloud communications executive, is the SVP of Product Marketing for Intermedia Cloud Communications, a leading provider of UCaaS, CCaaS, and business cloud application solutions to partners and the businesses they serve. In his role, Mark has global responsibility for all direct and indirect product marketing at Intermedia including product launches, product messaging and positioning, competitive intelligence, analyst relations, and cross-channel pricing. Prior to Intermedia, Mark served as Vice President of Marketing and Product Management for AccessLine Communications, an early entrant in Hosted PBX and SIP Trunking and telecom SaaS pioneer. At AccessLine, Mark directed the initiatives to develop and bring to market first-generation Hosted PBX and SIP Trunking services. Mark’s deep expertise within the business communications space, combined with his history of creating opportunities and success for channel partners, makes him a highly sought-after speaker.
Christopher L. Shipley
Executive Director of Public Policy
INCOMPAS
Chris Shipley was named Executive Director of Public Policy in 2023, and will lead the association’s efforts to expand its advocacy on behalf of members. He joined INCOMPAS in 2015, serving as attorney and policy advisor responsible for representing INCOMPAS on wireless, universal service, disabilities access, media, and competition issues. Before joining INCOMPAS, Chris was an associate with LMI Advisors, advising clients in the satellite and wireless industries on regulatory issues related to experimental licensing and international market access. Earlier in his career, Chris completed a legal internship with Harris Corporation, a telecommunications equipment manufacturer, and served as the legal fellow for Rep. Anna Eshoo, the Ranking Member of the U.S. House Subcommittee on Communications and Technology. Chris graduated from the Columbus School of Law at The Catholic University of America with a Juris Doctor in 2013 and also earned a certification from the Institute for Communications Law Studies. After graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Notre Dame in 2000, Chris served for three administrations as a policy analyst and grant administrator at the Arizona Governor’s Office.
Gary Sidhu
Senior Vice President, Product Engineering
GTT
Gary Sidhu is the Senior Vice President of Product Engineering at GTT, where he oversees the development and delivery of innovative networking and security solutions. As the visionary behind the GTT’s Envision platform's DX, Edge, and Core components, Gary is driving GTT's commitment to providing cutting-edge network, security, and cloud managed services. With over 25 years of experience in the telecom industry, Gary has a proven track record of delivering scalable and reliable solutions for enterprise and public sector clients. His expertise in data engineering, automation, and digital transformation, combined with his passion for AI. Gary's current focus is on leveraging inferencing and agentic AI to enhance the observability of network and security events, ensuring that GTT's customers can proactively monitor and manage their IT environments.
Sarah Smith
Federal Program Officer, OICG
U.S. Department of Commerce, NTIA
Sarah Smith joined the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) in June 2022 as a broadband program specialist with NTIA's Office of Internet Connectivity and Growth. As a broadband program specialist, Sarah works to support both the Broadband, Equity, Access, and Deployment program and the Digital Equity Act program for both Colorado and Wyoming. In this role, she coordinates partnerships and outreach with state, local, tribal, and industry stakeholders to ensure that the goal of internet for all is achieved in her two states. Before joining the NTIA, Sarah was the Senior Manager of Broadband Programs for the State of Colorado in the Colorado Broadband Office (CBO) and focused on engagement and outreach, legislation and policy creation and management, federal funding, state broadband programs, digital equity, and closing the digital divide in the state. She was with the CBO for 6 years and started her career at the state with FirstNet Colorado, a project focused on providing broadband services to public safety. Sarah holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Colorado – Boulder and is a certified Project Manager. In 2022, Sarah was nominated for the Emerging Leaders of the Year award through the Colorado Technology Association.
Lindsay Stern
Attorney and Policy Manager
INCOMPAS
Lindsay Stern is an attorney and policy manager at INCOMPAS. Prior to joining INCOMPAS, Lindsay was a policy fellow at Public Knowledge, where she focused on issues of broadband deployment, affordability and net neutrality, and advocated for consumers at the FCC, FTC and Congress. During law school, Lindsay was a legal intern at the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee in the office of Sen. Richard Durbin, as well as at the Mid-Atlantic Innocence Project and Street Law, Inc. Lindsay graduated with Honors from The George Washington University Law School, where she was a member and published author of the Federal Circuit Bar Journal. Lindsay graduated magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa from Franklin & Marshall College, where she received her B.A. in Government. She also spent a semester studying at the University of Edinburgh. Lindsay is a member of the New York State and Washington D.C. Bars.
Sean Sullivan
Vice President, Product Management & Regulatory Affairs
MetTel
Sean Sullivan is vice president of Product Management and Regulatory Affairs at MetTel, a leading global provider of integrated digital communications solutions for enterprise customers. Prior to joining MetTel, Sean spent more than 20 years in executive positions at Verizon in product marketing, sales, operations and channel strategy. At Verizon, he helped drive strong business results while managing product development for the company’s $4 billion wholesale data services portfolio. He previously served as director of Systems & Infrastructure at Bell Atlantic and director of Resale Services with NYNEX. Sean earned a Bachelor’s degree in Business Management from Providence College and a Master of Science degree from Lesley University. Sean and his family live in the greater New York City area.
Eryn Taylor
Alliance Executive
Viaero Fiber
With a strong background in developing, managing, and delivering integrated customer, prospect, sales, and marketing solutions, Eryn has a wealth of experience in the field. Previously, Eryn held several high-level positions, including Operations Director, Business Development, and National Sales & Marketing Director for 910Telecom, a 130K square foot carrier-neutral telecom hotel, and data center, located in downtown Denver. Eryn's expertise includes devising monetization and marketing strategies for under monetized assets, as well as demonstrating skill in strategic sales and negotiations for companies such as LexisNexis, ClickData, Thomson Gale, Junior Achievement as well as working successfully with several technology start-ups. Eryn’s specialties include start-up strategy, telecommunications, carrier relations, data centers, communications, business development, strategic partnerships, solution selling, account management, leadership, economic development, data and asset management, risk mitigation, sales and marketing, as well as a very unique and creative out-of-the-box outreach process in connecting organizations and people for success.
Jeff Uphues
CEO
DC BLOX
Jeff Uphues leads DC BLOX, where he is responsible for setting and leading the company’s strategy, vision and execution in designing, building and operating a fabric of interconnected, highly secure, Tier III rated data centers across the Southeast. DC BLOX currently owns and operates data centers in five Southeast markets of which all have become the defacto Connectivity Exchanges within their respective market for agile, efficient, resilient cloud connectivity and best-in-class infrastructure for digital services. Jeff, a 30-year veteran in the information technology industry, is a tireless tech-savvy executive and business strategist having held C-suite leadership roles for Liquid Web, Cbeyond, Bandwidth, ACSI Network Technologies, MCI and WilTel. Jeff serves as an active board member in several technology firms. He is a graduate of the Harvard Business School, Rice University’s Jones School of Business Executive Education program in Finance and Accounting and completed his undergraduate studies at the University of Texas at Arlington.
Brian Wagner
Chief Strategy Officer
Visionary Broadband
Brian Wagner is the Chief Strategy Officer of Visionary Broadband. In addition to his role in overall corporate strategy and M&A activity, Brian oversees the organization’s Grants, GIS, and Regulatory departments. Prior to this role, Brian was the VP of Operations for a regional facilities-based CLEC and later, the President of Wagner Telecom Management – a consulting company specializing in aiding carriers, ISPs and municipalities with a variety of planning, technical, and regulatory issues. Brian has served on the Colorado Broadband Deployment Board for the past 7 years and has been a Board member of the Colorado Telecommunications Association since 2017. In addition, Brian has been an adjunct professor at the University of Denver’s Information and Communications Technology Program since 2011. He received his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of Denver and his Master of Business Administration from the Daniels College of Business at the University of Denver.
Adam Weiner
Vice President, Technology
Granite Telecommunications
Adam Weiner leads Granite’s product ideation and network design. He spearheads the creation of a cutting-edge communications platform, integrating circuit ordering and orchestration, streamlining technician dispatch and automating incident resolution. As an inventor, Adam developed an innovative AIOps device (U.S. Patent No. 11,962,458) that autonomously resolves local site issues, enhancing resiliency and uptime and delivering insights and analytics to business operators. Adam is an Ironman triathlete and finisher of the Boston Marathon and numerous other running races.
Scott Widham
Managing Director
Layer 7 Capital
Scott Widham brings 40 years of experience as an owner/operator of competitive telecom infrastructure companies. He has served as CEO of Broadwing, CoBridge and Alpheus, all Texas-based fiber businesses. Scott is highly focused on providing a quality customer service experience enabling fiber infrastructure to successfully compete against more established industry competitors. He earned a BBA from The University of Texas at Austin.
David Wuensch
Vice President, Sales and Marketing
Axcent Networks
David Wuensch joined Axcent Networks with 34 years of experience in sales & marketing, having lead sales teams for more than 13 years. He was consistently selected for high visibility special projects because of his expertise in breaking new ground and achieving results. Throughout his career, Wuensch has built a reputation for innovative strategic thinking, problem solving and ability to provide focus. He leveraged his key talents at Siecor Optical Cable (now Corning Cable Systems), Fujitsu Network Communications, TrustPoint Management Group and MRV Optical Communications Systems. Wuensch earned a Bachelor of Science degree at the United States Military Academy, West Point, N.Y., after which he served as an Artillery Officer with the 1st Armored Division in Zirndorf, Germany, and with the 101st Airborne (Air Assault) Division at Ft. Campbell, Ky.