CompTel Elects 2003 Board

Posted: 4/2003

CompTel Elects 2003 Board

CompTel's board of directors unanimously re-elected Richard E. Burk, president and CEO of nii Communications Inc., to be the association's chairman for 2003.

"I am honored to be re-elected chairman of CompTel," said Burk. "Over the past year we have actively fought the gang of four [referring to the Bells] to ensure and preserve competition in telecommunications industry. We have a lot of work ahead of us and I look forward to leading the association through the challenging policy issues we face this year."

Burk has been a member of CompTel since 1986. In 2001, he served as vice chairman and treasurer. He served on the executive committee from 2000 through 2002, and will continue in 2003.

Burk is one of six board members elected to represent small companies with revenue of less than $25 million on CompTel's 18-member board. The board also includes six seats each for medium companies with revenue between $25 million and $250 million and large companies with revenue of more than $250 million.

Jerry James, president of medium company member Grande Communications Inc. and a former CompTel chairman, was re-elected to be the association's vice chairman. Joseph Ambersley, executive vice president of business development for medium company member PaeTec Communications Inc., was re-elected vice chairman and treasurer.

An AT&T Corp. executive was elected to CompTel's board for the first time in CompTel's 22-year history. Barbara Peda, senior vice president of business services for AT&T, will be its representative.

Susan Jin Davis, vice president of government and external affairs, Covad Communications Co., and Rob Curtis, president, Z-Tel Network Services, also are new additions to the large company category. They are not new to the board, however, both having served as medium company representatives in 2002.

Re-elected directors in the large company category include Drew Walker, president and COO, ITC^DeltaCom Inc.; Frank Semple, COO, WilTel Communications; and Richard Fruchterman III, vice president of government relations, WorldCom Inc.

Neil Flynn, president of FPL Fibernet, and Jerry Easom, vice president of policy and industry relations, VeriSign Inc., as well as James and Ambersley, were re-elected to represent medium companies. Dan Moffat, president and CEO, New Edge Networks Inc., and Jim Falvey, senior vice president of regulatory affairs, Xspedius Management Company, are new to the category. Moffat and Falvey served on the 2002 board representing small and large companies, respectively.

In addition to Chairman Burk, Pete Manias, senior vice president of carrier relations and regulatory affairs, El Paso Global Networks, and David Malfara, president and CEO, Remi Communications, were re-elected representing small companies. EPIK Communications also retained its seat with company President Joe Stockwell assuming the post held in 2002 by Michelle Westich, senior vice president of sales and marketing. New directors in the category are Lynn Refer, CEO, Looking Glass Networks Inc., and David Kelley, president, PPL Telcom LLC.

CompTel's newly elected board named Walker, Fruchterman, Curtis and Malfara along with officers Burk, Ambersley and James to form its seven-member executive committee.

Directors representing large company members are (standing, from left to right) Rob Curtis, Drew Walker, (seated, from left to right) Frank Semple, Susan Jin Davis and Richard Fruchterman III. Barbara Peda is not pictured.

Directors representing medium company members are (standing, from left to right) Jerry Easom, Vice Chairman Jerry James, Neil Flynn, (seated, from left to right) Jim Falvey, Dan Moffat and Vice Chairman/Treasurer Joe Ambersley.

Directors representing small company members are (standing, from left to right) Pete Manias, Joe Stockwell, David Kelley, Lynn Refer, (seated, from left to right) Chairman Richard E. Burk and David Malfara.