MODERATORS & PANELISTS


Conference Chair

Tim Sanders , President and CEO, The Final Mile Inc.

Tim Sanders comes from the broadband wireless side of the tower industry. His first job in 1999 was to negotiate tower and rooftop contracts in new cities for a broadband wireless carrier. Later he held the General Manager's position of that company, which became a multi-state fixed wireless ISP that was successfully sold in a rollup. He led the company into its first out-of-state expansion. More recently Tim has worked as a consultant, author, and analyst to the broadband wireless industry for vendors, carriers, and associations. Tim focuses on the business case side of broadband wireless and helps clients build business plans, financial models, and value assets and perform product management and project coordination and development. Prior to the wireless business, Tim was Director of Technical Operations for a software consulting firm specializing in digital imaging and software products to the auto body industry. His teams served over 8,000 partner customers in less than a two-year period. Tim studied Mechanical Engineering and is a frequent speaker and author in the broadband wireless industry.


Moderators

Bud E. Baab, Jr., CEO, SiteMaster Inc.

Mr. Baab is a proven CEO of 27 years, and the entrepreneur/founder of three companies that have been providing site solutions to the wireless industry in North and South America for the past 17 years. Since 1997 Mr. Baab has focused his energies on making SiteMaster, a technology-driven asset management and customer service organization, to the national leader it is today. He has a passion for developing emerging leaders and building strong project management teams that focus on providing pristine customer service. Mr. Baab has led teams of up to two hundred members to great successes. He is an OSU graduate with a BS in Business and is often invited to share his insights during tradeshows and conferences throughout the year.
Rich Berliner, President, CEO & Chairman, BCI Inc.

Rich Berliner's career in the telecommunications industry spans over 25 years and includes a number of leadership positions. As founder of Berliner Communications Inc. (BCI) in 1995, he helped to create a powerful service organization that focuses on achieving the highest possible degree of customer satisfaction. Under Berliner's leadership, Berliner Communications has evolved into a powerful organization that provides integrated services and turnkey business solutions to wireless telecommunication carriers. Prior to founding the company, Berliner was Executive VP of Communications Development Systems from 1992 to 1994. In this capacity he was directly responsible for managing sales, marketing, and customer activities for construction services to cellular carriers. Prior to his tenure with Communications Development Systems, he held multiple senior executive positions including VP of Sales with AAT and with Drive Phone. His expertise includes developing marketing strategies, setting operational priorities, and delivering beyond customer expectations.
Patrick Donegan, Senior Analyst, Heavy Reading

Patrick is among the world's leading independent experts in backhaul network issues. His first Heavy Reading report, "Backhaul Strategies for Mobile Operators," was published in March 2006, encompassing extensive research on multiple leading mobile operators and equipment vendors. Donegan has 15 years of experience in the mobile communications and wider telecom market. He joined Heavy Reading from Nortel Networks in January 2006. At Nortel he spent five years as a senior manager of strategic planning for the company's wireless business, spanning GSM, CDMA, UMTS, WiMax, and other wireless technologies. Prior to Nortel, Donegan spent two years in business research for Motorola's Corporate Strategy Office in EMEA and two years as a wireless analyst for the Yankee Group. He made his early career as a telecom magazine journalist and editor, serving as deputy editor of Public Network Europe from 1990-1995 and editor of Mobile Communications International from 1995-1997.
William MacNamara, Vice President, Agility Ventures LLC

Bill directs Agility Ventures' sales and marketing activities. He has an extensive history in developing new companies and expanding the sales and profits of existing corporations. He was instrumental in setting into motion the first equipment leasing company catering exclusively to Wireless Internet Service Providers (WISPs). Agility Solutions managed a successful $13 million equipment leasing fund, which was closed in December of 2007. Agility Ventures and Fund II have been created to provide additional funding, continuing to support the needs of this expanding industry. Fund II is expected to be in the $40 million to $50 million range. Bill has launched two WISPs. He was instrumental in the setup and design of both broadband wireless systems and is intimately familiar with line-of-sight wireless services delivery and with the complete ramp-up of wireless in a new city. As a consultant he specializes in business plan development, financial projections, and market positioning.
William J. Sill, Partner, Wilkinson, Barker, Knauer LLP

Mr. Sill has extensive experience in both government service and private practice. Over a four-year period, he worked in the Common Carrier and Mass Media Bureaus of the Federal Communications Commission. Since entering private practice, he has established himself as an expert in the field of wireless communications and has over 20 years of experience in tower siting issues. He chairs Wilkinson Barker Knauer's Tower Group. Mr. Sill represents tower companies, telecommunications carriers and industry associations on a wide variety of tower issues including NEPA issues, historic issues, and migratory bird issues. Martindale Hubbell has recognized his accomplishments by awarding Mr. Sill an AV rating, which is the highest rating awarded to an attorney. He received his BS and JD degrees from Temple University and is a member of the District of Columbia, the Pennsylvania, the American, and the Federal Communications Bar Associations.
Michael Tattersall, CEO, Stratsoft LLC

Michael works with investment groups and Fortune 500 and pre-IPO companies within telecommunications and broadcast communications. Stratsoft is a management consultancy that concentrates on analyzing and modeling geoeconomic business initiatives where geography is an important part of the economic equation. The firm develops data-driven systems for planning and decision/support. It applies Business Ecosystem, Scenario Planning, and Systems Thinking by using database and advanced mapping software systems to visualize and interpret complex market data. Stratsoft is an active advisor and analyst for all types of commercial and residential communications such as ‘Last Mile' broadband access, backhaul networks, and all types of fixed and mobile wireless services. Michael started as a Merchant Banker in London before co-founding a technology consultancy in the U.K., then became Managing Director of a boutique management consultancy in the U.S., before founding Stratsoft. He makes his home with his wife and two children outside Boston.
Scott Thompson, Partner, Davis Wright Tremaine LLP

Scott Thompson is a partner in the Washington office of the national law firm, Davis Wright Tremaine. Scott's practice focuses in large part on representing wireless, cable, and telecommunications providers in their dealings with local authorities. For the past several years, Scott has represented DAS providers in all aspects of the deployment of facilities in states and communities around the country. He has successfully negotiated with dozens of communities to obtain access to local rights-of-way for DAS deployments. In addition, he has obtained state regulatory certificates for DAS providers in over 20 states and negotiated pole attachment agreements with utility companies for wireless and DAS deployments. Scott has litigated several cases specifically dealing with the rights of DAS providers to access public rights-of-way, most recently obtaining a preliminary injunction allowing NextG Networks to work in public rights-of-way in Los Angeles County without being subject to the County's wireless zoning requirements.


Panelists

Terry Armant, Senior VP Development, Global Tower Partners

Mr. Armant oversees all leasing and new site development activities for the company. With 23 years of experience in the wireless industry, he was previously Senior Vice President for Deployment at SpectraSite Communications and prior to that was Director of System Development of the Northeast for AT&T Wireless, formerly McCaw Cellular.
Kurt Bagwell, SVP & CFO, SBA Communications Corp.

Kurt Bagwell has over 18 years of experience in the wireless industry. He joined SBA in February 2001 after an 11-year career at Sprint PCS and its predecessor cellular companies. While at Sprint, Mr. Bagwell was initially responsible for the buildout and launch of the eastern half of the U.S.; he then managed the deployment effort for the company nationwide. His current responsibilities at SBA include the day-to-day management of the company's tower portfolio, the managed site portfolio, the site development services division, and the new tower development efforts.
Mike Ballard, Chairman & CEO, 1Velocity

1Velocity is one of the nation's first wireless local exchange carriers, deploying true Ethernet metro networks. It is the fastest local exchange network in the country, with the ability to deliver speeds ranging from 8 Mbit/s to 1.25 Gbit/s. Mike brings more than 20 years of experience in information technology and communications industries to 1Velocity. Prior to joining 1Velocity, he was CFO of Switch Communications Group, a leading collocation company. He helped Switch and three related companies grow from five to more than 30 employees and revenues grow seven-fold in less than three years. Mike led the recapitalization of the company and managed the development of the first S+S, Tier 4 Data Center in Nevada. Prior to Switch, he was COO of Systems Research & Development, where he helped grow revenues six-fold and the staff by 300 percent. The company was acquired by IBM in January 2005.
Ken Biba, Founder & CTO, Novarum

Ken has over 30 years experience in the network information systems industry, a unique background of general management with a strong product and marketing focus in network systems and information security. He was an early engineer of the Internet in 1975. He has co-founded and managed four notable networking companies: Sytek, which was focused on cable TV-based local and metropolitan data networks; Agilis, which was focused on wireless handheld computers; Xircom, which developed local area network client products for mobile computing; and Vivato, which was focused on scaling WiFi infrastructure to cover campuses and metropolitan areas. Ken's perspective as CEO, board member of public and private companies, and as a technologist brings unique insight to the business, market, and technology of bringing useful wireless solutions to users. He has a BS in Physics (Magna Cum Laude, Tau Beta Pi) and an MS in Computer Science from Case Western Reserve University.
Vanu Bose, President and CEO, Vanu Inc.

Vanu Bose leads Vanu Inc., which produces the Anywave Multi-Mode Base Station, the first wireless device to be FCC approved as a software-defined radio. Vanu Inc. evolved from the software radio research Mr. Bose did as a graduate student at MIT, working on the SpectrumWare project at the MIT lab for Computer Science. The company has received several honors and awards, including being named one of IEEE Spectrum magazine's top five technology winners – and IEEE's only selection for the Wireless industry. In 2004, Mr. Bose was named a Technology Pioneer by the World Economic Forum. He currently serves as a member of the Board of Trustees for the Boston Museum of Science.
Jeff Brown, VP Carrier Services, Suddenlink Communications

Responsible for managing all carrier relationships for the nation’s seventh largest MSO, including development of TDM/Ethernet cell backhaul solutions for wireless providers and tower managers, Jeff has over 20 years of experience in the telecommunications industry. Prior to joining Suddenlink, he spent 11 years with Sprint, most recently serving as the Regional Vice President of Sales for Sprint Wholesale. Prior to that he served in a variety of management positions with MCI. He has a BS from The University of Texas at Austin and a Masters in MIS from the University of Texas at Dallas.
Thomas Christensen, Project Manager, Black & Veatch

Mr. Christensen is a Project Manager with Black & Veatch. He is a licensed professional engineer and a licensed Q.P. general building contractor in Florida and New Mexico. He has designed towers and foundations, telecommunications sites, roads, and power related facilities. After several years in design Mr. Christensen moved to international and domestic construction management and then to project management. He has worked in project development, RF development, site acquisition, training, testing, design and implementation. Mr. Christensen currently works in Black & Veatch’s Pune, India office with the international telecommunications engineering and design team.
Mike Cooper, Manager of Infrastructure Rights & Permitting, Lightower

Mike is the Manager of Infrastructure Rights & Permitting for Lightower. He is responsible for establishing and executing the company’s strategy of acquiring the necessary approvals to deploy DAS networks throughout the country. Mike also provides technical and regulatory guidance to the company in matters relating to zoning and pole attachments. Before joining Lightower, Mike worked for a leading electric distribution company in several capacities, including directing the day-to-day operations of the company’s unregulated telecommunications subsidiary. Mike holds a BS in Electrical Engineering from Northeastern University.
Christine M. Crowe, Wilkinson Barker Knauer, LLP

Christine Crowe represents wireless and wireline telecommunications carriers and advises clients about mergers and acquisitions, asset sale deals, spectrum leasing, and inter-carrier agreements. She counsels companies on the FCC's anti-collusion rule, auction procedures, and the complex designated entity rules, and has advised small businesses and investors about formation of DE structures and acquisition and sale of spectrum. She also provides counsel on licensing and regulatory compliance matters, participating in initial and renewal licensing proceedings. Ms. Crowe counsels underwriters, financial institutions, private investment funds, and venture capitalists about public and private debt and equity offerings, traditional financing arrangements, and private investments. She serves as a Co-Chair of the Federal Communications Bar Association's Transactional Practice Committee.
Scott Forssell, Project Manager, US Bureau of Land Management

Scott has served as the national Project Manager for communication sites in the U.S. Bureau of Land Management for the last three years. Prior to that, he worked in three BLM offices in the Western U.S. and was a field realty specialist for 18 years. His duties include coordinating the BLM communication site program and visiting BLM field offices to assist them in preparing commsite management plans.
R. Clayton Funk, Managing Director, Media Venture Partners, LLC

Clayton joined MVP in 2004 after spending more than seven years with a Kansas City-based investment banking firm specializing in various areas of telecommunications, media, and publishing. While at his previous firm, he was responsible for developing the its presence in the wireless tower and Yellow Pages publisher industries. Since 1997, he has personally closed over 55 tower deals encompassing all kinds of transactions including sale/leasebacks for various wireless carriers, build-to-suits, and sales involving broadcast tower sites. Clayton has been a featured speaker at various industry conferences and is a guest columnist for industry trade journals including AGL. He holds a Bachelors of Arts in Communications from Washburn University, has been honored as an Alumni Fellow, and graduated cum laude.
Dr. Joelle Gehring, Senior Conservation Scientist, Zoology Section, Michigan Natural Features Inventory

Dr. Gehring designed and oversees a multi-year study of the variables associated with bird collisions at communication towers. Research results will provide information on methods to reduce such collisions. She collaborates with the Michigan State Police, Michigan’s Office of the Attorney General, Michigan Department of Natural Resources, United States Fish and Wildlife Service, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, United States Forest Service, the FAA, and the FCC. Dr. Gehring is the facilitator for Solving the Avian-Tower Interaction Committee (STATIC), a collaboration of tower industry representatives and environmental groups working to reach resolution on the issue of avian collisions with communication towers. She completed her PhD in Wildlife Ecology at Purdue University in 2003. Her research focused on the flight patterns and behavior of Red-tailed Hawks with direct implications and application to reducing bird-aircraft collisions. Dr. Gehring is also Adjunct Faculty in the Biology Department at Central Michigan University.
Arthur Giftakis, Vice President of Engineering and Operations, Towerstream

Mr. Giftakis currently serves as the Vice President of Engineering and Operations at Towerstream. Formerly, he was Director of Engineering at Sockeye Networks, a BGP optimization company that was acquired by Internap. Prior to joining Sockeye, he was a Director at Navisite and Digital Broadband Communications. Mr. Giftakis spent 10 years with Bell Atlantic and has spoken in several forums on the future of telecommunications with fixed wireless. He has over 15 years of experience with advanced solutions in telecommunications. He started his career with New England Telephone.
Todd Graetz, Chief Executive Officer, Cutthroat Communications (a TransAria Company)

Mr. Graetz has more than 11 years of experience with the deployment and management of a wide range of broadband technologies and wireless telecommunications systems including broadcast, LMR, wireless local loop, and satellite systems. He was a founder and Chief Operating Officer of Interlink Corp. of Las Vegas, which specialized in encrypted, landline-based data for highly sensitive traffic. Foreseeing the need for "land-line bypass" to move high rates of data on an economical basis, he later co-founded NSN Wireless. Founded to serve the metro areas of Las Vegas, Dallas, and Houston, NSN was one of the nation's first IP wireless data transmission providers. In recent years, Mr. Graetz provided consulting and management services to wireless and fiber optic companies in the U.K. and in the Caribbean. He joined Cutthroat Communications in 2002 and has previously held the positions of VP of Network Operations and Chief Technology Officer.
Allan Greenberg, Vice President of Sales, Plug Power Inc.

Dr. Allan Greenberg joined Plug Power as Vice President of Sales in November 2006. He is responsible for leading the strategies, initiatives, and functions of all sales-related activities that support and direct the selling of the company's products and services worldwide. He also provides leadership to regional sales teams in support of business partner channels and direct sales operations. Dr. Greenberg holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the State University of New York at Buffalo and a PhD from Purdue University.
William J. Hackett, Manager of Federal Regulatory Compliance, T-Mobile USA

Working out of the Company’s Washington, D.C., office, Mr. Hackett is a key member of a team responsible for insuring T-Mobile’s compliance with Federal regulations, primarily those of the Federal Communications Commission, the Federal Aviation Administration, and the Environmental Protection Agency. Prior to working for T-Mobile, he was employed as Director of Regulatory Compliance for Western Wireless Corp. from 1998 to 2006 (Western merged into Alltel Corp. in August 2005) and as Operations and Paralegal Manager for the Washington, D.C., communications law firm of Gurman, Blask & Freedman, chartered from 1994 to 1998. Mr. Hackett holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Telecommunications from The Pennsylvania State University.
Nyhl Henson, President, CEO & Chairman of the Board, Broadspot World Wide Wireless

Broadspot began with the acquisition of locally branded dialup ISPs in underserved broadband markets, proceeded to the rollout of a fixed wireless broadband network, and concluded with the emergence of a national broadband media distribution company. Mr. Henson was instrumental in the launch of Warner Cable's Qube project in Columbus, the world's first commercial interactive TV service. He next played a key role in the conversion of Warner Communications' Star Channel into a satellite-delivered service. He was a co-creator of Nickelodeon TV and a key contributor to the development of MTV. After leaving Warner, Mr. Henson became VP of programming and production with Oak Media Development, where he pioneered the pay-per-view genre. After the technical sector market crash in 2000, he assumed control of ailing Internet Ventures Inc., guiding the company through the successful completion of a three-fiscal-year audit and the subsequent move from the Pink Sheets to the OTCBB.
Christopher C. King, Principal, Telecommunications and Cable Services, Stifel Nicolaus

Mr. King's primary research areas include ILECs, wireless, and cable services firms. His current coverage universe consists of rural local exchange carriers and regional Bell operating companies, in addition to a focus on Latin American and national independent wireless carriers. He joined the Legg Mason Telecommunications Equity Research team in January 2001. He was an equities trader and fixed-income analyst with Wachovia Bank and Allfirst Bank, and for five years prior to joining Legg Mason/Stifel, was a financial analyst with Allfirst in the company's Brokerage and Capital Markets Groups. Mr. King's most recent professional awards include: #7 Best U.S.-based Equity Research Analyst for Earnings Accuracy among over 3,400 sell-side analysts as ranked by StarMine/Forbes Magazine and #1 in Diversified Telecommunications Industry sector (2007); #4 Wall Street Journal All-Star analyst for Stock-Picking Accuracy in Wireless Telecommunications (2007); Top 5 StarMine Award Winner for Earnings Accuracy in Wireline Telecommunications (2006).
Jason Lazar, VP Corporate Development & General Counsel, KeyOn Communications Inc.

Mr. Lazar is responsible for KeyOn's corporate development initiatives, including mergers and acquisitions, strategic partnerships, spectrum development, and financings. He also serves as the company’s General Counsel. One of the company's founders, he was the Director of Corporate Development from March 2002 to June 2006 and has served in his current roles since June 2006. From May 2000 through March 2002, Mr. Lazar served as a director of ITU Ventures, a leading early-stage venture capital firm with more than $75 million under management. He holds a BA from Lehigh University and a JD from the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law at Yeshiva University.
Dexter K. Lee, Senior Director, Engineering Services, LCC International, Inc.

Dexter has P&L responsibility for LCC's broadband engineering services practice, which provides technical consulting, design, and optimization for some of the largest WiMAX network deployments today. With over 13 years of experience at LCC, he was deeply involved in some of the earliest iDEN, 2-way paging, LMDS, and 1st and 2nd generation OFDM-based technologies. He has performed technical consulting and supported business case development for a number venture capital firms and wireless startup companies, and has held a number of management roles within LCC's engineering services organization. Dexter received his BS in electrical engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and MS in engineering management from The George Washington University.
Mirela Marku, Director of Engineering, Emerging Technology, General Dynamics Wireless Services

Mirela Marku is Director of Engineering at General Dynamics Wireless Services, where she manages the Radio Frequency (RF) Engineering Department through the implementation life cycle for the design and optimization of wireless networks. She co-founded several technology start-ups in the U.S. and Europe, focusing on wireless and wireless security software. Prior to joining General Dynamics, Mirela worked as a technical consultant for several U.S. and European wireless carriers. She holds an MBA from MIT Sloan School of Management and earned her MS and BS degrees in electrical engineering from Polytechnic University of Tirana, Albania.
Nicole Mason, Director of Government Relations, NextG Networks

Nicole Mason has served in her current post since October 2004. She is an attorney and handles regulatory and legal matters for NextG as well. Prior to joining NextG, she was Senior Counsel with Sun Microsystems from 2000 to 2004. There she provided legal services for global sales and marketing and advised Sun on various regulatory matters. She also served in a general counsel capacity for Sun subsidiaries in Australia and New Zealand from June 2002 to October 2004. Ms. Mason served as legal counsel for a wireless telecommunications company prior to joining Sun Microsystems and was a pioneer in acquiring rights to install infrastructure in public rights of way. She has also practiced at private law firms in the areas of business and real estate litigation, as well as corporate transactions. She received her law degree at the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana.
Jackie McCarthy, Director of Government Affairs, PCIA/The Wireless Infrastructure Association and The DAS Forum

Jackie is responsible for pursuing the advocacy goals of PCIA, a nationwide non-profit trade association focused on wireless infrastructure issues, and of The DAS Forum, the trade association responsible for advocating for the unique regulatory and legislative issues raised by the advent of distributed antenna systems. She engages with federal, state, and local policy makers to articulate the critical importance of wireless infrastructure to reliable communications, public safety, and economic development and works with member organizations (including wireless carriers and site owners) to identify regulatory and legislative issues and opportunities. Prior to joining PCIA in 2007, Jackie was a managing director at Network Building & Consulting, a Maryland-based provider of external affairs, site development, and public relations strategies to the wireless industry. She was also an associate in the Baltimore office of Venable LLP. She is a Steering Committee member of the Women’s Wireless Leadership Forum.
Darrin M. Mylet, Vice President, Cantor Fitzgerald Spectrum Exchange

Mr. Mylet joined Cantor Fitzgerald in 2003 to expand the firm’s trading technologies and business objectives, relative to wireless. His contributions have helped the business expand, cut start-up costs 90%, and led his team on the development of mobile applications for Microsoft, RIMM, Symbian, Palm, and Java. Globally, Darrin works facilitating the management and trading of radio frequency rights and tower assets. Prior to joining Cantor-Fitzgerald, he was with Radiant Networks, a U.K.-based pioneer of "physical mesh" broadband wireless equipment vending, where he was VP Sales & Marketing – Americas from 2000 to 2003. Previously, Mr. Mylet was an executive at MFS/Worldcom/MCI and worked for GTE Corporation (now Verizon). In October 2006, he was named to the White House-led Department of Commerce Spectrum Policy Task Force.
Nash Neyland, General Counsel, Cavalier Wireless LLC

Nash Neyland is Of Counsel with Wells, Moore, Simmons & Hubbard where he focuses on mergers and acquisitions, corporate finance, securities, and commercial transactions. Prior to joining the firm in 2005, Mr. Neyland was the Manager of Cavalier Group, the second-largest holder of Lower 700 MHz Licenses auctioned by the FCC in 2002 and 2003. Mr. Neyland participated in the formation of the 700 MHz Coalition, served on its board, and spoke at telecom conferences regarding the 700 MHz band. He was also active in lobbying efforts in Washington. Mr. Neyland is outside counsel to Cavalier Wireless, which is the winning bidder on 35 markets in the FCC 700 MHz auction and also holds 29 AWS licenses.
Monica Paolini, Founder & President, Senza Fili Consulting

Senza Fili Consulting provides advisory support on wireless data technologies and services. We assist vendors in gaining a better understanding of the service provider and end-user markets. We work alongside service providers in developing wireless data strategis and in assessing the demand for wireless services. At Senza Fili we have in-depth expertise in financial modeling, market forecasts and research, business plan support, due diligence, white paper preparation, training, and evaluation of end-user requirements. Our clients are international and include fixed and mobile operators, ISPs, wireless ISPs, other service providers, vendors, solution providers, system integrators, investors, and industry associations. Prior to Senza Fili Consulting, Monica worked at Analysys Consulting, where she advised a wide range of telecommunication clients. She has a PhD in Cognitive Science from the University of California, San Diego, an MBA from the University of Oxford, and a BA/MA in Philosophy from the University of Bologna.
Richard Parker, Technical Marketing Director, Cellvine Ltd.

With 36 years in the communications industry, Richard Parker is currently the Technical Marketing Director of Cellvine Ltd., a leading-edge designer and manufacturer of wireless signal coverage expansion products. Prior to joining Cellvine, Richard was founder and President of Coverage Solutions Corp., marketing in-building and macro signal enhancement products manufactured in emerging technology countries. CSC also engineered in-building radio coverage systems. In the 1980s, he established a company in Dundee, Scotland, manufacturing a variety of subsystems for the fledgling cellular base-station operations of Nokia, Ericsson, and Siemens. Richard holds an EE degree from New York University.
George Pedersen, Business Development Manager, BTECH

During his long career George Pedersen has been actively involved in the design, installation, and operation of both communications and secure power systems. Back in the early '80s he spent over six years working on communications projects in Saudi Arabia, the last two of which were as the Deputy Chief Engineer of Saudi Telex, responsible for day-to-day operations of the Telex network. Since moving full time to the U.S. in 1987 he has been involved in all aspects of secure power for essential services, including a period in 1998 when he returned to England to be the Director of Engineering at Advance Power, a manufacturer of power supplies and power systems for the communications industry. Mr. Pedersen is currently the Business Development Manager at BTECH, a manufacturer of battery monitoring systems for critical power applications.
Richard H. Prentiss Jr., Director of Telecommunications Services Research, Raymond James & Associates

Ric Prentiss is the head of telecommunication services equity research at Raymond James & Associates. Prior to becoming a Wall Street analyst in 1996, he spent 17 years as an executive in the telecommunications industry working for BellSouth and Southern Bell in engineering, corporate finance, financial management, and international business planning and operations, mergers and acquisitions, and investor relations. His experience includes cellular, personal communications services (PCS), paging, wireline telephone, satellite communications, cable television, and an expatriate assignment in Germany. He has earned a number of professional accolades as a Wall Street analyst, including being named in the 2005 and 2006 Wall Street Journal Best on the Street analyst survey, and recognized as the top stock-picker in his sector for 2004 and 2005 in the Forbes Best Analyst survey. Mr. Prentiss earned his BSEE from the University of Florida and his MBA from the University of Miami.
Daniel E. Rebeor, Director, National Real Estate, Cricket Communications Inc.

As Director, National Real Estate, Dan is responsible for all facets of Cricket’s real estate activities including tower and DAS vendor management, property management, facilities, and broker relations. Prior to this role, he served in a number of operational and business development roles at American Tower Corp. and SpectraSite Communications, serving most recently as the Director of Real Estate for the Building Solutions Group. Before entering the telecommunications field, Dan was in-house counsel for two regional title insurance underwriters and practiced law in Ohio. A frequent speaker at industry seminars, he is the former chairman of PCIA's Zoning Committee.
Terry Reid, Communication Site Management Specialist, Forest Service, Washington Office Lands Staff

Terry currently serves as the national program lead for communication site management for the USDA, Forest Service. His responsibilities include writing national policy for communication site management and preparing communication site plans. He provides interpretation to the field for federal laws, regulations, and policy. Past duties included 17 years in Alaska as special uses program manager for all types of land uses. During the past five years Terry has served as instructor at the BLM National Training Center, teaching communication site management to public and private sector participants.
Robert L. Ritter, Attorney, Crown Castle

Mr. Ritter's duties include primary legal responsibility for Crown Castle's distributed antenna system (DAS) business. Before joining Crown Castle, he was in private practice as a telecommunications attorney and business consultant. He began his wireless industry career at Nextel Communications, where over more than seven years he held several positions of increasing responsibility, including Director of Corporate Strategy, and Director of Public Sector Business Development. Mr. Ritter also served from 2002-2006 as Vice President and Executive Director of The PSAP Readiness Fund, an independent charity providing grants to the public safety community. He received both his Law degree and a Master's degree in American Government from the University of Virginia, and a Bachelor's degree in political science, magna cum laude, from Bucknell University.
Paul Roberts, Vice President, Compliance, American Tower Corporation

Paul Roberts was named Vice President of Compliance for American Tower Corporation in July 2006, previously serving as Director of Environmental Safety & Health and as Director of Administration for Spectrasite Communications. Prior to entering the telecommunications sector, Mr. Roberts was senior partner in the law firm Monaco & Roberts, serving clients in business law and contracts. He has also held key positions such as Chief Information Officer for the North Carolina Department of Transportation, Director of Aircraft Development Quality Operations for Grumman Aerospace Corp., and Manager of Safety Operations for the Space Shuttle Launch Pads at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Roberts began his career in the U.S. Air Force. Mr. Roberts received a BS in Business Management from the University of Laverne, Calif., an MBA from the Florida Institute of Technology in Melbourne, Fla., and a JD from North Carolina Central University in Durham, N.C.
Jarred Saba, Vice President, Tower Lending and National Finance Group

Mr. Saba is currently the Vice President of the Tower Lending Group and the National Finance Group of Wireless Capital Partners, where he is in charge of all tower loan originations in the United States. He is a repeat panelist at the CTIA and PCIA telecom tower conventions and is a published author in Above Ground Level magazine. Prior to joining Wireless Capital Partners in 2001, Mr. Saba worked for First Commercial Corporation in the Distressed Debt Acquisition Group. He earned his BA in finance from the University of Southern California and received his law degree and MBA from the University of San Diego. He is a licensed attorney and broker in California.
Bill Shank, Vice President of North American Sales, IdaTech

As a 26-year sales veteran of the telecommunications industry, Mr. Shank has accountability for the North American promotion of IdaTech's secure, highly reliable, backup power solutions to wireline and wireless telecommunications carriers, government agencies, airlines, railroads, utility companies, and other enterprises desiring to protect mission-critical sites from power outages. He was previously Vice President of Global Sales for fuel cell company ReliOn, and prior to that was the VP of Sales and Marketing for Paceon, a fiber optic access division of Mitsubishi Electric Corp. offering passive optical network systems to North American service providers. Mr. Shank's International experience comes from his term as Director of Global Sales for Tekelec's SS7 and wireless diagnostic division. His diverse background includes sales management positions at Vertel (network management), Hitachi (ATM and Sonet systems), and Nortel (digital switching). A graduate of Southern Illinois University, he served 10 years in the U. S. Navy.
James H. Sinnott, Chief Executive Officer, Berlin Atlantic Capital US

James Sinnott oversees all of Berlin Atlantic's U.S. operating companies, including BAC Structured Life Group, BAC Infrastructure Management & Development, and BAC Communications Infrastructure Group. Prior to joining BAC, he practiced law at several prestigious U.S. law firms, with a focus on corporate finance, mergers and acquisitions, strategic alliances, public and private debt and equity offerings, and SEC reporting for clients in the insurance, financial services, telecommunications, REIT, and real estate industries. During that time, he was primary counsel in numerous public offerings (including several IPOs) and private offerings of securities – serving as issuer's counsel in securities offerings in excess of $2 billion over the last several years of his practice.
Scott R. Steiding, Vice President, Business Development, Morrison Hershfield

Scott R. Steiding began his career in the telecommunications industry in 1997 at Western Wireless. Over the last 10 years he has worked throughout the U.S., Austria, Germany, Switzerland, and Canada on various telecommunication project deployments. He has served three times as the first in-market manager for the deployment of wireless networks. Mr. Steiding joined Morrison Hershfield in 2001 as a project manager on a program deploying fiber and wireless telecommunications facilities in the most rural parts of Alberta, many requiring unique power solutions. This program earned provincial and national awards for innovation and project management. He quickly rose through the ranks, subsequently being asked to become a Principal and now holds the position of Vice President.
Jeffrey S. Steinberg, Deputy Chief, Spectrum & Competition Policy Division, Federal Communications Commission

Jeffrey Steinberg has been Deputy Chief of the FCC’s Spectrum and Competition Policy Division and its predecessor, the Commercial Wireless Division, since June 1999. One of his principal responsibilities has been management of the Wireless Telecommunications Bureau's work on infrastructure deployment. Among his principal achievements in this position are the Nationwide Programmatic Agreement Regarding the Section 106 National Historic Preservation Act Review Process, the Notice of Inquiry regarding the Effect of Communications Towers on Migratory Birds, and the Local Official's Guide to Transmitting Antenna RF Emission Safety, jointly produced by the FCC and its Local and State Government Advisory Committee. Mr. Steinberg previously held several positions in the Wireless Telecommunications Bureau and in the former Cable Services Bureau. Before joining the Commission, he was an associate in the Washington office of Sidley & Austin and was a clerk for Judge Stephen Breyer on the U.S. Court of Appeals in Boston.
John A. Storch, VP Network Deployment, Clearwire

Mr. Storch is responsible for building and deploying Clearwire’s advanced wireless networks, designed to deliver true wireless broadband performance in a mobile environment. Since joining the company in July 2004, he has directed the expansion of Clearwire’s network footprint to more than 50 domestic and international markets. Additionally, he manages Clearwire’s public safety and municipal wireless activities. A wireless industry veteran with domestic and international network deployment experience, he has served in advanced technology and key engineering management roles with Western Wireless, Nextel, PacTel Cellular, and GTE Mobilnet. In addition to network deployments in the U.S. for these firms, Storch developed networks in Seoul, S. Korea, and southern Germany, deploying a variety of wireless technologies including two-way radio, point-to-point microwave, wireless data and paging, cellular-class services (GSM, CDMA, TDMA, iDEN), and advanced deployment techniques such as fiber optic fed distributed antenna systems in the late 80s.
Martin Travers, President, Telecommunications Division, Black & Veatch

Black & Veatch is a consulting, engineering, procurement, and construction services business focused on the deployment of wireless and wireline networks, satellite terrestrial repeater networks, and utility communications. Mr. Travers has an extensive background in the engineering and construction of infrastructure facilities. With over 25 years experience in projects such as electric power generating stations, transmission lines, substations, and telecommunications networks, he has a thorough understanding of the key issues that influence successful project development, deployment, and performance.
Jeff White, President, Hatteras Networks

Mr. White has over 20 years experience in both building and investing in early-stage companies. His last four companies all had successful exits. Most recently, he was EVP of Strategy for Cognio, managing Cognio's partnerships and its relationship with Cisco, which led to an OEM, a technology partnership and, ultimately, an acquisition. As VP of Marketing at Aruba Networks, Mr. White led the marketing team, establishing key strategic messaging, realigning the product line, and helping build a new marketing management team. As VP of Marketing and Product Management for Packet Engines, he was credited with leading the M&A transaction with Alcatel. He was Senior Director of Marketing and Product Management at FORE Systems (acquired by Marconi) with product management responsibilities for enterprise and service provider solutions. He has also held product management and technical positions at Acterna (acquired by JDSU), BDM (acquired by TRW), and at the National Security Agency.
Gary Williamson, VP Client Services, Siterra

Gary brings to Siterra more than 15 years of professional services experience, including in wireless communications, having previously worked for service provider organizations in various capacities including project and program management as well as senior management responsible for project management nationwide. He has worked directly for many of Siterra's current wireless customers. Prior to wireless, Gary was responsible for deployment in North America for custom interface middleware systems to SAP for a major SAP partner. These deployments often required custom software delivery and interfaces that managed unique pick, pack, and ship routines for warehouse and material management. He was configuration certified by SAP in their MM/WM module and performed business process engineering and implementation for various customers. He has also worked in oil and gas, seismic and underground explosion detection, printing and distribution, and various government programs including the Superconducting Super Collider project. Gary is a certified Project Management Professional.
Kenneth Young, Senior Vice President, Chief Marketing Officer, and President of the Americas, LCC International

Mr. Young is responsible for leading all aspects of LCC International's global marketing, strategy, branding, and external communications activities as well as leading LCC's North America sales operations. He brings more than 20 years of experience in telecommunications to LCC. Prior to joining the LCC management team, he served for Liberty Media's ConnectID mobile content subsidiary where he served as Chief Operating Officer as well as Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer of Liberty Media's TruePosition location-based services organization. Mr. Young also spent over 16 years with the now AT&T Corp., holding senior management positions with Cingular Wireless, SBC Wireless, and Southwestern Bell Telephone operations. During his tenure with SBC, he led various marketing, sales, business development, and P&L operations focused on consumer and enterprise markets. He holds a Masters Degree in Business Administration and a Bachelors Degree in Computer Sciences.
Dr. Kang Yueh, Chief Engineer of Distributed Antenna Systems, Crown Castle

Dr. Kang Yueh is responsible for Crown Castle's overall DAS network design and engineering, which includes evaluating vendors’ equipment for equipment specifications and system configurations, fiber optics network design layout and specifications, interfacing with DAS equipment providers for product enhancements, new product development, and identifying impacts to DAS deployment and operations. Prior to joining Crown Castle, he was a Technical Manager at Lucent Technologies, responsible for wireless system software development, customer current engineering support, and RF system performance for both analog and digital cellular systems, including AMPS, GSM, TDMA, and CDMA technologies. He was awarded the Bell Labs Distinguished Member of Technical Staff in 1985. Dr. Kang Yueh received his BS degree in Physics from National Taiwan University, MS degree in Physics from the University of Pennsylvania, and MS and PhD degrees in Computer Science from the University of Pennsylvania.


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