OKLAHOMA CITY -- The board of directors for Dobson Communications Corporation (Nasdaq:DCEL) today named Steven P. Dussek to serve as chief executive officer and president for the $1.0 billion revenue wireless communications provider. With 1.6 million customers in 16 states, Dobson is the eighth largest wireless provider in the United States.
Mr. Dussek most recently served as executive vice president and chief operating officer for Nextel Communications, Inc. In that role Mr. Dussek was responsible for sales, marketing, customer care, information technology, engineering and network operations, field-level finance, and human resources. During his tenure at Nextel from 1996 to early 2002, Mr. Dussek was a major contributor in driving Nextel's growth from 800,000 subscribers to more than 7 million. He also played the key leadership role in building Nextel's industry-leading ARPU position and helped to restructure the customer service organization to be more customer focused, resulting in Nextel achieving one of the lowest customer churn rates in the U.S. wireless industry.
Prior to his role as EVP/COO, Mr. Dussek served as chief executive officer and chief operating officer for Nextel International, overseeing operations in Latin America and Asia. He also served as president of Nextel's West Region from 1996 to 1998, which at that time was its largest region.
Mr. Dussek came to Nextel from AT&T Wireless Services, where he served as vice president and general manager of New Markets/Northeast Region for its PCS division.
From 1993 to 1995, he served as executive vice president and chief operating officer for Paging Networks, Inc., which was the largest paging service provider in the United States. Prior to joining Paging Networks, Inc., Mr. Dussek served in various senior management positions with McCaw Cellular Communications and MCI Airsignal.
"We are pleased to welcome Steve to the Dobson Communications team," said Everett R. Dobson, chairman of the board. "With his extensive experience in leading high-growth wireless companies, he brings a depth of operating experience that will be critical as we capitalize on the tremendous growth opportunities in our markets. I look forward to working with him to realize our Company's potential to the benefit of our customers, employees and shareholders."
Dobson Communications Corp.