SAN JOSE, Calif. – Calix, Inc. (NYSE: CALX) today announced the Board of Directors has unanimously elected current CEO and Board member, Carl Russo, to Chairman of the Board, combining the CEO and Board Chair roles. The Board has appointed current Board Chairman, Don Listwin, to serve as lead independent director of the Board.

"I want to express my sincere thanks to Don for his guidance and contributions as Chairman of the Board over the past fourteen years as the company embarked on its long-term transformation into a software platforms, systems and services provider," said Carl Russo, chairman and chief executive officer of Calix. "Now that our strategy is firmly set, the company is executing at a high level and we have built a deep bench of senior leadership talent, I look forward to his guidance as lead independent director."

Russo has served as CEO since 2002. Listwin has served as Chairman since 2007.

"With Calix capitalizing on major secular disruptions across the industry, the Board concluded it is in the best interests of the company to combine the roles of Chairman and CEO in order to best execute on our plan and vision for the future," said Don Listwin, Calix Chairman. "With the leadership team in place and executing well, we are well-positioned to generate significant value for all our stakeholders in the years to come, and the Board believes this is the right time for Carl to assume this role."

Calix