Mary's Tough New Assignment

See below for why I'm especially proud of my wife Mary today. The position which she was selected for by Governor Jim Douglas, House Speaker Gaye Symington, and Senate President Pro Tem Peter Shumlin is both tough and crucial to Vermont. She will be the first chair of the Telecom Authority set up in the e-state legislation passed last Spring. The Authority's mission, which she has accepted, is to make sure that there is no spot in Vermont which does not have both cellular access and broadband connectivity by 2010. She can't move the Green Mountains but I'm sure she'll find a way to work around them.

State of Vermont

For Immediate Release:

Friday, August 24, 2007

Contacts:  Office of the Speaker, (802) 828-2245

Office of the President Pro Tem, (802) 828-3806

Office of the Governor, (802) 828-3333

Speaker, Pro Tem and Governor Announce Appointments to Vermont Telecommunications Authority

Montpelier, Vt. – House Speaker Gaye Symington, Governor Jim Douglas and Senate President Pro Tem Peter Shumlin today announced their appointments to the Vermont Telecommunications Authority (VTA).

The 11-member Authority is a key component of the e-State Initiative—a plan to make Vermont the first state to provide universal cellular and broadband coverage everywhere and anywhere within its borders, and building on earlier legislative initiatives to encourage broadband access in rural areas of the state.

The product of comprehensive telecommunications legislation endorsed by Governor Douglas and the Legislature in the last session, the VTA is empowered to partner with service providers, private investors, municipalities, and federal agencies to make investments in telecommunications infrastructure and advance the spread of broadband and cellular services in every area of the state. Authorized to deploy up to $40 million in state bond backing, the Authority hopes to leverage $200 million or more in private investments.

The Governor, President Pro Tem and Speaker each appointed two members and jointly appointed the Chair and Vice Chair.

Vermont Telecommunications Authority Membership:

• Mary Evslin, Chair (Jointly Appointed)

Evslin has an extensive technology background and currently works as a consultant.  She was co-founder of ITXC Corporation, the Fastest Growing Technology Company in North America according to Deloitte & Touche in 2002.  Her company had presence in over 175 countries and was considered one of the world’s largest international wholesale carriers of telephone calls and the largest Internet telephone carrier with 350 employees at its peak.  Among other community service, Evslin has served on the boards of the Helen Day Art Center in Stowe, the American Red Cross and the Vermont Humanities Council.  She is also co-founder of the Internet for All, Now Committee.

• Peter Meyer, Vice Chair (Jointly Appointed)

Prior to his retirement from state government, Meyer was the Executive Director and Environmental Analyst for the Vermont Public Service Board, where he served for 17 years.  Before joining the PSB staff, he was the Chief Coordinator for the Vermont Environmental Board for 10 years.  From 1995 to 2003, Meyer served as the Treasurer for the Central Vermont Memorial Civic Center where he helped raise funds for, build and operate a recreational facility for the Central Vermont community.  He is currently on the Board of ECHO, Lake Aquarium and Science Center at the Leahy Center for Lake Champlain. 

• Jeb Spaulding, Treasurer, State of Vermont (Ex-Officio)

Spaulding is serving his third term as Vermont State Treasurer. During his tenure, he has emphasized continuous improvement in treasury fundamentals such as timely and accurate bank reconciliations, enhanced customer service, expanded outreach and compliance in the unclaimed property division, and proactive investment management and oversight. In addition, he has initiated a new focus in the Treasurer’s Office to leverage State assets to encourage responsible corporate citizenship and to support community and economic development within Vermont.  Treasurer Spaulding served eight terms in the Vermont State Senate from 1985-2000.

• Jo Bradley, Vermont Economic Development Authority (Ex-Officio)

Bradley has served as Chief Executive Officer of the Vermont Economic Development Authority since February, 1997.  Her previous professional experience includes the positions of Deputy Secretary at the Vermont Agency of Commerce and Community Development, Commercial Loan Officer at the Vermont Economic Development Authority, and Vice President at Solomon Brothers, Inc. in Boston. She has also served as the State Government representative on the national Advisory Committee of the Export-Import Bank of the United States (Ex-Im Bank), and serves on numerous state and local Boards.

• Al Brisard (Pro-Tem Appointee)

A proven manager with a unique combination of technical and business experience, Brisard has served in a wide range of operations, marketing and leadership positions in companies specializing in technology and telecommunications.  His experience includes the design and implementation of multi-location LAN and WAN, network monitoring and the analysis and delivery of voice over IP, audio conferencing, wireless services and other network elements. 

• Jerry Johnson (Governor Appointee)

Johnson is a senior executive with a proven record of effectively leading organizations ranging in size from less than five employees to over one thousand. With 25 years experience in telecommunications, Johnson held positions as General Manager of Integrated Planning and Vice President of Network Design at NYNEX. He later served as President and Chief Operating Officer for Hill Associates Inc in Colchester, a leading corporate telecommunications training company.  He also created an independent consulting company, Daybreak Intellectual Capital Solutions Inc. in Williston, specializing in telecom and Internet applications, technical training, and executive coaching with a focus on small companies and startup operations. Johnson served as the President of the Vermont Telecommunications Advancement Center (VTAC) established in conjunction with Gov. Dean and served on the Vermont Council on Rural Development's Telecommunication's Infrastructure Committee.

• Robin Lane (Pro-Tem Appointee)

Lane is a full-time member of the faculty in the e-business management program at Champlain College. A proven manager with a keen understanding of next generation technologies, she was CEO of the software publishing company Microseeds Publishing and CEO of Together Networks Internet service provider.

• Thomas Murray (Secretary of Admin. Appointee)

Murray was appointed state’s Chief Information Officer and Commissioner of the Department of Information and Innovation in March 2006.  For 16 years, Murray worked in the telecommunications industry with TDS Telecom and RCC/Unicel, serving in a variety of roles from marketing, regulatory compliance, technical support and upper management.  In 2003, he joined the state of Vermont, to serve as the Director of Telecommunications Infrastructure, working to improve cellular and broadband services in the state. He also served as Deputy Commissioner of the Department of Economic Development.

• Dawn Terrill (Governor Appointee)

Terrill is the owner and operator of Janitech Inc. in Burlington Vermont.  Previously she served as Secretary of Transportation and Deputy Secretary of the Agency of Commerce and Community Development. Terrill has also participated in a wide range of state initiatives and organizations, including the Vermont Economic Development Authority, the Vermont Broadband Council and the Vermont Council on Technology.  Prior to these roles, Terrill served as President and CEO of Hill Associates in Colchester, Vermont.

• CJ Vadnais (Speaker Appointee)

An advocate for universal broadband and its economic value, Vadnais was one of the driving forces behind the Southern Vermont Broadband Cooperative.  The Southern Vermont Broadband Co-op is the only successful broadband Co-op in the state.  He is currently a computer programmer at Williams College in Massachusetts.

• David Zahn (Speaker Appointee)

Zahn is the president of Signal Advertising, an electronic advertising agency in Montpelier.  Since 1985, Zahn has worked in the computer graphics field and interactive marketing, beginning with their company, Wordgraphics in Stowe where they ran one of Vermont’s first graphics studios and helped pioneer the use of computers in advertising and design.  In 1991, he and his wife created the full service electronic advertising agency they run today.  Zahn has also worked on interactive media and hyper-text based presentation systems since 1988, and was an active developer in the CD-ROM publishing business in the early 1990’s.  He is also co-founder of the Internet for All, Now Committee.

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