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Joshua Broder serves as CEO of Tilson, a national leader in telecom consulting, design, and build services, which under his leadership, has grown from less than 10 employees to over 1,100, earning a top spot on the Inc. 5000 list for the past 13 years. He is also the founder and CEO of Tilson Infrastructure, a national leader in utility pole and tower development, and long haul and campus fiber for lease back to telecom carriers and others. Josh cut his teeth in leadership as an Army Signal Officer on missions in Europe, the Middle East, and Central Asia, where he was awarded the Bronze Star for service in Afghanistan designing, building, and operating the communications network for US forces. Josh holds a bachelor’s degree from Middlebury College and is a graduate of AT&T’s Operation Hand Salute at JFK University with a certificate in entrepreneurial studies. Josh is on the boards of Versant Power, an investor-owned T&D electric utility, VETRO FiberMap, a fiber network mapping software tool, Kleinschmidt Associates, a multi-national engineering firm, The Jackson Laboratory, a global biotech firm, Skowhegan Savings Bank, and INCOMPAS, the competitive broadband association.
Darrell Ingram serves as Chief Operating Officer and President leading Tilson’s ongoing operational growth and overseeing more than 600 professionals who design, build, operate, and maintain advanced network infrastructure for telecom carriers, utilities, and government clients across the country. Darrell brings over a decade of industry experience leading customer focused, and results driven initiatives to deliver business transformation by driving strategic prioritization, applying technology to scale, and optimizing business processes. For the last seven years, he has served as Chief Operating Officer at Nexius, a national deployment services company. In this role, Darrell managed a team of 2500+ professionals and successfully led the overall strategy and execution growing revenues 2-3X year over year. He holds a Master of Public Administration from Valdosta State University, along with a Bachelor of Science in political science from the North Georgia College & State University.
As Tilson’s Chief Financial Officer, Shaun McCarthy leads Tilson’s finance team and stewards the company’s financial health as it continues to expand its network infrastructure design build services during a period of rapid expansion for clients across the country deploying 5G, fiber and other network technologies. Shaun has over 20 years of experience in senior financial positions including his most recent roles as Chief Financial Officer and Vice President of Finance and Corporate Controller at Casa Systems, a broadband infrastructure technology solutions provider. Previously he worked with Dynamics Research Corporation as Vice President of Finance, Corporate Controller and Chief Accounting Officer. He has also held numerous roles at Axcelis Technologies, Inc., including as Vice President of Finance and Corporate Controller. Shaun received a B.S. in Finance and an M.B.A. with a concentration in Accounting from Bentley University.
Jason Burns serves as Chief Information Officer of Tilson leading its information systems organization which includes traditional internal technology and security services as well as our client-focused Construction Technology Consulting and NOC divisions. Jason has served in various executive technology leadership positions spanning more than two decades across numerous construction companies in the technology and cloud computing industries. He most recently served as Chief Information Officer of SphereNY and Vice President, Chief Information Officer of Hunter Roberts Construction Group, where he was responsible for overseeing all aspects of information technology, security, and process management, building high performance teams and leading transformative IT initiatives. Jason is a graduate of the University of Maryland where he earned a Bachelor of Science in Accounting and Business Management and Finance.
Alda Licis serves as Chief Operating Officer of Infrastructure, responsible for the management and continued revenue growth and network expansion of Tilson Infrastructure. Prior to this, Alda led the startup of Tilson Infrastructure, building a team of industry experts focused on financing and developing telecom infrastructure across three asset classes: poles, towers and fiber. Before joining Tilson, Alda was Principal/Owner of Front Range Infrastructure Consulting, LLC advising clients in the fiber and wireless industry. Previously, she worked for the Zayo Group holding several roles over her five-year tenure including managing the P&L for the data center business unit, developing Zayo’s first Small Cell Implementation team, managing large-scale fiber projects, and managing multiple Product teams responsible for strategic pricing of all dark fiber-based products (metro, long haul and FTT/Small Cell). Prior to Zayo, Alda managed the Chicago and Federal engineering offices for EYP Mission Critical Facilities, a data center design and consulting company, which was acquired by Hewlett Packard. Alda began her career as a licensed Electrical Engineer designing power systems for commercial buildings.
Alda holds an Engineering degree from the University of Colorado Boulder and an MBA from the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business.
As Tilson’s Executive Vice President of Workforce, Adria leads Tilson’s global workforce strategy by deepening Tilson’s internal training and career pathing, and partnering with educational institutions, industry, and the military in building Tilson’s world class team of technical professionals. Prior to joining Tilson, Adria served as Director of Maine’s Bureau of Veterans Services for three years, where she led local and national veteran outreach and legislative initiatives. A graduate of West Point, she received her MBA from Northeastern University. After 11 years on Active Duty and multiple deployments, she worked on behalf of United States Senator Susan Collins in her Portland Field Office. Adria is currently a Lieutenant Colonel in the United States Army Reserve.
Tim Schneider serves as General Counsel at Tilson, overseeing and providing guidance on all legal matters, including contracting, licensing, and regulation. Tim supports Tilson’s customers with expert consulting and advisory services in the areas of telecommunications and energy policy. Prior to joining Tilson, Tim led the Maine Office of the Public Advocate, the independent state agency that represents Maine utility customers. As Public Advocate, Tim served on the Executive Committee of the National Association of Utility Consumer Advocates and played a central role in setting Maine’s energy and telecommunications policy, with a particular focus on ensuring that electricity bills were affordable for low-income customers, expanding broadband access, and developing forward-looking distributed generation policy. He is a graduate of Harvard University and New York University School of Law.
LaTavia Bowens is Tilson’s Senior Vice President of Client Management, where she leads the Tilson Customers Operations Team for major accounts across the US, delivering best in class network delivery and customer service. LaTavia is committed to collaboration, cultural diversity, and customer success. Prior to joining Tilson, LaTavia spent the last 11 years in the Wireless Industry in several leadership positions with various companies. Most recently as Vice President of Customer Operations at Nexius where she used her expertise in leadership and Wireless programs (both Micro and Macro) to lead a multimillion-dollar program across the United States. LaTavia holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Economics and Finance as well as her Master of Public Administration from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville.
Mark Sanders serves as Senior Vice President at Tilson leading Tilson’s growth strategy and account management for all customer accounts across OSP and Wireless nationally. Mark joins Tilson with over two decades of sales and operations leadership in information technology, wireless engineering, operations, and network delivery services. His recent leadership roles include serving as Senior Vice President for Nexius and Vice President of Operations for Ericsson. He also brings 10+ years of key leadership experience from T-Mobile delivering critical network solutions across multiple OEM technologies in numerous markets. Mark holds a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration, Computer, and Information System Security/Information Assurance from Texas State University.
Joshua Broder serves as CEO and is the majority owner of Tilson, which under his leadership, has grown from less than 10 employees to 240 in seven years. From 2010-2013, Josh led several large, successful Recovery Act funded technology infrastructure projects in New England for Tilson that included 2,300 new miles of fiber optic cable and 7,000 smart grid wireless nodes. Josh cut his teeth in leadership and technology as an Army Signal Officer on missions in Europe, the Middle East, and Central Asia, where he was awarded the Bronze Star for service in Afghanistan running the tactical communications network in support of US and coalition forces. Josh holds a Bachelor’s degree from Middlebury College, is a distinguished military graduate of the University of Vermont’s Military studies program and is a member of Leadership Maine’s Omicron class. Josh is also a graduate of AT&T’s Operation Hand Salute at JFK University. Josh serves on the boards of Kleinschmidt Associates (a multi-national engineering firm), the Gulf of Maine Research Institute, and Skowhegan Savings Bank. Josh is an active member of the Construction Financial Managers Association (CFMA).
Catherine Smith serves as General Counsel, Chief Administrative Officer, and Corporate Secretary of Evoque Data Center Solutions™. Evoque Data Center Solutions, headquartered in Dallas, Texas, offers enterprises a full range of services, ranging from local, regional and global connectivity to secure space in highly available and redundant environments across four continents. Previously, Smith served as Executive Vice President of Brightstar Corp, the world’s leading provider of end-to-end solutions that better manage the world’s mobile device needs, brings over two decades of transformational leadership experience within the telecommunications and wireless industries and as Vice President and Lead Counsel for Motorola, Inc. and Motorola Mobility. For over a decade, she managed the largest portfolio of global strategic partners and distributors worldwide, including customer relationships, go-to-market strategies, financings, and global sales in more than 20 foreign markets.
In 2015, Smith was named in FierceWireless’ “Most Influential Women in Wireless” List and has been featured in Modern Counsel, Leaders Magazine and Profile Magazine. More recently, she received the 2018 National Association of Women in Law (NAWL) Diversity “Challenge” Award recognizing Brightstar’s adoption of hiring practices to increase representation of women to one-third of leadership positions. Smith is a graduate of Georgetown Law Center and holds a B.A. in Government from the University of Virginia.
Currently CEO of The Governance Project and a Partner at Four Points Funding, Stephanie Copeland brings over 30 years of experience in the IT and telecommunications sector, holding a broad range of leadership positions domestically and internationally. She previously served as Executive Director of the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade under John Hickenlooper, former Governor of Colorado. Prior to her appointment in 2017, Ms. Copeland’s positions included President of The Zayo Group, a communications infrastructure services firm, and former COO at WildBlue, where she was responsible for the operations of the $500 million rural broadband business.
Ms. Copeland resides in Denver, Colorado and currently serves on several for profit and not for profit boards. In addition she served as a board member for the Colorado Broadband Deployment Board and the Colorado Workforce Development Council while on Governor Hickenlooper’s cabinet. She holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Illinois in German and Commercial studies and has completed post graduate courses at the University of Paderborn in Paderborn, Germany. Ms. Copeland is also an advisor to early stage companies across the region as a member of the Steering Committee for Blackstone Entrepreneur Network in Colorado.
Paul Anderson was formerly chief executive at BHP Billiton and Duke Energy, where he also served as chairman of the board. Having previously been chief executive officer and managing director of BHP Limited and then BHP Billiton Limited and BHP Billiton Plc, he rejoined these latter two boards in 2006 as a non-executive director, retiring on 31 January 2010. He also served as a non-executive director on a number of boards in the US and Australia and as chief executive officer of Pan Energy Corp.
Paul Anderson became a board member of BP in early 2010, joining the President’s Sustainability Committee (PSC). He was a member of the Gulf of Mexico committee from its formation in August 2010. He took the chair of the PSC in December 2012. As chair he has continued the committee’s focus on safety matters. His broad experience of the global oil and gas industry and of the US business environment has benefited the board, the SEEAC and the Gulf of Mexico committee. He has actively supported the work of the BP Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) academy. He has led the PSC on several visits to the company’s operations and has commenced a dialogue with the company’s socially responsible investors.
Alexander is a partner at SDC. Alexander most recently served as Global Joint Head of the Media, Communications & Information Services investment banking group at Jefferies. Alexander spent 14 years as an investment banker at Jefferies focused on the telecom and technology sectors, with a particular focus on IT and communications infrastructure. He sourced and executed over $20 billion of M&A, debt and equity transactions globally within the last six years.
Prior to Jefferies, Alexander spent four years with Booz Allen Hamilton advising telecom and technology companies globally on strategic and operational issues, as well as conducting due diligence on behalf of Innovate@, a joint venture between Lehman Brothers and Booz Allen Hamilton. Prior to Booz Allen Hamilton, Alexander spent two years at Coopers & Lybrand Consulting where he designed, implemented and managed all aspects of various data centers and networks for U.S. federal government and military clients. Previously, Alexander held a Top Secret SSBI security clearance.
Alexander has an MBA from INSEAD, an MS in IT / Telecommunications from Johns Hopkins University and a BBA from James Madison University.
Scott is a Principal at SDC Capital Partners, a global digital infrastructure investment firm, and has over 10 years of experience in the private equity and M&A space.
Prior to joining SDC in 2018, Scott worked in the investment banking division of RBC Capital Markets where he focused on M&A transactions. During his time at RBC, Scott executed over $20 billion in transactions across a variety of sectors with a focus on the data center space.
Scott has a B.B.A. from the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan with concentrations in Finance and Accounting.
Gary retuned to Hussey Seating in November 2008 as Vice President of Finance / CFO, after holding the same position at The Emery-Waterhouse Company since 2004. Prior to that he had worked at Hussey Seating in a variety of positions in Finance, Operations, and International Sourcing. He began his career working for the international accounting firm Coopers & Lybrand, now PriceWaterhouseCoopers.
Gary graduated from the University of Maine Orono in 1978 with a bachelor’s degree in accounting and received his masters in business administration, with a concentration in finance, from Babson College in 1981. He also received his CPA in 1981. Gary currently servers on Board of Directors of the American Red Cross of Southern Maine. He was also past Board Chair and Board member of Junior Achievement, a program that teaches students about entrepreneurship and financial literacy. He and his wife Tina live in Portland and have two adult children.
Sheryl Tullis is a Partner at Direct Technology, a veteran-owned software and services company, and Head of Strategic Communications for TA Group Holdings, a private equity firm where she serves as a strategic advisor and shared services leader across the TA Group portfolio of companies. Ms. Tullis brings over 30 years of experience in the mobile and technology sectors across a broad range of leadership positions including Senior Vice President for Mobile and Technology at Iconmobile, Vice President of Client Services at Essence Mobile, Chief of Staff at Microsoft, and New Ventures Brand Manager at Procter & Gamble. Commissioned from West Point as an Army Signal Corps officer, she served as Deputy Director of Information Management, leading a multinational unit that provided mission-critical telecommunications services across EMEA.
Ms. Tullis resides in Redmond, Washington where she founded several mobile industry organizations and serves as an advisor to early stage companies and non-profits. As the Global President Emeritus of mBolden, an organization to advance women in mobile and digital, she was selected for the People’s Choice Award at the 2019 Mobile Growth Summit. An advocate for veteran hiring, Ms. Tullis co-created the Microsoft Software & Systems Academy to help military members transition to high tech, high trajectory roles. She holds a Bachelor of Science from the United States Military Academy at West Point and a Master of Science in Information Systems Management from the University of Southern California.
Currently the CEO of FinTech āxil, Nerissa Naidu brings over two decades of executive leadership experience driving corporate growth and revenue generation strategies for organizations across 70 countries. Prior to āxil, Ms. Naidu has filled numerous senior executive roles managing and growing global businesses including Accenture and AIG, providing board oversight, managing a 5000+ global workforce, and leading multinational strategy for fortune 100 companies. She has been a proponent of equality and strives to break the mold of stereotypes in gender, race, and professional norms. Ms. Naidu has been a keynote speaker on diversity and inclusion, and chaired discussions on systemic inequality and racial injustice. She was selected as a Young Global Leader in the World Economic Forum in 2019 and was recently featured in the Financial Times as a leader to watch.
As the Vice President of Wireless Operations, Conor leads Tilson’s wireless deployment teams nationally. Tilson’s growing wireless teams design, build, and maintain cellular networks, tower, and small infrastructure for clients across the country. Conor brings experience running large scale wireless deployments with focus on field operations, project execution, customer satisfaction, employee development, and strategic partnerships. With over 10 years of experience building and leading high performing teams in wireless operations, business development, contracts and proposals, and project management. Prior to joining Tilson, Conor held leadership roles with major wireless deployment and construction organizations and successfully delivered on operational and financial objectives year over year.
As Tilson’s Vice President of Outside Plant, East, Colin leads the development and execution of the design, building, and maintenance of 5G, FTTx, and broadband infrastructure networks by our eastern Outside Plant team. Previously, Colin led a nationwide self-perform construction team as Tilson’s VP of Special Operations in addition to a prior role as Tilson’s Associate Vice President of Central Operations. With over 20 years of experience in the industry, Colin has held director level or above roles in OSP, fiber-to-the-home (FTTH), and technical operations capacity at industry leaders such as Shaw Communications, AFL Global, and Alpha Technologies. Colin graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts with a specialization in Organizational Leadership from the University of Alabama
As Vice President of Engineering, Tony Wedell leads Tilson’s growing engineering team who design and deploy 5G telecommunications infrastructure for clients across the country, including both wireless and wireline technologies. He is responsible for the development and implementation of short-term and long-term strategies for Tilson’s engineering department to support the company’s growth and world-class customer delivery service. Tony has over 27 years of experience leading high-growth teams across diverse markets, geographies, execution methods (E, EPC, EPCM, EPCMa), and project sizes, including his most recent role as Senior Vice President of Operations at Wood, a global engineering consulting, and construction firm, and previously as Director of Operations, Department Manager, Engineering and EPC Project Manager. Prior to Wood, Tony worked with Henning Metz Hartford, Inc. as a Mechanical Division Manager and as Project Engineer for Black and Veatch. Tony received a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from North Dakota State University and an Advanced Graduate Certificate in Project Management from Pennsylvania State University.
Kristie Lokken serves as Associate Vice President of Site Deployment for Tilson leading a nationwide team of telecommunications professionals who are siting, designing, and building infrastructure for various nationwide network deployment initiatives. Kristie brings more than 25 years of telecommunications industry experience, with a wide range of wireless and wireline national programs including macro to small cell, in-building and microwave deployments programs. She has previously scaled and lead teams at Teligent, SAC, FMHC, Jacobs and Fullerton. Kristie holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Political Science from Illinois State University.
Jay Ford is the VP of Telecom Consulting at Tilson. He is responsible for providing software development, consulting, and IT project leadership services to Government and select private industry clients. Jay started his career with Tilson 10 years ago as a member of the software development team and has held various consultant and management positions before taking on his current leadership role. Jay proudly serves as a member of the Advisory Committee for Organ and Tissue Donation in his home state of Maine and frequently volunteers with New England Donor Services.
Stephen Hand is the VP of Technology at Tilson, leading a team that delivers comprehensive technology solutions throughout the organization. Steve was introduced to the IT world in the 80s with Retail Inventory Control and Point of Sale solutions and worked with many large national and niche retailers before founding Know Technology in 1998. Know Technology grew to be a well-known Systems Integrator in New England, servicing primarily financial services, healthcare, and retail organizations. As an early provider of Managed IT & Security Services, Steve and Know Technology were also a leading Microsoft partner, winning Microsoft’s Global Partner of the Year Award in 2009. Steve sold Know Technology in 2013 and, before joining Tilson in 2018, provided independent consulting services to help organizations think critically about their operational issues, focusing on technology and security, often utilizing Microsoft Office 365 and Azure solutions. Steve has BS in Business Management & Marketing from the University of Maine and has served on the boards of many tech and business development organizations including MTI, MTUG, ConnectME and MESDA.
Trudi Fenster serves as Associate Vice President of Construction Technology Consulting and leads the operations, strategy, and expansion of Tilson’s Construction Technology Consulting practice. With over 15 years of experience in technology and digital consulting, Trudi skillfully finds solutions to her clients’ software and technology challenges. Prior to joining Tilson, Trudi served as Head of Client Services and Customer Success at DigiSure Inc., a global provider of technology and risk management services, leading the development and implementation of their strategic global customer onboarding program. Trudi also held executive leadership positions at both Bentley and Payapps, leading construction software services teams. In addition, Trudi served for a decade as VP of Professional Services at the construction technology firm Viewpoint.
Dinusha Wickramatunga serves as Director of Business Development for Tilson’s Construction Technology Consulting practice, building client relationships and expanding Tilson’s growing consulting business. Dinusha is an accomplished business development professional with a proven track record of advising high-growth construction and technology companies like Tilson to improve business operations. Before joining Tilson, Dinusha was both the Senior Director of Business Development and the Head of Sustainability Product Sales at JLL Technologies, where he was instrumental in the development and launch of several new products while cultivating a vast partner network. He has also served as the Director of Business Development at both Computer Methods International and Crystalline Consulting. Dinusha earned his Bachelor of Arts in International Relations and Development Studies at York University in Toronto, Canada.
Bee serves as Director of Network Operations at Tilson. As the technical and business leader of one of Tilson’s fastest growing business units, Bee oversees the operations of the Tilson Network Operations Center (NOC), a highly versatile and capable 24×7 Network Operations Center with a national focus on operating and maintaining client networks using innovative tools, systems, and processes. Prior to joining Tilson, Bee served as an IT and Telecommunications professional with 15 years of experience in the industry. He has successfully led and grown fulfillment, change management, and support teams for rapid growth and M&A activities. Bee is a proven technical leader who finds solutions for customer requirements.
Chuck is a proven, high-energy safety professional who has achieved results in both industry and construction. He has over 24 years of experience in developing Health & Safety programs, conducting H&S training and providing overall commonsense direction to maximize H&S efforts. Implementation of behavior-based safety programs and establishing best practice, post-incident intervention programs are areas of significant achievement. Chuck was formerly the Director of Safety and Health at Abscope Environmental, Corporate Safety manager at BBL and ArcadisBBL. His ability to mesh safety into operations with always an eye on improving efficiency is a significant asset in our business. Chuck served multiple tours in the Army as an artilleryman, ROTC instructor and Civil Affairs officer, departing the U.S. Army Reserve in 2011. Chuck received his Bachelors of Arts Degree from the University of Colorado and his Masters of Science in Safety from the University of Southern California.