Dave Wittwer President and Chief Executive Officer Dave Wittwer joined TDS Telecommunications Corp. (TDS®) in 1983. During his tenure with TDS, Dave has held many leadership positions, including executive vice president of Staff Operations, chief financial officer, president of the company's ILEC operations, and chief operating officer. His experience within the company spans many departments and areas at increasing levels of responsibility. In 2006, Dave was appointed president and CEO of TDS Telecommunications Corp. In addition to continuing to transform TDS into a broadband company, Dave's goals include: providing great customer service, delivering quality products and services, promoting a positive work environment, and giving shareholders a good return on their investment. Dave has a Masters from the University of Wisconsin–Madison and a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from the University of Wisconsin–Whitewater. He is a Certified Public Accountant. Currently, Dave serves on the Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce board of directors, Edgewood College Business School Advisory board and the UW Whitewater Business and Economics Advisory board. Return to Top
Phil LaForge President - TDS Hosted & Managed Services Phil LaForge was named President of TDS Hosted & Managed Services (TDS HMS) in January 2013. He originally joined the group in 2011 as executive vice president. In his current role, Phil leads the TDS HMS team as they pursue aggressive growth goals. He is also working on aligning the TDS HMS organization for continued expansion and development. Phil has nearly 15 years of experience in the managed services industry. Prior to joining TDS in 2011, he was vice president and general manager at Nimsoft (part of CA Technologies) in Campbell, Calif. Previously, he enjoyed a long tenure with CDW Berbee in Madison, Wis., and was the vice president of sales and COO at TEAM Companies in Cedar Falls, Iowa—now part of TDS HMS as Vital Support Systems. Phil earned a Master of Business Administration in Finance from Florida State University. He also holds a Bachelor of Arts in History from the University of Illinois at Urbana in Champaign. Return to Top
Jim Butman Group President - Marketing, Sales & Customer Operations Jim Butman joined TDS Telecommunications Corp. (TDS®) in 1985. He has more than 30 years of experience in the telecommunications industry. He has held leadership positions in numerous segments of the industry, including: incumbent local exchange, long distance, and competitive local exchange. Jim has a diverse background that includes having held managerial positions in Finance, Government and Regulatory Affairs, Marketing, Sales, and Operations. In 1994, Jim was named president of USLink Long Distance (TDS' long distance operation in Minnesota and North Dakota). He served in this leadership role until being appointed president of TDS' Competitive Local Exchange Carrier (CLEC) operation in 1997. In this role, Jim was responsible for building and leading the management team that developed TDS Metrocom (TDS Telecom's CLEC operation). Under Jim's leadership the operation grew into a $250 million operation concentrated in four Midwestern states. In 2006, Jim was named group president of Marketing, Sales, and Customer Operations for TDS. In this capacity he has overall leadership responsibility and accountability for consumer and commercial sales, marketing, and customer contact operations. He holds a Masters of Business Administration in Finance from the University Wisconsin-Madison and a Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance from the University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire. He serves on the board of directors, is a member of the Executive Committee, and is Treasurer for COMPTEL, the national competitive communications association. Return to Top
Mark Barber Vice President of Cable Operations for TDS Telecommunications Corp. Mark Barber joined TDS Telecommunications Corp. in March of 2013. Prior to joining TDS Mark played a vital role in the company's acquisition of cable provider Baja Broadband. Now, Mark is responsible for leading TDS' cable operations and evaluating future cable television acquisition targets. Mark has been on the cutting edge of the communications industry for more than three decades. During that time he was an integral part of several organizations including Charter Communications, Comcast International, Chase Enterprises, Hauser Communications and Cobridge Communications. Mark's career accomplishments are vast. He was a driving force in the early development of cable systems in the United States and overseas. In 2002 Mark helped Charter Communications roll out the first primary line VoIP cable telephony in North America. While working for nTelos he helped launch and operate the Personal Communications Service (PCS) and Multichannel Multipoint Distribution Service (MMDS) and systems in the Southeastern U.S. Mark served as chief operating officer of Cobridge Communications a company he co-founded and later sold in 2012. Mark provided key leadership for two start-up companies, and is an advisory board member for Piiku. He also has experience developing and delivering products and services in support of the communications industry at ComSonics, Inc., NeuStar, Inc. and Targus Information Corporation. During his 30-years in the business Mark has held several other positions. At the executive level he's worked in strategic planning, sales, marketing, engineering, construction and corporate and field operations management. Return to Top
Vicki L. Villacrez Vice President–Finance and Chief Financial Officer Vicki Villacrez represents TDS Telecommunications Corp. as vice president - Finance and Chief Financial Officer. In 1989, Vicki began her career at Telephone and Data Systems, Inc. (parent company of TDS Telecommunications Corp.) as an internal auditor. She has held multiple leadership positions in finance, including: director of internal audit, director of finance programs, director of budgeting and business planning, and director of financial analysis and strategic planning. In 2010, Vicki was named assistant treasurer-financial planning and analysis with responsibility for the company's financial analysis and strategic planning processes, including: forecasting, budgeting, strategic decision making and company performance target setting. In June 2011, Vicki was named the interim VP of Finance and CFO at TDS Telecommunications Corp. In Feb. 2012, her interim assignment ended as she was officially named to the position. She oversees the accounting, internal control, billing, revenue assurance, financial analysis, and strategic planning functions. Prior to joining Telephone and Data Systems, Vicki held finance positions with Verex Corporation, a subsidiary of The Greyhound Corporation. A certified public accountant, Vicki received a Bachelor of Science degree in accounting from Upper Iowa University, and a Master of Business Administration from Edgewood College. Return to Top Kevin Hess Senior Vice President - Government & Regulatory Affairs Kevin Hess joined TDS Telecommunications Corp. (TDS®) in 1984. During his tenure with TDS, Kevin has held a variety of leadership positions within the department, including manager of State Regulatory Affairs, director of Access and Settlements, and vice president of Federal Affairs. In 2006, Kevin was named senior vice president of Government and Regulatory Affairs. In his current role, Kevin oversees the interests of TDS' ILEC and CLEC operations in regulatory, legislative, judicial, industry, carrier relations, communications, and public affairs matters at the state and national levels. In this capacity, Kevin works closely with industry affiliated organizations, meeting frequently with regulatory groups, members of Congress and state legislatures to educate and advance TDS' positions. Prior to joining TDS, Kevin spent eight years at a regional accounting and consulting firm specializing in providing local exchange carriers with audit, accounting, tax, and regulatory expertise. Kevin earned a Master of Business Administration from the University of Tennessee and a Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting from the University of Wisconsin–Madison. He is also a Certified Public Accountant. Return to Top Mike Pandow Senior Vice President - Human Resources & Administration Mike Pandow joined TDS Telecommunications Corp. (TDS®) in 1982 as manager of Rates and Tariffs. During his tenure with TDS, Mike has held various leadership positions in Government and Regulatory Affairs, Marketing and Customer Service, and Customer Operations. He has served as a district operations manager in Wisconsin, interim vice president of the Mid-Central Division, vice president of the Eastern Region, and vice president of Customer Operations. In 2006, Mike was named senior vice president of Human Resources and Administration. In this role, Mike oversees all staffing and recruiting efforts; compensation and payroll management; safety and labor relations; employee relations; and training and development. Mike also has oversight of procurement, real estate, facilities, fleet management, and TDS' data privacy efforts. Mike has more than 30 years experience in the telecom industry, including four years with GTE. He has served on a number of telecommunications industry-associated committees during his career, including on the boards of directors for the Indiana Telecommunications Association, Ohio Telecommunications Industry Association, and Wisconsin State Telecommunications Association. Currently, he is a member of the Society for Human Resource Management. Mike holds a Master of Business Administration in Finance from the University of Wisconsin–Whitewater and a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Business Law. Return to Top |