Leading legal and compliance functions and EMT member for established regional enterprise fiber network provider. DQE, the premier fiber provider based in Western Pennsylvania, is a portfolio company of GI Partners.* Responsible for leading all aspects of legal function, including contracts, regulatory, corporate governance, dispute resolution and labor & employment* Responsible for leading cross-functional compliance team, overseeing corporate and regulatory compliance, internal process and procedures, and USF, CPNI, SOC2.* Reviewing, updating and evolving processes and systems for scalability in high-growth environment.

 Lead team forging positive relationships with local governments and related groups across 4-state region, and driving maintenance, renewal and compliance for 20% of total company franchises  Engineered 23% improvement in team employee satisfaction score within 6 months of hire Lead high-volume acquisition of new franchises supporting subsidized builds and opportunistic growth Provided leadership in obtaining $66M+ in state and local subsidies for broadband expansion Built effective public-private partnerships to solve for universal broadband and digital equity

● Day-to-day strategic advisor to a wide range on internal stakeholders, including government affairs, external affairs, engineering, project management, construction and operations● Key member of policy and deployment teams gaining approvals for right-of-way projects across an 18-state region● Serve as an educational resource before local zoning boards and governing bodies for the purpose of drafting, commenting, and lobbying on new ordinances promoting small cell and fiber technology ● Drafting of comments, model ordinances, legal/policy letters and other document templates to agencies such as the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and state public utility commissions ● Receipt of many internal, client nominated awards as a trusted advisor

● Tapped to pioneer company growth into new markets by developing and implementing municipal strategy, including securing entitlements needed in multiple markets. Partner with cross-functional teams to roll out large regional development projects● Strategically negotiated unusually favorable agreements with several utilities by establishing a positive rapport and building trust, notwithstanding the ordinarily contentious nature of such transactions● Drive multimillion-dollar projects to completion by successfully procuring all entitlements, community support, zoning and regulatory approvals

Provide business-focused legal leadership by partnering with executive management to drive corporate initiatives, including commercial real estate development, M&A, corporate development & strategy and joint ventures. Negotiate / draft / implement wide range of agreements, including customer and vendor, right-of-way, network development and real estate leases for towers and DAS. Instrumental in negotiating significant $300M joint venture with $8B venture capital fund during economic downturn. Completed transaction in 30 days to solve a capital funding gap and prevent layoffs.Real Estate■ Draft and negotiate high-volume, multi-unit development real property leases; interface with landlords; counsel property management group; remedy title issues.■ Integrated complex master lease-tenant leaseback agreement for 8K+ sites following an acquisition, including negotiating amendments and providing internal training and ongoing problem solving on a daily basis.■ Facilitated roll out of new business line by creating templates, negotiating master agreements and implementing a national leasing program to unify and streamline forms and processes throughout multiple regions.■ Oversaw day-to-day real estate issues for offshore business unit, interfacing with management across organization.Mergers & Acquisitions■ Persevered through two major acquisitions / integrations in less than two years, each accompanied by sweeping leadership and operational overhauls as division grew three-fold.■ Led due diligence and obtained government consents for $100M+ multiple cash-for-stock acquisition.

Recruited by lead partner to oversee commercial transactions and represent clients before government authorities in regulatory matters.■ Commended by two significant clients (NASCAR and Intel) for researching and producing comprehensive analyses of complex regulatory issues that enabled commencement of business projects.■ Created marketing and informational website that increased firm’s visibility and attracted new business.■ Developed sports agency practice for firm, beginning with recruiting sponsorships for rising NASCAR driver.

■ Obtained angel financing to start up business consultancy to serve entrepreneurs while simultaneously developing a legal practice.■ Created a business plan and served as counsel for start-up venture capital firm.■ Established initial portfolio company (HR outsourcing firm) for clients, including market research, entity creation, and operations launch while serving as president.

■ Director, Public Sector Business Development (2003)■ Director & Attorney, Corporate Strategy (2000-2003)■ Senior Manager & Attorney (1999-2000)■ Manager & Attorney (1998-1999)■ Attorney (1996-1998)Hired by company founder / vice chairman and rapidly promoted through positions of increasing responsibility. Led legal and business negotiations for hundreds of transactions totaling $750M+, including asset and stock purchases, mergers, options and leases in 20-state region. Retained attorneys, business negotiators, administrative staff, contractors and outside counsel. Fostered public-private partnerships with forward-thinking state and local officials.■ Chosen to spearhead creation of Wireless E-911: The PSAP Readiness Fund, a non-profit organized to coordinate the dissemination of $25M in grants to the public safety community to improve wireless enhanced 9-1-1 (E-911) services across the country.■ Created entity structure and collaborated with business units to establish a business plan aligned with company objectives.■ Served as vice president and executive director; recruited and assimilated board of directors; managed day-to-day operations.■ Negotiated and administered multiple grant agreements with total value of more than $24M.■ Played integral role in deployment of critical market launch worth millions of dollars by orchestrating 30 transactions in 30 days, entailing 80-hour work weeks across the nation for a month.■ Appointed to FCC Network Reliability and Interoperability Council (NRIC) working group to provide advice on protecting communications networks against security threats. Drafted proposed regulations for presentation to FCC.