Officers

MARK EVANS

Chairman of the Board

State Telephone

Mark is the Chairman of NYSTA and the Vice-President of his family-owned State Telephone Company, Inc. (State Tel). Mark started working for State Tel. counting payphone coin box money, through his teens and early twenties did lineman work while attending Siena College. After college Mark became a Paramedic and had a very successful career in EMS for many years. In 2000 he returned to State Tel. to oversee Operations, Regulatory Affairs & New Business Development. In 2016 he oversaw the $10.8 million New NY Broadband Grant leading to 250 miles of new fiber optic cables and the largest expansion in State Tel. history. Mark has been the Mayor of his hometown of Coxsackie, NY for 15 years.

JASON MILLER

Vice Chairman of the Board

Delhi Telephone Corporation

Jason is the Vice Chairman at NYSTA and the current Chair of the NYSTA Government Affairs Committee. Jason is Vice President and General Manager at Delhi Telephone Company (DTC) and DTC Cable, Inc. He has 15 years of experience at DTC. Jason also currently serves on the NTCA (The Rural Broadband Association) Government Affairs Committee. Prior to joining DTC, Jason worked for IBM for 5 years.

GLEN FAULKNER

Secretary of the Board

Margaretville Telephone

Glen is the Secretary of the Board.  He has over 40 years of experience in the telecommunications industry. Beginning his career in the cable television industry, Glen transitioned to Plant Manager for Time Warner Cable in 1986, and then accepted a position at the Margaretville Telephone Company (MTC) in 1996 managing its cable television subsidiary. Today, Glen serves as President and General Manager of the company serving over 9,000 voice, video, and broadband customers. MTC recently completed over 1100 miles of fiber deployment in partnership with the New York Broadband Program Office leveraging over $35 million in public / private funding passing 15,000 homes.

Christine Gosselin

Treasurer

TDS

Christine is Treasurer of the Board.  She is the Manager-State Government Affairs for TDS Telecom. In her role, Christine is responsible for tracking and advocating for legislation, regulatory requirements, and seeks opportunities for funding through programs which positively impact the business. She works closely with state legislatures, broadband associations, and public service commissions. She has over 17 years in the industry, and previously managed the Joint Use Pole Team for TDS nationwide. Christine lives in NH with her husband and two sons, and is currently on the Board of Directors for ME, NH, NY and VT Telephone Associations.

Directors

JAMES MCCARTHY

Oneida Rural Telephone/Northland Communications

Jim is a past Chair of the Board at NYSTA and the President of Northland Communications. In his role Jim is responsible for the strategic planning, implementation, and leading Northland’s overall business activities. Jim has 30 years of experience in the telephony/broadband industry with a broad range of experience including leadership development, EOS, Lean Six Sigma and regulatory affairs. Jim also serves on USTelecom’s Leadership Committee.

JIM BECKER

Middleburgh Telephone/INOC

Jim is a past Chairman of the Board at NYSTA and is currently the Chairman & President of Middleburgh Telephone (MIDTEL) and Chairman & CEO of Newport Telephone (NTC). Jim is 4th generation in the family that owns that these two companies and is 5th generation in the rural telecom industry. Jim is active in community economic development advancements, as well as personal real estate development, and serves on various boards inside and outside of the telecommunications industry.

Christine Gosselin

TDS

Christine is the Manager-State Government Affairs for TDS Telecom. In her role, Christine is responsible for tracking and advocating for legislation, regulatory requirements, and seeks opportunities for funding through programs which positively impact the business. She works closely with state legislatures, broadband associations, and public service commissions. She has over 17 years in the industry, and previously managed the Joint Use Pole Team for TDS nationwide. Christine lives in NH with her husband and two sons, and is currently on the Board of Directors for ME, NH, NY and VT Telephone Associations.

Robert Wrighter, Jr.

Archtop Fiber/Hancock Telephone

Rob is the former Chairman of the NYSTA Board. Rob has been associated with the telephone industry his whole life, being part of a family- owned company. He has been employed full time at the Hancock Telephone Company since 1985, where he has had many roles over the years from clearing rite of ways, central office switch installation and doing customer installs during Covid. Rob was the lead for their New York State Broadband grant in 2017 which enabled Hancock to fiber their complete territory, bringing multi-gig services to all customers. He served as the President of the company from 2019 until the company was sold to Archtop Fiber in October of 2023, and is now the VP of Operations / General Manager for the Hancock Office.

KEVIN LYNCH

SLIC Fiber/Nicholville Telephone

Kevin is CEO of SLIC Fiber, Northern New York’s fastest-growing fiber-optic telecommunications companies, delivering ultra-fast, reliable connectivity to communities that deserve world-class internet service.

With deep local roots dating back over 120 years to the Nicholville Telephone Company, SLIC Fiber is building a pure 100% fiber-to-the-home network that brings speeds up to 10 Gbps (and beyond) to residential and business customers across the North Country.

SLIC’s mission is straightforward: **Built Local. Connected Everywhere.** SLIC Fiber is committed to bridging the digital divide, eliminating outdated service frustrations (no contracts, no hidden fees), and driving economic opportunity through reliable broadband infrastructure. Whether it’s supporting remote work, education, healthcare, or local business growth, SLIC Fiber believes every community in our region should have access to future-proof connectivity.

PETER SAHARKO

Verizon

Peter is Senior Managing Associate General Counsel at Verizon.  He leads Verizon’s state regulatory and policy team. In that role, he successfully led Verizon’s efforts to secure regulatory approvals for the Frontier transaction across the country. Peter and his team support both regulatory and legislative policy priorities for Verizon in the states. Prior to taking on that role, he headed Verizon’s public sector partner and vendor negotiation team and served as Verizon’s public sector deal attorney, where he spearheaded Verizon’s negotiations with public sector entities like New York City, New York State, and Massachusetts. Peter joined Verizon after five years in a number of different roles at the Federal Communications Commission, most recently as an assistant divsion chief in the Competition Policy Division of the Wireline Competition Bureau. Before that, he was a litigator at Covington & Burling. Prior to his legal career, Peter worked as a New Jersey Statehouse journalist and in several government roles at the local, state, and federal levels. Peter is a graduate of Georgetown University, Columbia University School of Journalism, and George Washington Law School.

KEVIN KLOEHN

VantagePoint Solutions

Associate Member Board Representative Kevin Kloehn is the Vice President of Customer Relations at Vantage Point Solutions, where he serves as primary contact for the Northeastern portion of the country ranging from Wisconsin to Maryland to Maine. Kevin has worked in the industry for nearly 30 years and is known to be passionate about connectivity and a fierce advocate for developing strategic, technical, and regulatory solutions. Kevin also serves on the board of the Illinois Broadband and Telecom Association, the NTCA AMAC, and is the Associate Member Chairman for the Ohio Telecom Association. A lifelong fan of sports, history, and his family, Kevin is frequently found at a game or museum somewhere around the country. He offices out of his home in Milwaukee, WI.

CHRIS BROOKS

GoNetSpeed

Chris is the Senior Director of Operations at GoNetspeed, a fiber-to-the-premises internet service provider serving residential and business customers across multiple Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states. He has spent over 12 years in telecommunications, with a career focused on expanding broadband access to rural and underserved communities.

KEVIN ESPINOSA

Greenlight

Kevin J. Espinosa is the General Counsel at Greenlight Networks, a leading provider of high-speed fiber Internet services in New York State. He has extensive experience in the legal field, particularly within the financial and regulatory sectors. Espinosa’s role at Greenlight Networks involves providing critical legal and regulatory counsel, as well as strategic advice on broadband industry issues. He also leads initiatives aimed at mitigating and managing risk and overseeing contracts with strategic partners.

DAVID AVERY

Uniti

David Avery is the Vice President of Government Affairs at Uniti Group Inc., a premier insurgent fiber provider headquartered in Little Rock, Arkansas. In this role, he oversees federal and state government affairs, including the development of public policy and advocacy strategies, and coordinates engagement with legislators, regulators, and government officials

JOE TOMAINO

Newport Telephone

Joe is Vice President/General Manager of Newport Telephone Co/NTCNet and a recently elected to the NYSTA Board of Directors. In his role at Newport Telephone, Joe oversees the day to day operations of the company. Joe has been with Newport Telephone for 35 years with numerous roles in accounting/finance and management.

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