Gary Bolton to become new president, CEO of Fiber Broadband Association
Via a letter to members signed by Board Chair Katie Espeseth, the Fiber Broadband Association has revealed that Gary Bolton, currently vice president of global marketing and government affairs at communications technology developer ADTRAN, will become president and CEO of the organization starting the first of next month. He will take the place of Lisa Youngers, who is leaving for what the letter describes as “a new industry opportunity.”
“I’m pleased to have Gary join the Fiber Broadband Association at this critical time for the industry — a time when COVID-19 has laid bare the profound importance of connectivity for all of us,” Espeseth wrote. “The role of the Fiber Broadband Association is to continue to be the industry resource, educator, and advocate to accelerate the deployment of all-fiber networks. And Gary is the best leader to help continue that mission.”
Bolton joined ADTRAN in 2008, after marketing roles at Hatteras Networks, Ciena, Catena Networks, and Nortel. He is also an adjunct professor in the college of business at the University of Alabama in Huntsville, where ADTRAN is headquartered.
“The Fiber Broadband Association is the industry’s voice for fiber broadband, and I am thrilled to join the Association in this leadership role,” Bolton wrote within the letter. “Every day, our members work tirelessly to deliver the best broadband connectivity to businesses and communities from coast to coast. I know this work well — I have built a career on it — and I look forward to bringing these experiences to help the Association work towards a faster, more efficient, better-connected world.”
Youngers is leaving the association after having come aboard in her current role in July 2018 (see "Lisa Youngers named executive director of the Fiber Broadband Association"). She had previously been CEO of NextLink Wireless and had previous communications industry experience, with a legal bent, at XO Communications, GCI General Communication, and MCI.
“It has been a distinct pleasure working alongside all of you and contributing to our shared mission to better connect our world,” she wrote as part of the letter. “I have had the pleasure of working with Gary in his role on our Board and I trust this organization and our shared work in his hands. I wish him, our members, and our Board all the best. Thank you!”
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Stephen Hardy | Editorial Director and Associate Publisher, Lightwave
Stephen Hardy is editorial director and associate publisher of Lightwave and Broadband Technology Report, part of the Lighting & Technology Group at Endeavor Business Media. Stephen is responsible for establishing and executing editorial strategy across the both brands’ websites, email newsletters, events, and other information products. He has covered the fiber-optics space for more than 20 years, and communications and technology for more than 35 years. During his tenure, Lightwave has received awards from Folio: and the American Society of Business Press Editors (ASBPE) for editorial excellence. Prior to joining Lightwave in 1997, Stephen worked for Telecommunications magazine and the Journal of Electronic Defense.
Stephen has moderated panels at numerous events, including the Optica Executive Forum, ECOC, and SCTE Cable-Tec Expo. He also is program director for the Lightwave Innovation Reviews and the Diamond Technology Reviews.
He has written numerous articles in all aspects of optical communications and fiber-optic networks, including fiber to the home (FTTH), PON, optical components, DWDM, fiber cables, packet optical transport, optical transceivers, lasers, fiber optic testing, and more.
You can connect with Stephen on LinkedIn as well as Twitter.