Telephone and Data Systems TDS is passing the leadership torch, naming Walter C. D. Carlson as its new CEO as part of a broader leadership transition effort.
He is replacing LeRoy T. Carlson, Jr, who will assume a newly created Vice Chair position focusing on enterprise strategy and will continue to serve in his current role as Chair of the Board of UScellular.
LeRoy T. Carlson, Jr. became CEO in 1986, taking over from his father, who founded the company initially in 1968 when he purchased several rural Wisconsin telcos. He joined the company in 1974 as a vice president. He was named president in 1981 and chief executive officer in 1986. Carlson is also chair of the board of TDS' publicly traded subsidiary, UScellular.
Since 1981, Walter Carlson has served on the TDS Board and has been the non-executive Chair since 2002.
As Board Chair, Carlson guided TDS through various key transformations, including the emergence and development of the wireless industry and the growth of UScellular, the transformation of TDS Telecom from a telephone company to a broadband company, and the recent strategic review process relating to UScellular. He will continue to serve as Chair of the TDS Board and a member of the Board of UScellular.
Before joining TDS as CEO, Walter Carlson was an attorney at Sidley Austin LLP for over 44 years, including 37 years as a partner. He served in various leadership roles at the firm, including as a member of its Executive Committee from 2002–2018 and as the head of its securities and shareholder litigation practice for several years.
Walter Carlson is a nationally recognized securities litigator who has led numerous high-performing teams that have achieved successful results for clients. He earned his bachelor's degree from Yale University and his J.D. from Harvard University Law School.
Christopher D. O'Leary has also been appointed Lead Independent Director for the TDS Board of Directors. O'Leary has served on the TDS Board since 2006 and has decades of public company executive leadership experience.
O'Leary said, "As a long-serving board member of both TDS and UScellular, Walter is fully steeped in all our businesses and is deeply committed to leading the enterprise through this substantial transformation."
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Sean Buckley
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