Farewell...With Thanks!

After more than a dozen years as President of your association, and a 40+ year career in the telecommunications industry, I've decided to take retirement on December 31 of this year. For me, it has been an honor to serve this industry and its leading non-profit trade group.

Having been a member of TIA's Board of Directors on behalf of a manufacturer member starting in 1988, I long ago learned the very high value of the work done by TIA in the fields of public policy, technical standards and development of marketplace opportunities through vehicles such as trade shows. That important effort will continue to be guided by the Executive Committee and Board, while the staff is capably led by Grant Seiffert, who recently was unanimously promoted to President by the Board. Grant has very ably served TIA for a decade in charge of domestic and global policy, and most recently as Executive Vice President. Before that he worked five years on the staff of Arizona Senator John McCain.

For me, the past 12 years at TIA have been the highlight of my career, which included service as president and CEO of a member company. Clearly, the association is now an industry leader in lobbying and advocacy around the world. Our work as an accredited standards development organization is vital to thousands of companies and their products. And the success of SUPERCOMM® and GLOBALCOMM™, as well as the announcement of NXTcomm for June 18-21, 2007, at Chicago's McCormick Place with USTelecom, have provided and will continue to create significant business opportunities for companies like yours.

With NXTcomm focused on the converged future of communications, information technology and entertainment, the new trade show is poised to be the premier event in our industry. Likewise, TIA itself should be even more successful with the rise of the new show. It has been my pleasure to have been part of the progress so far, and I certainly look forward to watching continued achievements in years to come.

My sincere thanks to all who have generously volunteered their time and funds to help the industry and the association, as well as to those who have helped guide me and the staff of TIA. I'll be consulting with the association for a few months on an as-needed basis; I'll continue to serve on one telecom company Board of Directors; and I am hoping to get in a little more golf and boating in the Myrtle Beach area. Meanwhile, I hope you will continue to support Grant and the staff, as well as NXTcomm 2007 and TIA's many other programs. Having worked on both sides of the fence, I know they are important for the industry as a whole - and particularly valuable for the member companies. Best wishes to all.

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