Windstream has appointed Jeannie H. Diefenderfer and Larry Laque to the company’s board of directors.
Diefenderfer and Laque qualify as independent board members under Nasdaq-listing requirements. Diefenderfer will serve on the board’s governance committee, and Laque will serve on the audit committee.
“I am very pleased to welcome Jeannie and Larry to the board,” said Tony Thomas, president and CEO of Windstream. “Both have deep experience in communications and technology. Their expertise and insight will be beneficial to Windstream and our shareholders.”
Diefenderfer, 54, is founder and CEO of courageNpurpose. She also has nearly 30 years of technical and operational leadership experience with Verizon Communications. She served as senior vice president of customer care and operations for Verizon Business from 2010 to 2012, and held senior leadership positions in global network engineering, planning and procurement at Verizon.
Diefenderfer is also an independent director on the boards of MRV Communications and Westell Technologies, an advisory board member of Vasona Networks and a member of the Accenture Network Advisory Council. She also is a trustee of Tufts University. She holds a bachelor of science in chemical engineering from Tufts University, and an MBA from Babson College.
Laque, 57, serves as executive vice president of global real estate and facilities for Discovery Communications. With more than 30 years of experience in technical planning and operations, Laque is responsible for developing and implementing workplace strategy, including technical facility infrastructure across 82 offices in more than 35 countries for the global media company.
Laque previously served as executive vice president and co-CIO and co-head of enterprise operational services for Discovery, where he oversaw global IT infrastructure for the company. Prior to joining Discovery, Laque served in various leadership positions in network planning, operations and customer service at MCI Communications.
Laque also serves on the board of Shepherd’s Table, a Silver Spring-based nonprofit organization that provides basic services to homeless and in-need individuals in the greater Washington, D.C. area. He holds a bachelor of arts in business administration from North Carolina State University and an MBA from The George Washington University.
Meanwhile, Judy K. Jones and William A. ‘Bill’ Montgomery will not stand for re-election in May, and will depart the board when their terms expire. Jones and Montgomery have served as directors of Windstream since its formation in 2006.
“Judy and Bill have provided exceptional guidance while steering the company through tremendous change in our industry,” said Jeff Hinson, chairman of the board of Windstream, on behalf of the board. “They have been valuable contributors to Windstream’s success, and we appreciate their decade of service on our board.”
