Methode names sales director
Martin Sheppard has been named sales director at Methode Fibre Optics-Europe Ltd. in Haverhill, Suffolk, UK. Formerly, he was associated with bicc for 19 years and was responsible for establishing and monitoring overseas business units. Most recently, he was involved in the development of the bicc Brand-Rex MilleniuM structured cabling program.
Lisa Coffman has been appointed vice president of North American operations for reltec Corp., Cleveland, OH. Before joining the company, she worked at Motorola for 15 years, most recently in manufacturing operations.
Benjamin L. Scott has been appointed president and chief executive of ixc Communications Inc., Austin, TX, and has been named to the board of directors. He has more than 26 years` telecommunications experience, most recently with PrimeCo Personal Communications L.P., the joint venture of Bell Atlantic, US West, and Airtouch. Previously, he worked at Bell Atlantic and at&t Corp.
Jennifer S. Larkey has been appointed director of marketing at Omaha, NE-based mfs Network Technologies Inc., a subsidiary of WorldCom Inc. Before joining the company, she was associated with O`Connor Kenny Advertising and Cylix Communications.
Steven C. Goldfarb has been named senior communications consultant at Henkels & McCoy Inc., Blue Bell, PA. Previously, he was lead communications systems specialist with Kling Lindquist, an architectural and engineering firm.
Michael J. Fitzpatrick has been named president and chief executive at e-tek Dynamics Inc., San Jose, CA. Previously, he was president and chief executive of Pacific Telesis Enterprises, with overall responsibility for wireless mobile phones, video, public phones, voice mail, and Internet content.
Anita J. Brearton has been appointed vice president of marketing at Marlborough, MA-based Artel Video Systems Inc. She has more than 15 years` experience working in a high-technology environment, both in the United States and throughout the Asia Pacific. Before joining Artel, she was director of worldwide marketing programs for Cascade Communications.
James Mikkelson has been appointed chief technical officer and Jeanne Johnson has been named vice president of human resources, both at Vitesse Semiconductor Corp., Camarillo, CA. Mikkelson is co-founder of Vitesse and has served as vice president of integrated circuit operations since its inception in 1987. Before joining the company, he was project manager at Hewlett-Packard Co. Johnson has been director of human resources since 1987. Previously, she spent 10 years in various roles relating to human resource management.
Richard H. Wills has been named president of Tektronix Inc.`s Americas Operation in Wilsonville, OR. He has been associated with Tektronix for 18 years and has extensive experience in sales. Wills directed marketing for the company`s Measurement Business Div. from 1993 to 1995 and headed the instruments business unit since February 1995. Balaji Krishnamurthy has been appointed vice president of design, service, and test, one of two business units within the Measurement Business Div. He joined the company 13 years ago and managed the computer research laboratory within Tektronix Laboratories. Krishnamurthy held various management positions within the organization, most recently as vice president of central engineering in 1996. Before joining Tektronix, he worked at General Electric.
Bill Caldwell has been named to the new position of vice chairman of McLean, VA-based cais Internet and parent company cgx Communications. He has expertise in marketing, financial management, and overall corporate management. Previously, Caldwell worked at Van Vorst Industries, Flying Tiger Line Inc., and Digital Satellite Broadcasting Co. He was also the founder of The Union Jack Group.
Michael R. Carter has been appointed vice president of sales for Fiber Optic Center Inc., New Bedford, MA. He spent 12 years with amp Inc., and more recently, was director of fiber-optic products at Augat Inc.
Dan Bergen has been promoted to general manager of itt Cannon Connectors North America, Santa Ana, CA. He joined the company in 1988 and most recently served as director of marketing and sales. itt Cannon is a division of itt Industries.
George N. Benjamin III has been named president of Willimantic, CT-based bicc Brand-Rex Co. and vice president of bicc Cables Corp. in West Nyack, NY. In the last decade, he has managed transitions, turnarounds, business expansion, mergers, and acquisitions for domestic and international companies in the telecommunications and electronic equipment industries. Former employers include Ericsson Inc., Trig Systems llc, and Adage Inc.
Gary Smith has been named vice president of international sales and Michael Fagen has been appointed vice president of new market development, a new post, both at ciena Corp., Linthicum, MD. Before joining ciena, Smith was vice president of worldwide sales and marketing at intelstat. He has 18 years` experience in global telecommunications markets. Fagen formerly directed international activities for ciena in Europe and the Far East.
Elder Branco Candido Ferreira has been named Latin America area manager and Michael P. Arnot Latin America regional sales manager for Mexico, Central America, and the Andean region, both for the Data Cables Div. of alcaltel Cable Systems Inc., New Holland, PA. Before joining alcatel, Branco worked at at&t Network Systems Brasil and Global Information Solutions. Previously, he worked for Cabletron Systems and Embratel. Arnot joined alcatel in 1994; before that, he was manager of international sales for the Essex Group Inc., and manager of Mexico sales and service center manager for Essex tpd.
Gary Farrar has been appointed manufacturing engineer by fons Corp., Northboro, MA. Formerly, he worked at Digital Equipment Corp. for 21 years, and was a professional consultant for four years, with experience in new process design and implementation, warehouse design, manufacturing cost analysis, just-in-time manufacturing, and iso quality documentation.
Emmanuel Vella has been promoted to vice president of product management in the Active Electronics group of antec Corp., Rolling Meadows, IL. Vella began his career at antec as an assistant product manager for the optics group in Denver, CO.
Michael F. McGuire has been appointed director of fiber-optic operations at Americable Inc., Eden Prairie, MN. Previously, he worked for 12 years at adc Telecommunications Inc., where he was responsible for new product development. He has also worked at Valtec, Aetna Telecommunications Laboratories, ofti, and adc Fiber Optics.
Delwin L. Bothof has been named first president of Advanced Network Applications in the communications group of The Williams Companies Inc., Tulsa, OK. He was founding president of Vyvx Inc., also a Williams unit. Laura A. Kenny has been promoted to Vyvx president. She has been vice president of marketing at Vyvx since 1996. Bothof joined Vyvx in 1989; before that, he was a partner and president of Tritek Communications Inc., director of corporate planning and development for BellSouth Corp., vice president of marketing for Scientific-Atlanta, and held various positions in the Delcon Div. of Hewlett-Packard. Previously, Kenny was responsible for sales and marketing planning at at&t Communication Services, and established a software training institute in Singapore in collaboration with Bell Labs.
Bob Stanzione has been named president and chief operating officer of antec Corp., Rolling Meadows, IL. Most recently, he was president and chief executive of Arris Interactive llc, a Nortel/antec joint venture. Before that, he was vice president of the at&t (Lucent) Broadband Business Unit, involved with hybrid fiber/coaxial-cable and switched digital technologies, including LaserLink.
Lynne Ross has been appointed market development manager for Aloha Conferencing Services Inc., Honolulu, HI, a subsidiary of Cable & Wireless Inc. Before that, she was major accounts manager for Aloha, where she was responsible for national accounts.
Donald E. Lawson has been promoted to president and chief operating officer of LightPath Technologies Inc., Albuquerque, NM. He was executive vice president and chief operating officer. Before joining LightPath, he was vice president of operations at Lukens Medical Corp., and held several management positions with Ethicon Inc., a division of Johnson & Johnson.
Sanford D. Lyons has been named executive vice president of operations for Siecor Corp., Hickory, NC. Before assuming his new post, he was vice president and director of strategic planning and business development at Siecor. Previously, he was director of sales and marketing at Times Fiber Corp., responsible for international sales of coaxial-cable products, as well as for customer service and corporate communications.
Joe Cozzolino has been appointed vice president of North American sales, and Douglas Smidl vice president of marketing, for the Homeworx group in the Broadband Communications Div. of adc Telecommunications Inc., Minneapolis, MN. Cozzolino, based in Meriden, CT, was most recently vice president of sales for cable TV in the division. Smidl, who has 17 years` experience at adc, was the division`s vice president of telephone company sales for the U.S. market. Before that, he was senior manager of adc transmission products.
Walt Prusak has been appointed vice president of marketing, and Rich Schroder vice president of engineering, for Transmission Products, Bedford, TX, a business unit of reltec Corp. Prusak was director of marketing for Access Products at reltec. Before that, he worked at various high-technology companies, including dsc Communications and at&t. Schroder has 18 years` experience in the telecommunications industry, including positions with dsc Communications and Siemens Communications Systems.
The staff of Lightwave lost an inspiration and a friend with the death January 3 of Heather Williamson Messenger, executive editor/features, at our sister publication, Laser Focus World. Heather`s knowledge of photonics was matched only by her dedication to high journalistic standards and her enthusiasm and joy in her work. She took great pride in teaching the staffers who worked for her the ins and outs of writing and editing the LFW way--through personal meetings, encouraging phone calls, and supportive memos and notes. The rest of us she taught equally valuable lessons by example. Heather`s death leaves a void at PennWell and within the photonics community at large. She will be greatly missed.