New content launching July 21 at 9:00am ET

The Small and Diverse Business Summit is an exclusive opportunity to meet with small and diverse owned businesses and top-notch corporate procurement decision makers for business opportunities within the connectivity sector. Now more than ever the United States and world are relying on the wireless ecosystem to ensure connectivity and continue moving forward. Our goal through the Expo is to ensure we are the gateway to procurement opportunities for the small and diverse businesses who are the backbone of our economy.

Marc C. Ganzi is a Founder and CEO of Digital Bridge Holdings, a leading global investor and owner of mobile and internet infrastructure. Since its inception in 2013, Digital Bridge has raised over $6.5 billion of debt and equity capital to acquire and invest in the development of communications infrastructure businesses, including DataBank, Vantage Data Centers, ExteNet Systems, Vertical Bridge, Andean Tower Partners and Mexico Tower Partners. Mr. Ganzi is widely recognized as a leading visionary and entrepreneur driving communications infrastructure deployment across the Americas. Prior to Digital Bridge, Mr. Ganzi was the sole founder and CEO of Global Tower Partners (GTP), which grew from its inception in 2003 to become the largest privately-owned tower company in the US at the time of its sale to American Tower Corporation in 2013 for $4.8 billion. At GTP, Mr. Ganzi led the Company on its impressive growth trajectory by executing on a series of strategic acquisitions, innovative build-to-suit agreements with wireless carriers and ground-breaking financings in the credit markets. Prior to the formation of Global Tower Partners, Mr. Ganzi worked as a consulting partner for DB Capital Partners in New York City from 2000 to 2002 where he was tasked with overseeing the institution’s investments in the Latin American tower sector. Prior to his tenure at DB Capital, Mr. Ganzi was the President and co-founder of Apex Site Management, the largest third party manager of wireless and wireline communication sites in the United States. Apex merged with SpectraSite Communications in 2000 to create the largest telecommunications site portfolio in the United States at the time. Mr. Ganzi was also a co-founder of Eureka Broadband Corporation, a leading provider of high-speed data and telephony services to major office buildings in the United States. Mr. Ganzi also enjoyed a successful tenure for the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Foreign Commercial Service Department as an assistant Commercial Attaché in Madrid, Spain in 1990. In addition, Mr. Ganzi served as a Presidential Intern in the White House for the Bush administration in the Office of Special Activities and Initiatives for the Honorable Stephen M. Studdert in 1989. Mr. Ganzi holds a BS from the Wharton School of Business. He is a member of the Wireless Infrastructure Associations (WIA) and the Young Presidents’ Organization (YPO). Mr. Ganzi currently sits on the boards of: DataBank, Vantage Data Centers, ExteNet Systems, Vertical Bridge and Andean Tower Partners.

Moderator

Jonathan Adelstein, President and CEO, Wireless Infrastructure Association

Speakers

David Weisman, President, CEO, and Co-Founder, Insite Wireless Group
Jeff Stoops, President and Chief Executive Officer, SBA Communications
Alex Gellman, Chief Executive Officer, Vertical Bridge
Steven Vondran, Executive Vice President and President, U.S. Tower Division, American Tower
Jay Brown, President and Chief Executive Officer, Crown Castle

Edward Parkinson has over a decade of experience in politics and public safety communications. Currently, he serves as the Chief Executive Officer for the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet). In an earlier role at FirstNet as the Executive Director for Government Affairs, Edward was responsible for developing a 50 state political strategy which incorporated all Congressional members, Governors, state legislatures, tribal governments, and local elected officials. This strategy involved the recruitment and management of a highly skilled team, and the execution of a yearlong national strategy that resulted in all 56 states and territories opting-into FirstNet. FirstNet is leading the world in public safety broadband and the Internet of Public Safety Things (IOPST), a holistic environment of interconnected devices all designed to improve public safety. Also the mitigation of cyber risks, the development of an application and device ecosystems, and numerous other market driven initiatives. As a result of the success of FirstNet, almost 20 other nations are developing their own public safety broadband systems. Prior to joining FirstNet, Edward was a Professional Staff Member with the U.S. House Homeland Security Committee where he specialized in policy and legislation related to emergency communications, national security, intelligence, and cybersecurity. He has worked in the private sector for McKenna, Long, and Aldridge, LLC, a national law firm, and a Kearsarge Global Advisors, an international political consultancy. Mr. Parkinson hold degrees from Georgetown University (M.A), and WITS University, South Africa (B.A., Hons).

Heidi currently serves as Vice President, Network Engineering, for Verizon’s Global Network and Technology organization. In this role, she is responsible for the national deployment of 5G technology, oversees overall Network performance, and leads a project management team responsible for launching large infrastructure projects as well as the support for new products and services. Heidi also leads the centralized Real Estate & Regulatory, In-Building/Venues, and Process Enablement teams. Prior to this role, Heidi led the Network Transformation Office, Network Capital Strategy team, and Corporate Sourcing. She has over 20 years of experience in the telecommunication industry in operational field roles, process and program management, as well as financial and technical strategy. She has led efforts to standardize and optimize processes, rationalize and create systems, automate non-value work, and developed workforce strategies in support of migration to the technology architecture of the future all while creating material cost efficiencies. In support of this work, Heidi serves as a positive role model for change and drives the culture needed to accept, adopt, and embrace the large scale evolution required. She also serves as the Network and IT liaison to the other business units and corporate shared service teams to affect enterprise wide shifts in the way Verizon works. Heidi was born and raised in New Jersey where she still resides with her husband, her teenage daughter, a faithful Hound dog and a crazy Australian Cattle dog. She graduated from Duke University with a B.S. in Zoology with a specialization in animal behavior.

Thomas A. Bartlett joined American Tower in April 2009 as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer and assumed the role of Treasurer from February 2012 until December 2013, and again from June 2017 until June 2018. Prior to that, Mr. Bartlett served as Senior Vice President and Corporate Controller with Verizon Communications, Inc. from November 2005. In this role, he was responsible for corporate-wide accounting, tax planning and compliance, SEC financial reporting, budget reporting and analysis and capital expenditures planning functions. Mr. Bartlett previously held the roles of Senior Vice President and Treasurer, as well as Senior Vice President, Investor Relations. During his 25-year career with Verizon Communications and its predecessor companies and affiliates, he served in numerous operations and business development roles, including President and Chief Executive Officer of Bell Atlantic International Wireless from 1995 through 2000, where he was responsible for wireless activities in North America, Latin America, Europe and Asia. In addition, Mr. Bartlett served as CEO of Iusacell, a publicly traded, nationwide cellular company in Mexico; CEO of Verizon's Global Solutions Inc., a global connectivity business providing lit and dark fiber primarily to global enterprises; and an area President for Verizon’s U.S. wireless business, responsible for all operational aspects in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states. Mr. Bartlett began his career at Deloitte, Haskins & Sells. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of Equinix, Inc. Mr. Bartlett earned an M.B.A. from Rutgers University, a Bachelor of Science in Engineering from Lehigh University and was also a Certified Public Accountant.

Niklas Heuveldop is the President and CEO of Ericsson North America, serving Ericsson’s customers in the United States and Canada with industry-leading technology and services. Heuveldop most recently served as Chief Strategy Officer and Head of Group Function Technology & Emerging Business, a new position which combined the Corporate Strategy and Technology functions, Ericsson Research, Business Innovation, Mergers & Acquisitions, Emerging Business and focused on the Internet of Things, as well as Information Technology and Ericsson’s Digital Transformation. Prior to that role, Heuveldop was Chief Customer Officer and Head of Group Function Sales. He started at Ericsson in 1993 and has served in various international assignments across the Americas and Europe, including as Head of Global Customer Unit AT&T and Head of Market Unit Central America & Caribbean. From 2001 to 2005, Heuveldop led venture capital-backed technology start-ups, first as COO at WaterCove Networks, which was acquired by Alcatel in 2003, and then as CEO at ServiceFactory, a management buyout from Swedish operator Telia. Heuveldop holds a Master of Science in Industrial Engineering & Management from the Institute of Technology, Linköping University, Sweden.

Michael O'Rielly was nominated for a seat on the Federal Communications Commission by President Barack Obama and was sworn into office in November 2013. In January 2015, he was confirmed and sworn into office for a second term, which extends until June 30, 2019. Prior to joining the agency, Commissioner O'Rielly spent almost 20 years working in prominent Republican communication policy and leadership positions for the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate. Most recently, he served as a Policy Advisor in the Office of the Senate Republican Whip, led by U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R-TX). Commissioner O'Rielly received his B.A. from the University of Rochester.

Brendan Carr was nominated to serve as a Commissioner of the FCC by President Donald J. Trump, and he was confirmed unanimously by the United States Senate in 2017. In 2019, Carr was nominated by the President and confirmed by the Senate to serve a new, five-year term. He focuses on regulatory reforms that will help create jobs and grow the economy for the benefit of all Americans. He is leading the FCC's work to modernize the infrastructure rules governing the buildout of 5G and other next-gen networks. His reforms are predicted to cut billions of dollars in red tape and have already accelerated 5G builds—helping to bring more broadband to more Americans. By updating our country's infrastructure rules, he's helped extend U.S. leadership in 5G and ensured that rural America has a fair shot at next generation connectivity. Carr is also focused on expanding America's skilled workforce—the tower climbers and construction crews needed to build next-gen networks. His jobs initiative promotes community colleges, technical schools, and apprenticeships as a pipeline for good-paying 5G jobs. And he is recognizing America's talented and hardworking tower crews through a series of "5G Ready" Hard Hat presentations. Carr is also leading an FCC telehealth initiative, which is designed to drive down healthcare costs while improving outcomes for veterans, low-income, and rural Americans. Time outside of Washington has informed Commissioner Carr's regulatory approach. Nearly every month, he hits the road to hear directly from the construction crews and tower techs who are building our country's infrastructure. He's seen firsthand how connectivity is growing the economy—from small-town manufacturing plants to the farmers and ranchers that are using broadband for Smart Ag. Back at the FCC, Commissioner Carr has built on the ideas he's heard from the community members, public safety officials, and local leaders he's met at town halls and events in 33 states over the past two years. Commissioner Carr brings a dozen years of private and public sector experience in communications and tech policy to his role as Commissioner. Previously, he served as General Counsel of the FCC, representing the agency in court and serving as the chief legal advisor to the Commission. He first joined the FCC as a staffer in 2012 and worked on spectrum policy and competition matters for a number of FCC offices. Prior to joining the agency, Commissioner Carr worked as an attorney at Wiley Rein LLP in the firm's appellate, litigation, and telecom practices. He litigated cases involving the First Amendment and the Communications Act. A graduate of Georgetown University, Commissioner Carr clerked on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit for Judge Dennis W. Shedd. He graduated magna cum laude from law school at the Catholic University of America where he served as an editor of the Catholic University Law Review. Commissioner Carr grew up in Virginia and now lives in Washington, DC with his wife and three children.

Doug Smith is President and Chief Executive Officer for Ligado Networks and is responsible for directing the vision of the company and managing every aspect of its dayto- day operations. He leads efforts to utilize its state-of-the-art communications assets in operating a network solutions firm designed to extend coverage, increase capacity, and accelerate the delivery of next-generation technology for America’s wireless and critical infrastructure industries. With more than 25 years of domestic and international telecom and wireless industry experience, Doug has engineered, built, and launched nationwide networks for GTE, Nextel, Sprint Nextel, and Clearwire. From the outset of the commercial cellular industry, Doug has been involved with the development and technical support of several nationwide cellular networks spanning every generation of technology from the first analog networks through today’s state-ofthe- art systems. Joining Nextel when it was a start-up company, Doug helped build the business from the ground up. He was responsible for the design and operation of Nextel’s nationwide network consisting of more than 20,000 cells and serving more than 20 million subscribers. Following that network deployment, he served as Sprint’s Senior Vice President and Chief Technical Operations Officer and embarked on the deployment of the company’s 4G network. Doug received a Master of Science in Management of Technology from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from Merrimack College.

Bala Ganesh leads the Advanced Technology Group at UPS, overseeing efforts to apply cutting edge technologies to create UPS’ Smart Logistics Network. Ganesh previously directed marketing strategy for UPS's retail and consumer goods segment. He joined UPS in 2012 as product manager supporting UPS My Choice and social media/mobile integration within the company's Customer Technology Management group. Prior to joining UPS, Ganesh was responsible for strategy development and mergers and acquisitions with the healthcare procurement company, MedAssets. From 2006 to 2010, he led consulting project teams for McKinsey & Co. Ganesh has also worked as a researcher at the Georgia Institute of Technology, where he earned a PhD in Aerospace Engineering and an MBA. Early in his career, Bala was a pilot in the Indian Air Force.

Jonathan S. Adelstein is the President & CEO of the Wireless Infrastructure Association (WIA). WIA represents nearly 200 companies devoted to building wireless broadband facilities that connect every corner of America. Since he became President in 2012, over 100 new members have joined the association, the annual wireless infrastructure show has broken participation records, a new association was formed in Europe, and a new nationwide training initiative and WIA PAC were launched. WIA is the principal organization representing the companies that build, design, own and manage telecommunications facilities throughout the world. Its members include carriers, infrastructure providers and professional services firms, with a combined market cap of over $400 billion. Mr. Adelstein served as Commissioner of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) from 2002 to 2009, for which he was twice nominated by President George W. Bush and confirmed by the U.S. Senate. At the FCC he achieved bipartisan progress on issues including broadband expansion, widening access to the Internet and media diversity. In 2009, following the FCC, Mr. Adelstein was nominated by President Barack Obama and confirmed by the Senate to serve as the Administrator of U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Utilities Service. There, he oversaw a $60 billion portfolio of rural electric, water, and telecommunications infrastructure loans. He spearheaded the strategic investment of nearly $7 billion under the Recovery Act into rural broadband and water infrastructure, as part of annual budgets of up to $15 billion. As a member of the Obama Administration, Mr. Adelstein was appointed as a member of the White House National Science and Technology Council, which coordinates science and technology policy across the Federal government, and the White House Business Council, leading Council meetings with business leaders across America. Previously, Mr. Adelstein held a number of legislative staff positions over 15 years in the U.S. Senate, culminating as a senior policy advisor to the Senate Majority Leader. Mr. Adelstein received an M.A. in History and a B.A., with Distinction, in Political Science from Stanford University. He attended the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, and served as a Teaching Fellow in history at Harvard University and a Teaching Assistant at Stanford University. He is a graduate of Phillips Academy, Andover. He was born and raised in Rapid City, South Dakota. An avid musician, he has performed with artists from local garage bands to members of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He currently lives with his wife and two children in the Washington, D.C. area.

There is no doubt that there will be a significant cost to human life and economic distress due to the Covid-19 pandemic. What exactly will be the implications for the wireless infrastructure industry from the crisis? What are the hallmarks of the companies who are best weathering the storm, and what are the likely implications for regional and mid-tier owners and site services companies in the next 1 to 2 years? This session features a panel of stakeholders in wireless infrastructure offering insight into the new normal for 5G infrastructure services and infrastructure firms.