Windstream 2011 Annual Report Download - page 13

Judy K. Jones, age 68, has served as a director of Windstream since its formation in 2006. Ms. Jones
serves as a member of the Audit Committee and the Governance Committee. She is currently a member
of the board of directors of Lovelace Respiratory Research Institute (LRRI) and of the Mind Research
Network, a wholly-owned non-for-profit subsidiary of LRRI. She held various senior administrative
positions at the University of New Mexico from 1988 to 2006, including Vice President for
Advancement, Associate Vice President for Strategic Initiatives (Health Sciences Center) and Chief of
Staff to the President of the University. She also held senior administrative positions with New Mexico
state government and is a former management consultant serving public sector clients for a major national
accounting firm.
Ms. Jones’ qualifications for election to the Board include her expertise in financial accounting matters.
Through her prior experience as a senior executive at a state university and in state government and on
the boards of non-profit institutions, Ms. Jones has experience in reviewing and evaluating financial
statements, financial budgets and forecasts, investment portfolios of public endowments, and other public
finance matters. The Windstream Board has determined that Ms. Jones qualifies as an “audit committee
financial expert,” as defined by the rules of the SEC. Her broad state government and higher education
experience also allows her to offer insights and perspectives on government policy, structure and
operations; public relations and marketing issues; the needs of higher education and government entities,
which are an important customer segment for Windstream; and information technology and strategic
planning.
William A. Montgomery, age 63, has served as a director of Windstream since its formation in 2006.
Mr. Montgomery serves as Chairman of the Compensation Committee and is a member of the
Governance Committee. Mr. Montgomery has been a private investor since 1999. From 1989 to 1999,
Mr. Montgomery was Chief Executive Officer of SA-SO Company, a company engaged in the
distribution of municipal and traffic control products based in Dallas, Texas. Prior to 1989,
Mr. Montgomery worked as a registered representative in the financial services industry and has over 12
years of experience in the financial services industry, most recently serving with Morgan Stanley in the
Private Client Services group from 1985 to 1989. Mr. Montgomery currently serves as a director of Hicks
Acquisition Corp. II, Inc., whose equity securities are registered under the Securities Exchange Act of
1934. Hicks Acquisition Corp. II, Inc. does not have any operations and was formed for the purpose of
effecting a merger or other business combination with one or more businesses. Mr. Montgomery
previously served as a director with Hicks Acquisition Corp. I, Inc., from its inception in 2007 through
the consummation of a business combination with Resolute Energy Corporation in 2009.
Mr. Montgomery’s qualifications for election to the Board include his wide range of financial and
business experience. In his current role as Chair of the Compensation Committee of Windstream and
through his professional career including his prior role as a chief executive officer of a private company,
Mr. Montgomery has experience in strategic planning, risk management, compensation plans and
policies, and capital market transactions. Mr. Montgomery’s service on the boards of non-profit
organizations also provides him with a broad perspective on the challenges and opportunities facing
Windstream and the communities it serves.
Alan L. Wells, age 52, has served as a director of Windstream since June 2010 and served as Chief
Executive Officer of Iowa Telecommunication Services, Inc. (“Iowa Telecom”) from 2002 to 2010 and
Chairman of the board of directors from 2004 to 2010. In 2011, Mr. Wells became a founding partner of
Financial Advisory Partners, LLC, located in Johnston, Iowa, which makes private equity investments
and provides financial advisory services to mid-sized companies in the Midwest. He joined Iowa Telecom
in 1999 as President and Chief Operating Officer, and was appointed to the role of President and Chief
Executive Officer in 2002. Prior to joining Iowa Telecom, Mr. Wells was Senior Vice President and Chief
Financial Officer at MidAmerican Energy Holdings Company (MidAmerican), a Des Moines, Iowa-based
electric and gas utility holding company, from 1997 until 1999. During the same period, Mr. Wells also
7