Windstream 2013 Annual Report Download - page 25

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Mr. Montgomery’s qualifications for election to the Board include his wide range of financial and business
experience. In his role as a member 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 54, has served as a director of Windstream since 2010 and serves as a member of the
Audit Committee and the Compensation Committee. He is a founding partner of Financial Advisory Partners, LLC,
which makes private equity investments and provides financial advisory services to mid-sized companies in the
Midwest. He served as Chief Executive Officer of Iowa Telecommunication Services, Inc. (“Iowa Telecom”) (NYSE:
IWA) from 2002 to 2010 and Chairman of its board of directors from 2004 to 2010. 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) (NYSE: MEC), a Des Moines, Iowa-based electric
and gas utility holding company, from 1997 until 1999. During the same period, Mr. Wells also served as President
of MidAmerican’s non-regulated businesses. Mr. Wells held various executive and management positions with
MidAmerican, its subsidiaries, and Iowa-Illinois Gas and Electric, one of its predecessors, from 1993 through 1999.
Prior to that, Mr. Wells was with Deloitte Consulting (previously Deloitte & Touche Consulting) and previously held
various positions with the Public Utility Commission of Texas and Illinois Power Company.
Mr. Wells’ qualifications for election to the Board include his broad background and experience, his wide
range of operational and financial experiences in regulated industries, and his prior experience as a senior executive
with two public companies. The Windstream Board has determined that Mr. Wells qualifies as an “audit committee
financial expert,” as defined by the rules of the SEC. Through his prior experience as a senior executive in the
telecommunications and other regulated industries, he has insight on managing complex regulated enterprises,
developing strategic plans in changing regulatory environments, overseeing financial reporting processes, and
executing large capital market transactions.
Board Recommendation
THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS UNANIMOUSLY RECOMMENDS THAT STOCKHOLDERS VOTE
“FOR” EACH OF THE FOREGOING NOMINEES.
PROXIES SOLICITED BY THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS WILL BE VOTED “FOR” EACH OF THE
FOREGOING NOMINEES UNLESS STOCKHOLDERS SPECIFY A CONTRARY VOTE.