Windstream 2014 Annual Report Download - page 22

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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 G. LaPerch, age 59, has served as a director of Windstream since September 2014 and is a member
of the Compensation and Governance Committees. Mr. LaPerch has been President of LaPerch Consulting, LLC
(a provider of consulting services to private equity firms) from September 2012 to the present. From 2003 to 2012,
Mr. LaPerch served as the President and Chief Executive Officer and a member of the board of directors of AboveNet,
Inc. (formerly NYSE: ABVT), then a publicly traded provider of bandwidth infrastructure services, prior to which he
served as Senior Vice President Operations at AboveNet. Prior to joining AboveNet, Mr. LaPerch served in executive
management positions at Metromedia Fiber Network (a provider of metro fiber services) from 2000 to 2003, several
leadership roles in the operations and engineering groups at MCI Worldcom, Inc. (a global communications company)
from 1989 to 2000, and key operations and engineering positions at NYNEX Corporation (a regional telephone
company) from 1982 to 1989. Mr. LaPerch is currently a member of the Board of Directors of Imation Corp. (NYSE:
IMN), serving as a member of its Audit and Finance Committee and the chair of its Compensation Committee; a
member of the Board of Directors and Audit Committee of Digital Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE: DLR); and a member
of the board of directors of several privately held network services companies.
Mr. LaPerch’s qualifications for election to the Board include his ability to provide guidance and perspective on
a wide range of issues facing Windstream based on his long tenure as a senior executive in the telecommunications
industry and as former President and CEO of a publicly-traded telecommunications company. His operational
experience in unique aspects of Windstream’s business, including bandwidth consumption, colocation,
interconnection, and the complex regulatory framework in which the company operates, provides Mr. LaPerch with
a deep understanding of Windstream’s business and opportunities available to the Company. Through his current
board service for two public companies, including serving on the Audit and Compensation Committees of those
companies, and his past and present involvement with several private companies, Mr. LaPerch has valuable expertise
regarding corporate governance matters and can provide key insight to the Board on these matters.
William A. Montgomery, age 66, has served as a director of Windstream since its formation in 2006 and is
a member of the Compensation Committee and the Governance Committee. From 2007 to 2012, Mr. Montgomery
served as Chairman of the Compensation 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 previously served as a director of Hicks Acquisition Corp. I, Inc., a special purpose entity formed
for the purpose of effecting a merger or other business combination with one or more businesses, 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 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.