Windstream Holdings Inc. (Nasdaq: WIN) of Little Rock announced Thursday the appointments of Jeannie H. Diefenderfer and Larry Laque to the company’s board of directors effective immediately.
Diefenderfer and Laque qualify as independent board members under Nasdaq listing requirements. Diefenderfer will serve on the board’s governance committee while Laque will serve on the audit committee, according to company officials.
"I am very pleased to welcome Jeannie and Larry to the board. Both have deep experience in communications and technology. Their expertise and insight will be beneficial to Windstream and our shareholders," said Tony Thomas, Windstream's president and CEO, in a statement.
Diefenderfer, 54, is founder and CEO of courageNpurpose LLC. She has nearly 30 years of technical and operational leadership experience with Verizon Communications, according to a press release, and served as senior vice president of customer care and operations for Verizon Business from 2010 to 2012.
Diefenderfer is an independent director on the boards of MRV Communications Inc. and Westell Technologies Inc., an advisory board member of Vasona Networks Inc. and a member of the Accenture Network Advisory Council. She also is a trustee of Tufts University.
She holds a bachelor of science in chemical engineering from Tufts University, and an MBA from Babson College.
Laque, 57, serves as executive vice president of global real estate and facilities for Discovery Communications Inc. He has more more than 30 years of experience in technical planning and operations and is responsible for developing and implementing workplace strategy, including technical facility infrastructure across 82 offices in more than 35 countries for the global media company, Windstream said.
Laque previously served as executive vice president and co-chief information officer and co-head of enterprise operational services for Discovery, where he oversaw global IT infrastructure for the company.
Before joining Discovery, Laque served in various leadership positions at MCI Communications Corp.
Laque also serves on the board of Shepherd's Table, a nonprofit that provides basic services to homeless and in-need individuals in the greater Washington, D.C., area.
Laque holds a bachelor of arts in business administration from North Carolina State University and an MBA from The George Washington University.
The company also announced that Judy K. Jones and William A. "Bill" Montgomery will not stand for re-election in May and depart the board when their current terms expire. Jones and Montgomery have served as directors of Windstream since its formation in 2006.
"Judy and Bill have provided exceptional guidance while steering the company through tremendous change in our industry. They have been valuable contributors to Windstream’s success, and we appreciate their decade of service on our board," said Jeffrey T. Hinson, chairman of the Windstream board.