Regional iDEN operator SouthernLINC Wireless announced today that president and CEO Bob Dawson will relinquish his position at the carrier on Aug. 1, at which point he will move to chairman of the board before retiring on Oct. 1. Don Horsley, currently VP of customer services at Mississippi Power will succeed Dawson as president and CEO.
Dawson began at SouthernLINC’s parent company Southern Company Services in 1964 as a co-operative education student in the system planning department; after which, he held positions in the fuel services, bulk power marketing and rate departments of Southern Company, followed by VP of power generation and delivery for Mississippi Power. Just prior to the inception of SouthernLINC Wireless, he served as VP of Latin America and Caribbean assets for Southern Electric International.
Dawson has headed up SouthernLINC since its inception in 1996 and concurrently serves as president and CEO of Southern Telecom, a wholly-owned subsidiary of SouthernLINC Wireless. Southern Telecom provides long-haul and metropolitan dark fiber that connects Atlanta with smaller cities throughout the Southeast.
“I am looking forward to continuing to serve Southern Company stockholders as chairman of the board for SouthernLINC Wireless and Southern Telecom and turning over the position of president and CEO to Don Horsley,” said Dawson. “The telecommunications industry is challenging and competitive, and Don’s experience in sales, marketing and customer service will serve him well as he assumes leadership of SouthernLINC Wireless.”
Horsley has served in various roles at Southern Company since 1978, beginning as an engineer at Alabama Power and later served as that company’s transmission lines manager for power delivery, Birmingham division manager, general manager of human resources and assistant to the executive VP of customer services.
“During my tenure at Alabama Power and Mississippi Power, I have witnessed firsthand how critical SouthernLINC Wireless is to Southern Company’s core business operations, especially during storm and disaster recovery,” said Horsley. “I am eager to begin leading the day-to-day operations and strategic initiatives of SouthernLINC Wireless.”
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