American Mobile Satellite Corp. appointed Patrick C. FitzPatrick vice president and chief financial officer. Prior to joining AMSC, FitzPatrick was senior vice president and CFO of PRC Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Black & Decker Corp.
Paging Network Inc. has appointed William J. Dixon senior vice president of operations. He will be responsible for PageNet’s domestic paging operations, which include seven regions with about 95 sales/services offices throughout the country. Prior to joining PageNet, Dixon served as vice president and chief operating officer and as a member of the board of directors of U.S. AirWaves Inc., a personal communications services company that had sought C-block licenses.
Bernard Couillaud has been named president and chief executive officer of Coherent Inc. Couillaud, who is currently vice president and general manager of Coherent’s Laser Group, replaces Henry E. Gauthier, who is retiring effective July 1. In addition, Couillaud was elected to the company’s board of directors.
Rural Cellular Corp. announced the appointment of Wesley E. Schultz as vice president and chief financial officer. Prior to joining the company, Schultz served in senior management positions at Minnesota-based Nicollet Process Engineering Inc., Spanlink Communications Inc. and Serving Software Inc.
Wynd Communications Corp. has appointed King R. Lee chief executive officer. In his new position, Lee will oversee the development and implementation of a strategy to establish the company as the preferred vendor of wireless personal communications services for the widest range of portable computing environments. Lee helped found Wynd Communications in 1994, and since then has served as a director of the company’s board. Prior to joining the company, he served as CEO of Quarterdeck Corp., a developer of Internet, utility and remote computing software.
WinStar Communications has named Robert McGuire senior vice president of sales for the company’s wireless access company, WinStar Wireless Inc. He will be responsible for national sales and field operations. McGuire most recently served as vice president of Eastern sales for Merck-Medco Managed Care Inc. Prior to that, he was a sales executive at MCI Communications Corp., where he was in charge of national accounts.
GlobalComm Holding, a company specializing in wireless telecommunications acquisitions, has appointed Don E. Buzzelli president of its new business division, SkyComm Paging Inc.
NextWave Telecom Inc. announced Dr. C.J. “Jerry” Waylan joined the NextWave executive management team. As a member of the office of the chairman of the board of directors, he will help establish the strategies and direction of the company and provide leadership in its operations, said the company. Prior to joining NextWave, Waylan served as executive vice president at GTE Mobilnet Inc. He also has served as president of GTE Spacenet Corp.
Mark Golden, vice president of industry affairs for the Personal Communications Industry Association, has been named to the Telecommunications Access Advisory Committee of the U.S. Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board. The federal advisory committee is comprised of representatives of manufacturers of telecommunications equipment and organizations representing access needs of persons with disabilities. PCIA said the committee will make recommendations on accessibility guidelines for consumer telecommunications equipment. The Access board will use committee recommendations to develop accessibility guidelines under section 255(e) of the Telecommunications Act.
PortaCom Wireless Inc. has named R. Keith Alexander director of the company. Alexander, having 28 years of experience in the securities industry, was previously an independent financial consultant. Prior to that he was a vice president at RBC Dominion Securities Ltd., where he was responsible for corporate and government finance operations for northern Alberta, Canada.
Dennis F. Strigl, the president and chief executive officer of Bell Atlantic Nynex Mobile, has been elected chairman of the Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association board of directors. Strigl has served in a senior management capacity in the telecommunications industry for more than 25 years. “My plans for the organization are to continue CTIA’s role as a dynamic force in a dynamic industry,” Strigl said.
AirNet Communications Corp. has named Michael VonDerHaar vice president of sales. VonDerHaar will manage all sales operations for the Americas, focusing on AirNet’s PCS-1900 and Global System for Mobile communications products for the emerging personal communications services market and the company’s wireless local loop solution for Latin American networks.
