Rural Telecommunications Group

Tanya Sullivan, Executive Director

Tanya is founder of Plus One Strategic Communications, LLC, a marketing and communications firm specializing in the rural telecommunications industry.  She is an accomplished communications and business development professional with extensive communications strategy, marketing, business and industry analysis experience.

Tanya was most recently the vice president of corporate relations for the National Rural Telecommunications Cooperative (NRTC) where she was responsible for the strategic leadership of communications, marketing, and public relations.  Prior to NRTC, Tanya served as the senior director of external affairs at the Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC). Before joining USAC, Tanya spent nearly seven years as the vice president of business development for CoBank.  Tanya began her career in 1992 at the then United States Telephone Association (USTA) where she held the position of director of member relations.  Tanya was an original Board member of RTG and has held board and/or committee positions for numerous industry associations including NCBA, NTCA, FRS, TELERGEE Alliance, OPASTCO, FRED, RCA and WTA.

James Mardis, Director of Industry Affairs

James Mardis is an external relations and public affairs professional with a record of building meaningful relationships with members and industry stakeholders.  His educational background is in government, international politics and international commerce.

Before joining Plus One Strategic Communications, James was the manager of member and industry relations at the National Rural Telecommunications Cooperative (NRTC) where he handled corporate relationships including with national and state trade associations to maintain and enhance NRTC’s image.  Prior to NRTC, he was the manager of external relations at the Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC) where he was a key contact for Congress, the media, state coordinators and the FCC.  James has been actively involved in both rounds of funding relating to the two broadband stimulus programs (BIP and BTOP) created under the Recovery Act (a/k/a Stimulus Bill).

Education: George Mason University, B.A. (Government and International Politics), summa cum laude, 2003; George Mason University, M.A. (International Commerce and Policy), 2009.

Heather Thompson, Director of Member Services

Heather develops and implements marketing and business development strategies for telecommunications companies, associations, vendors/suppliers and consultants to the rural communications industry. She also provides corporate communications, public relations and multi-media marketing expertise. Prior to joining Plus One, Heather spent 10 years at CoBank where she managed the business development strategy for the Communications Banking Group and provided in-depth analysis on telecommunications industry trends. She is actively involved in the rural communications industry, and currently serves as the president of the Foundation for Rural Education and Development. Heather began her career at Arthur Andersen, where she assisted in the development and application of its national marketing plan. Ms. Thompson holds a B.S.B.A. in business administration, with an emphasis in marketing from the Daniels College of Business at the University of Denver.

Caressa D. Bennet, General Counsel

Carri Bennet has practiced telecommunications law throughout the post-divestiture period. Since 1987, she has represented primarily rural wireless carriers, telephone companies, cellular carriers, PCS providers, and CLECs before the FCC, state regulatory agencies, the courts and Congress. She is a nationally recognized expert on rural wireless issues and has been a key proponent for easing regulatory burdens that hinder small wireless companies.

Ms. Bennet puts her entrepreneurial skills to work for her clients by creating strategic alliances and new business opportunities using cutting edge technology. Ms. Bennet is a regular speaker at industry trade shows and has published numerous articles on wireless and rural telecommunications issues. She is a member of the Federal Communications Bar Association and American Bar Association. Ms. Bennet is also an accomplished triathlete.

Education: North Carolina State University, B.A., cum laude, 1983; Columbus School of Law (Catholic University), J.D. 1987; Catholic University Law Review.

Admissions: District of Columbia Bar; Pennsylvania Bar; U.S. Supreme Court; U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit; U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit; U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.

Ken Johnson, Regulatory Counsel

Ken focuses on universal service and competitive issues for both wireless and wireline carriers. Serving the telecommunications industry for more than 15 years, he is well versed on numerous policies and regulations that affect rural telecommunications companies, with a particular emphasis on hearing aid compatibility compliance. Ken has served as an expert witness regarding wireless issues, universal service matters and Internet concerns at the state level. Ken is a registered lobbyist, has written numerous articles and is a frequent speaker on government policy and rural telecommunications. Prior to joining Bennet & Bennet in 1997, he served as the legislative and regulatory analyst for the Organization for the Promotion and Advancement of Small Telecommunications Companies (OPASTCO).

Admissions: Virginia, District of Columbia, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit

Education: University of Virginia, B.A., 1987, George Mason University, M.A., 1994, American University Washington College of Law, J.D., 2004.

Daryl Zakov, Regulatory Counsel

Daryl works on transactional matters and spectrum acquisition issues. Daryl previously worked in various positions with T-Mobile USA, Inc., including managing all of its carrier relations in North and South America and representing the company in domestic and international working groups, advocacy organizations and intra-company activities in Europe and Japan. He has also worked for Cook Inlet VoiceStream PCS, a Designated Entity joint-venture managed by Cook Inlet Region Inc. (CIRI), an Alaska Native Corporation, that owned and operated C and F Block PCS Licenses throughout the country.

Education: Kenyon College, B.A., 1996; University of Dayton, J.D., 1999.

Admissions: Washington State; District of Columbia Bar.

Mehran Nazari, Technology Advisor

Mehran has more than 25 years of experience in strategic planning, strategic management, network design and technical planning that he shares with RTG members that are deploying wireless in developed or emerging markets.

Mehran is chief operating officer of AdGen Telecom Group, Inc., which he founded in 2000. With over two decades of experience in the design, build-out and operation of numerous telecommunications networks, he has worked with technologies from GSM, CDMA and UMTS to Wi-Fi and WiMAX. In addition to defining technology roadmaps for start-up operations, he has helped incumbent operators review and refine existing product and service portfolios. He has extensive background and expertise in topology, signalling and interconnect plans between fixed networks in domestic US and international markets. Mehran has extensive knowledge and background in FCC licensing and has developed several software programs for the automation of interference calculations, microwave link reliability and database analysis/manipulation.