Management

Mr. French is President and Chief Executive Officer for Shentel. He is responsible for the overall leadership and strategic direction of the Company. He has served as President since 1988, and has been a member and Chairman of the Board of Directors since 1996. Prior to appointment as President, Mr. French held a variety of positions with the Company, including Vice President Network Service and Executive Vice President. Mr. French holds a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering and an MBA, both from the University of Virginia. He has held board and officer positions in both state and national telecommunication associations, including service as a director of the Organization for the Promotion and Advancement of Small Telecommunications Companies (OPASTCO) and was president and director of the Virginia Telecommunications Industry Association. Mr. French is currently a member of the Leadership Committee of the USTelecom Association.

Mr. McKay is Executive Vice President and Chief Operation Officer for Shentel. Prior to his current role, Ed has worked tirelessly for Shentel for the last seventeen years, most recently as Senior Vice President of Engineering & Operations. During this time, he has played a key role in the growth and success of our wireless affiliate business, overseen the expansion of our fiber-rich network supporting the Company’s cable and wireline business, and importantly has been responsible for delivering on Shentel’s broadband growth strategy for cable, Glo Fiber and Beam Fixed Wireless. Ed is responsible for the leadership of our entire integrated broadband business and tower portfolios, and is well suited to successfully lead the organization as we deliver on our high-growth strategic roadmap. Prior to Mr. McKay's promotion to Senior Vice President of Engineering & Operations in September 2015, he held the title of Vice President - Wireline and Engineering, with responsibility for network planning, engineering, construction and operations for Shentel's networks. Mr. McKay joined Shentel in 2004, and began his telecommunications industry career in 1996, including previous engineering management positions at UUNET and Verizon. He is a graduate of the University of Virginia, where he earned master’s and bachelor’s degrees in Electrical Engineering. He represents the Company on the Board of ACA Connects and the Board of ValleyNet.

Mr. Volk is Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. He joined Shentel in June 2019. He is a 20+ year veteran of the telecommunications industry, and has served in a variety of senior financial management roles with both large corporations and high growth, early stage telecommunication providers. He most recently served as Vice President, Finance and Investor Relations of Uniti Group Inc. Prior to joining Uniti, he served as CFO of multiple public and private telecommunication companies, including PEG Bandwidth, Hargray Communications and UbiquiTel Inc. He previously held senior finance positions with AT&T and Comcast. Mr. Volk holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Accounting from the University of Delaware and a Master of Business Administration from Villanova University.


Dara Leslie is Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Shentel. She joined Shentel in June 2022. She has 20+ years of experience in the broadband industry, including 10 years with Comcast as Vice President of Sales and Marketing for the Big South Region and Vice President of Marketing for the Central Division, seven years with Atlantic Broadband as Vice President/General Manager of the Maryland-Delaware markets and Vice President of Customer Care and Marketing, and six years with Charter in various leadership roles. Dara has a Master’s degree from Old Dominion University and a Bachelor’s degree from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.

Mr. Mason is Senior Vice President Engineering and Operations at Shentel and is responsible for leading our network strategy, engineering, construction and operations functions. He joined Shentel in May 2019 as Vice President and Head of Business Operations responsible for Enterprise Program Management, Performance Management and Process Excellence across all business segments. Prior to joining Shentel, Mr. Mason was Head of Install and Repair Operations at Google Fiber. Before that, he held a variety of leadership roles over his 20+ year career with Cincinnati Bell, culminating in Vice President of Field Operations. He received his Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from Ohio University and has an MBA from Xavier University.

Ms. Banks is Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer at Shentel. She joined the company in July 2019. Ms. Banks brings 20+ years of experience in leading and managing strategic HR initiatives to Shentel. Prior to joining Shentel, Ms. Banks was the Chief Human Resources Officer of American Woodmark, headquartered in Winchester, Virginia. Prior to American Woodmark, Ms. Banks held numerous HR leadership positions with a variety of organizations across a range of industries, including Carlisle FoodService Products, UTC Aerospace Systems, Goodrich Corporation, Northern Power Systems, and IGT. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Florida State University and a Master of Arts in Industrial Organizational Psychology from the University of New Haven.



Mr. Estep is Vice President Outside Plant Engineering & Construction for Shentel. He joined the company in April 2011. He was promoted to Vice President in January 2021. His previous position was Director of Outside Plant Engineering and Construction. He is responsible for all outside plant engineering and construction for all technologies and brands, and across all markets in the Shentel footprint. Prior to joining Shentel, Mr. Estep held several engineering and construction positions at Verizon, most recently serving as Outside Plant Construction Manager. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Bridgewater College.

Mr. Kyle serves as Vice President Industry Affairs and Regulatory. He is responsible for negotiating programming agreements and is the primary contact with local, state and federal legislators and regulators. He joined the company in 2003, and has led projects in acquisitions, business development, long-range planning and Shentel Cable marketing and sales. Mr. Kyle began his career in 1994, and has experience in telecommunications, consumer products and investment banking. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Randolph-Macon College and a master’s degree from the Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia, and has held positions at Cable & Wireless, Broadslate and Craigie, Inc. (BB&T).

Mr. Manning is Vice President Product and Network Strategy for Shentel. He is responsible for developing and managing Shentel’s products, network strategy and geography, capital and supply chain management as well as engineering and operations data analytics process improvement. Mr. Manning began his career in telecommunications with Shentel in 1993. He has held various operations, engineering and leadership roles. Mr. Manning earned a BS in Organizational Management in Project Management from Colorado Christian University and a MS in Management, Strategy and Leadership from Michigan State University. He currently serves as Vice President of the Board of Directors for the Great Valleys Chapter of the Society of Cable Telecommunications Engineers.

Mr. Meenan is Vice President Operations for Shentel. He is responsible for all operational aspects of Shentel’s networks, including Broadband and Commercial Services and Field Operations. Prior to joining Shentel, he most recently served as Vice President Engineering at nTelos Wireless. He worked for nTelos Wireless from 1995 to 2016, and held numerous leadership positions in engineering, cell site development, operations and sales. Mr. Meenan holds both bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Bucknell University, and has an MBA from Averett University.
Mr. Rieger is General Counsel, Vice President Legal and Corporate Secretary for Shentel. He joined Shentel in 2021 and is responsible for all legal and regulatory compliance matters for the Company. He also acts as Corporate Secretary to the Company’s Board of Directors. Mr. Rieger joined Shentel from Sykes Enterprises, Incorporated, one of the world’s largest Business Process Outsourcers, where he most recently served as Vice President of Global Corporate & Operational Compliance. While at Sykes, he built their global compliance management program from the ground up and was an integral member of the business leadership and legal teams. Prior to Skyes, Derek held various leadership legal roles across a number of different businesses and industries. Mr. Rieger holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Villanova University and a Juris Doctorate from Widener University School of Law.

Mr. Venable is Vice President Commercial Sales, leading all Enterprise and small business sales and sales operations activities for Shentel. He joined Shentel in April 2015. He was promoted to Vice President in June 2019. His previous position was Director of Fiber Sales, responsible for all Enterprise sales and operations. Prior to joining Shentel, Mr. Venable served as Vice President of Business Development at Cartesian and Director of Wholesale Sales at Verizon. Mr. Venable holds a BBA from James Madison University. Additionally, he served as Board Member and Treasurer for the Shenandoah County Chamber of Commerce from 2017-2020.

Mrs. Wagoner is Vice President Customer Service & Technical Support. She is responsible for overseeing Shentel’s Customer Care and Tech Support functions. Julie is a well-tenured veteran of the telecommunications industry, serving over 15 years at nTelos before joining the Shentel team in 2016 as part of the nTelos acquisition. Prior to becoming Vice President in 2021, Julie held the position of Director Customer Service at Shentel. Julie and her team’s efforts have been key contributors to Shentel’s increased favorable NPS scores and growing revenue. She received her Bachelor of Science in Leadership & Organizational Management from Eastern Mennonite University.