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. Heimbach is Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer for Shentel. He joined the Company in May 2018, and is a twenty-year veteran of the telecommunications industry, having served in a variety of senior management roles with both large corporations and entrepreneurial start-ups. He most recently served as Chief Operating Officer of Rise Broadband, the nation’s largest fixed wireless service provider, with responsibility for sales, marketing, product management, engineering, construction, field and customer operations, and corporate strategy. Prior to joining Rise Broadband, Mr. Heimbach held several executive positions at Cincinnati Bell over a 14-year period including Chief Operating Officer; Senior Vice President/General Manager, Business and Carrier Markets; Vice President and General Manager of the Evolve Business Solutions subsidiary; Vice President Product Development; Director, Small and Medium Business Strategy; Director of Operations, Extended Territories; and Product Manager. Mr. Heimbach holds a B.S. in Communications from the J. Warren McClure School of Information & Telecommunications Systems from Ohio University and is a board member of the American Cable Association.

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.

Mr. McKay is Senior Vice President Engineering and Operations for Shentel. He was promoted to Senior Vice President in September 2015. His previous position was Vice President - Wireline and Engineering. He is responsible 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 ValleyNet.

Mr. Pirtle is Senior Vice President Sales and Marketing. He was promoted to Senior Vice President in September 2015. His previous position was Vice President Wireless, responsible for Shentel’s Wireless segment. He is responsible for all sales and marketing efforts across all brands. He joined the Company in 1992, as Vice President Network Services responsible for Shentel's technology decisions, maintenance and operation of its telephone, cable, cellular, paging and fiber optics networks. He helped launch Shentel's Internet business in 1994, and led its participation in its wireless PCS business and Sprint affiliation beginning in 1995. He is a graduate of the University of Virginia. Mr. Pirtle is a co-founder of the Shenandoah Valley Technology Council and has represented the Company on the Board of ValleyNet. Mr. Pirtle currently serves on the CCA board of directors. He will serve as chairman of the CCA board in 2021.

Mr. Whitaker is Vice President Corporate Development. He has served Shentel as Senior Vice President and Vice President of Shentel Cable and Vice President of Network Operations. Mr. Whitaker joined Shentel in 2004, through the Shentel acquisition of NTC Communications. Prior to joining Shentel, he was COO of NTC Communications, and served as Vice President of Network Operations at Broadslate Networks, Director of Wireless Operations for nTelos, and was Co-Founder and Vice President of Nat-Com, Incorporated. He serves on the Board of Directors of the National Cable Television Cooperative (NCTC) in Lenexa, Kansas. Mr. Whitaker is a graduate of West Virginia Wesleyan College in Buckhannon, WV and the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, VA.

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. Additionally, Ms. Banks serves as Vice President on the Board of Trustees for Powhatan School in Boyce, VA.

Mr. Brooks is Vice President Wireless Sales for Shentel, a position he has held since August 2015. He is responsible for all sales, distribution and operations of the Sprint, Boost and Virgin products under the Shentel affiliate agreement. He began his wireless career in 1990, with Atlantic Cellular and also worked for United States Cellular. He joined Shentel in 1995, and has experience in Sales, Marketing, Operations and multi-channel distribution. Mr. Brooks has a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Shepherd University.



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. Folk is Vice President Wireless Operations. He is responsible for all operational aspects of Shentel’s Wireless Network, including switch and cell site operations. He joined Shentel in 2005, as a Field Operations Manager in Converged Services. He was promoted to Director of Customer Service in March 2009, and then Vice President Customer Service in April 2012. In September 2015, he became Vice President Wireless Network Operations. Mr. Folk began his telecommunications career in 1992, with various levels of responsibility in the communications field of the U.S. Air Force. Before joining Shentel he was a Program Manager on several multi-million dollar Telecommunications and Records Management contracts with the Department of Justice and Department of Homeland Security. Mr. Folk is a graduate of the University of Maryland with bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice and a master’s degree in Information Technology Management from Colorado Tech University.


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 Wireline and Cable Operations for Shentel. He is responsible for all operational aspects of Shentel’s Wireline and Cable networks, including Network Services, Field Services and the Network Operations Center. 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. Mason is Vice President Strategic Network Planning at Shentel and is responsible for setting the vision and direction for market strategy, network planning, and capital management in alignment with corporate strategies. 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.

Mr. Meenan is Vice President, Wireless Engineering and Construction at Shentel. He is responsible for the expansion and management of the Beam fixed wireless network inclusive of RF engineering and performance, site development, leasing, and network operations. Mr. Meenan also leads the Tower business for Shentel. His previous position was Vice President Wireless Network Development, responsible for leading the integration and advancement of the Sprint PCS Affiliate mobility network. 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. Ostroski is General Counsel, Vice President Legal and Corporate Secretary for Shentel. He joined Shentel in 2013 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. Ostroski began his career in the telecommunications industry in 1985, and has served as Executive Vice President and General Counsel for One Communications, Senior Vice President and General Counsel for Commonwealth Telephone Enterprises, Executive Vice President and General Counsel for RCN Corporation and Senior Vice President and General Counsel of C-TEC Corporation. Mr. Ostroski earned a bachelor’s degree in Social Science from Wilkes University and also earned a Juris Doctor degree from Temple University School of Law.

Chase L. Stobbe is Vice President and Chief Accounting Officer at Shentel. Mr. Stobbe is responsible for the leadership of Shentel’s Accounting function. He joined Shentel in April 2019. Previously, he was a senior manager in the audit practice of KPMG LLP, where he focused on serving public telecommunications companies. He has led diverse teams and has extensive knowledge of U.S. GAAP and internal control over financial reporting. He holds both Bachelor and Master degrees in Accounting from the University of Missouri-Kansas City and is a Certified Public Accountant.

Mrs. Washington is Vice President Marketing at Shentel where she is responsible for marketing and product development. She joined Shentel in 2010, as a Marketing Manager, and was promoted to Vice President of Customer Service in August 2015. Prior to her time at Shentel, she served as Director of Marketing and Sales at JetBroadband in Rustburg, VA. Shentel purchased JetBroadband in 2010. Mrs. Washington also worked as a Business and Residential Marketing Specialist for Cox Communications in Roanoke, VA. She is a graduate of Ferrum College and holds a master’s degree in Business Administration. She is past president of the Virginia Chapter of Women in Cable Television.

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.