Board of Directors

Jane E. "Bonnie" Newman

Chairperson of the Board of Directors
Jane "Bonnie" Newman joined FairPoint in August 2007 as a director, was elected lead director by FairPoint's board of directors in October 2007 and chairperson in August 2010.  Newman has served in various capacities in academia, business and government. Most notably, she served in the administrations of Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush and served on Capitol Hill. Newman also possesses extensive board experience, having previously served in varying capacities on the boards of Markem Corporation, Consumers Water Company, Public Service Company of New Hampshire, the Nellie Mae Education Foundation, Fleet Bank of New Hampshire and Indian Head Banks. She served as interim president of the University of New Hampshire from 2006−2007 and served as executive dean of the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.

Thomas F. Gilbane, Jr.

Director
Thomas Gilbane has served as the chairman and chief executive officer of the Rhode Island-based Gilbane Building Company, one of the nation's largest general contractors and construction managers, since January 2004. He served earlier as vice president of Gilbane, Inc., the parent company of Gilbane Building Company and Gilbane Development Company. Gilbane is a member of the Brown University Engineering Advisory Committee and is a Babson College trustee. His past appointments include vice chairman of the board United Way of America, director Fleet National Bank, director New England Telephone and director NYNEX-New England and New York.

Claude C. Lilly

Director
Since July 1, 2007, Dr. Claude Lilly has served as the Dean of the College of Business and Behavioral Science at Clemson University. Prior to that, Dr. Lilly was the Dean and James J. Harris chair of risk management and insurance in the Belk College of Business Administration at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Dr. Lilly has served as assistant deputy insurance commissioner for the State of Georgia and as a director of several corporations. He holds the Chartered Property Casualty Underwriters and Chartered Life Underwriter designations and is a member of numerous professional associations.

Robert S. Lilien

Director
Robert Lilien is currently a partner in the law firm of Robinson, Bradshaw & Hinson, located in Charlotte, North Carolina, where he has worked since April 2002. He is the managing member of Trilogy Capital Partners, LLC, a captive private equity fund with equity provided by a single family group, where he has also worked since April 2002. From 1993 to 2002, he held various positions at Duke Energy Corporation, including senior vice president of Duke Ventures, chairman and chief executive officer of Crescent Resources, LLC, chairman of DukeNet Communications, Inc. and chairman of Duke Capital Partners, LLC.

Paul H. Sunu

Director
Paul Sunu joined the company as chief executive officer in August 2010 from Hargray Communications Group, Inc. where he had served as chief financial officer (CFO) since 2008. Mr. Sunu previously served as CFO of Hawaiian Telcom from 2007 to 2008 and as managing director and CFO of Madison River Communications from 1996 to 2007, where he was also one of the company's founders.  He began his career with Arthur Young & Company in Chicago, and then spent the better part of two decades at tax, investment and management consulting firms.  Mr. Sunu currently serves on the board of directors Integra Telecom.  He received a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from the University of Illinois and a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Illinois - College of Law.

Michael R. Tuttle

Director
Michael Tuttle has served as president and chief executive officer of Merchants Bank, a commercial bank headquartered in Burlington, Vermont, since January 2006. He served the bank earlier as chief operating officer and senior lender. Tuttle is also a director of Merchants Bancshares, Inc. and serves on the boards of United Way of Chittenden County and the Flynn Center for the Performing Arts.