Fiber Broadband Association Elects and Grows its 2025 Board of Directors

A larger group of industry experts elected to lead FBA through monumental investments in fiber broadband across North America

Fiber Broadband Association Elects and Grows its 2025 Board of Directors

Christy Barbaran
Connect2 Communications for the Fiber Broadband Association
fba@connect2comm.com

The Fiber Broadband Association (FBA) today announced the growth of its 2025 Board of Directors as FBA looks to support organizational expansion and lead its members through the largest fiber broadband investment cycle ever. This year’s Board has an additional member, and FBA will add an additional member each year for the next two years for a total of 12 members by 2027. The 2025 Board of Directors has a combined expertise and commitment to accelerating connectivity across North America that will benefit FBA and its members as they look for innovative strategies to push fiber further and close the Digital Divide for good.

“The excitement within the fiber broadband industry is palpable. We’re seeing record CapEx investment in fiber broadband as we build our nation’s critical broadband infrastructure in an effort to connect every American by the end of the decade,” said Gary Bolton, President and CEO of the Fiber Broadband Association. “Our 2025 Board of Directors is filled with diverse leadership from across the fiber broadband ecosystem. Together they will offer strategic guidance and support as our members look to navigate this crucial moment in fiber broadband history and enable universal access to reliable, high-speed internet.”

Ariane Schaffer, Head of U.S. Federal & State Policy at GFiber, was elected as the new Board Chair for a one-year term beginning on January 1, 2025. Schaffer has a wealth of experience in broadband public policy, state and federal government relations, digital equity efforts, and business expansion. She has served on the FBA Board of Directors for two years and as the Board Liaison to the Public Policy Committee and the Sustainability Working Group.

The full 2024 Board of Directors includes the following fiber broadband industry leaders:

Chair: Ariane Schaffer, Head of U.S. Federal & State Policy at GFiber
Vice Chair: Ashley Brown, Senior Director Field and Partner Marketing, Adtran
Secretary: Evann Freeman, Vice President, Government & Community Relations, EPB of Chattanooga
Treasurer: Jimmy Todd, CEO and General Manager, Nex-Tech
Scott Jackson, National Market Manager - Broadband, Graybar
Sachin Gupta, Vice President, Business and Technology Strategies, Centranet
Mark Boxer, Technical Manager - Solutions and Applications Engineering, OFS
Roger Timmerman, Executive Director, UTOPIA Fiber
Bob Whitman, Vice President, Market Development, Corning
Rob Shema, Director of Corporate Development and Government Affairs, altafiber

Bob Whitman and Rob Shema are newly elected board members, and each will serve three-year terms beginning in 2025. Whitman has over 27 years of experience in optical fiber network architecture, product development, and carrier engagement and has been actively involved in FBA programs for 23 years. He previously served two terms on the FBA Board of Directors—including the organization’s first year when it was still known as the FTTH Council—and helped launch regional FTTH Council chapters around the globe. Whitman has also participated in several FBA Committees and Working Groups, including Public Policy, Education, Membership, and Trusted Fiber.

Shema works with government and private entities to develop new opportunities and relationships to expand fiber. He is extremely active in the grant process at the national, state, and local levels. Beyond his role at altafiber, Shema is co-founder of Hoosier Net, a middle-mile fiber network consortium comprised of 18 rural electric cooperatives and 17 telephone companies. He has been actively involved in the Fiber Broadband Association since 2011, participating in the Membership Working Group and Public Policy Committee.

Jimmy Todd and Scott Jackson were both re-elected to the Board. Todd, CEO and General Manager at Nex-Tech, was re-elected for a second consecutive three-year term. Most recently, he served as Chair to the 2024 Board of Directors, Vice Chair to the 2023 Board, and Secretary to the 2022 Board. He also launched and co-chaired FBA’s Precision Agriculture Working Group and participated in Committees for Public Policy, Education, Technology, Deployment Specialists, and Marketing. Jackson, National Market Manager – Broadband at Graybar, was also re-elected for a second consecutive three-year term but also served from 2012 – 2018, including positions of Treasurer in 2016 and Chair in 2017 and 2018. Jackson launched the Supply Chain Committee in 2022 and serves as Chair. His other past duties were as a board liaison to the Utilities Roundtable and Sustainability Committees.

As of December 31, 2024, Gregg Logan, Vice President of Engineering at C Spire, has reached the end of his three-year Board term. He served the 2024 Board of Directors as Treasurer and will now serve as the 2025 Chair of the FBA Senior Council.

The 2025 Board of Directors elections were held at the Fiber Broadband Association’s 2024 Premier Members Meeting, December 9-10, in Islamorada, Fla.

To become a member of the Fiber Broadband Association, visit fiberbroadband.org/become-a-member or contact membership@fiberbroadband.org.

About the Fiber Broadband Association

The Fiber Broadband Association is the largest and only trade association that represents the complete fiber ecosystem of service providers, manufacturers, industry experts, and deployment specialists dedicated to the advancement of fiber broadband deployment and the pursuit of a world where communications are limitless, advancing quality of life and digital equity anywhere and everywhere. The Fiber Broadband Association helps providers, communities, and policymakers make informed decisions about how, where, and why to build better fiber broadband networks. Since 2001, these companies, organizations, and members have worked with communities and consumers in mind to build the critical infrastructure that provides the economic and societal benefits that only fiber can deliver. The Fiber Broadband Association is part of the Fibre Council Global Alliance, which is a platform of six global FTTH Councils in North America, LATAM, Europe, MEA, APAC, and South Africa. Learn more at fiberbroadband.org.