The Board of Directors of the National Telecommunications Cooperative Association (NTCA) is pleased to announce that Shirley Bloomfield will be the organization's new Chief Executive Officer, succeeding Michael Brunner who has led the organization for twenty-five years. Following a nationwide search, the board determined that Shirley possesses the unique combination of leadership in the telecommunica- tions policy arena, industry knowledge, executive experience and financial management qualifications that are needed to lead NTCA into the future. Bloomfield is a longtime veteran of the communications industry, having served in a variety of roles throughout her career including Vice President of Government Affairs and Association Services for NTCA, Senior Vice President- Federal Relations for Qwest Communications and most recently as Vice President - Federal Relations for Verizon Communications.