On November 30, after nearly 12 years of dedicated service at NTCA–The Rural Broadband Association, Les Greer will retire as Senior Vice President of Benefit Operations and Technology. Following his departure, Melissa Drennan, NTCA Vice President of Benefits and Operations, will be promoted to Senior Vice President, overseeing operations of the association’s benefits services and technologies.
For more than a decade, Greer has overseen NTCA’s Asheville, N.C., benefits service center, which runs the NTCA Group Health Plan and Retirement & Security and Savings plans for NTCA member employees. Greer has served more than 40 years in the rural telecom industry in Montana, Tennessee and North Carolina. Prior to joining NTCA, he was the CEO of DTC Communications in Tennessee and served on various industry boards, including NTCA’s Retirement & Security Program and Savings Plan Trust Committee.
While at NTCA, Greer oversaw many upgrades to NTCA’s technology infrastructure and helped launch solutions to meet member company needs. Under his leadership, NTCA implemented a new benefits enrollment portal that offers self-service to member benefits administrators and plan participants around the clock. He also elevated cybersecurity measures to protect the confidential personal information entrusted to NTCA. Having spent time on an NTCA trust committee earlier in his career, Greer was uniquely positioned to negotiate and cooperate with the various benefit plan trust committees to provide the latest plan offerings.
After Greer’s departure, Melissa Drennan, NTCA Vice President of Benefits Operations, will take the reins as NTCA’s new Senior Vice President of Benefit Operations. Drennan and Greer worked closely together throughout his tenure in the regulatory arena to understand new rules and implement mandates impacting NTCA’s health and retirement plans. Drennan grew up in Modoc County in rural Northeast California, where she developed her connection to rural communities.
“Les has always held a special place in my heart with our work together over the past many decades—even before he formally joined the NTCA staff,” said NTCA Chief Executive Officer Shirley Bloomfield. “Problem-solving has always been Les’s forte. He was always thinking about what could be done to better benefit our members and was a huge proponent of networking and building relationships in the industry. Watching Les apply his member perspective and amazing leadership skills over the years has been a treat. And while I am sad to see him leave, I want to congratulate Melissa Drennan on her promotion to Senior Vice President. Melissa has been a key part of our leadership team for twenty years, and I look forward to working with her in her new role.”
###
NTCA–The Rural Broadband Association is the premier association representing nearly 850 independent, community-based telecommunications companies that are leading innovative change in smart rural communities across America. In an era of transformative technological developments, regulatory challenges and marketplace competition, NTCA members are advancing efforts to close the digital divide by delivering robust and high-quality services over future-proof networks. Their commitment to building sustainable networks makes rural communities fertile ground for innovation in economic development, e-commerce, health care, agriculture and education, and it contributes billions of dollars to the U.S. economy each year. Visit us at www.ntca.org.