COMPTEL Back on Track?

This week, COMPTEL finally announced its picks for president and CEO. And, it picked two people instead of one as had been the norm in the past.

Jerry James, who has served as interim CEO since June, takes the helm as CEO. Matthew Salmon, a former U.S. Congressman and Arizona gubernatorial candidate, will become president in January.

Jerry James

Matt Salmon

COMPTEL had been looking for new leadership since the resignation of Earl Comstock in May.

I spoke to COMPTEL Chairman Sherm Henderson about the executive search last fall prior to the association's Fall COMPTEL PLUS event in Dallas. At that time, he expressed hope that the decision would be made before year's end, so that goal was reached with three weeks to spare. He also mentioned COMPTEL was inundated with applications. "It's been unbelievable," he told me. "We've got some excellent, incredible candidates. It would surprise everybody who we have got."

Certainly, Salmon, a former congressman, is a surprise. But his resume also includes work for US West and also the law firm Greenberg Taurig, which has a large telecom practice.

The bigger surprise was that two were named to the post previously held by one person. Given the pressures on the association, the decision comes as less of a surprise however.

As I said in an earlier editorial, "There is a lot riding on picking the new face of the association." After Comstock resigned, concerned parties pointed to an imbalance in the regulatory and business emphasis of the group, with the former taking too many resources. They told me a shift toward the center makes sense for the association, particularly since a majority of the big regulatory battles have been won or lost. There will always be a need for advocacy and COMPTEL's professional staff is adept at that. But members also may need more help figuring out how to grow their businesses within the resulting regulatory framework.

Dividing responsibilities between James, a businessman, and Salmon, a policy man, seems to be an answer to the increasing demands of a dual focus. I, for one, am optimistic about the prospects based on this realization and the commitment of leadership to both ends.

However, as I have written before, the new team has a challenge before them -- how to grow the association. To my thinking, COMPTEL is positioned well with no competing associations to my knowledge, so it would be opportunistic for the new leaders to open its doors and make all competitive service providers, including the new media providers, feel welcomed. That's the opportunity for COMPTEL and that's its challenge.

I wish them both luck in 2008.

-- Khali (khenderson@vpico.com)