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Hawaiian Telcom Executive Team

Hawaiian Telcom is led by a strong, seasoned team with a wealth of communication, entertainment and other specialized expertise.

Su Shin, President and General Manager

Su Shin was named President and General Manager of Hawaiian Telcom in February 2020. The first female president in the company’s more than 136-year history, she is responsible for the overall leadership and management of Hawaiian Telcom’s operations and corporate staff.

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Kevin Paul, Senior Vice President – Business Services

Kevin Paul leads Hawaiian Telcom’s Business Services teams. Mr. Paul is responsible for the P&L for all Business Services inclusive of Network Services (Data & Voice) & Advanced Services (Consulting, Professional Services, Cloud, Security & Managed Services). Responsibilities include Sales (Government, Corporate, Majors & SMB), Channel Partner Program, Solutions Architecture, Product Development, Product Management & Service Delivery.

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Mr. Paul joined Hawaiian Telcom as Senior Vice President – Technology in August 2011, responsible for the architecture, planning, engineering and support of the company’s network and systems.

Mr. Paul has held leadership technology roles for more than 35 years. Prior to joining Hawaiian Telcom, he served as Vice President of Content Engineering & Development for Level 3 Communications (now Lumon) where he managed architecture, engineering, development, test and tier IV support of Level 3’s Content Delivery Network and Vyvx video broadcast network. He joined Level 3 as Vice President, Softswitch Engineering, Development and Deployment in 2000, and also served as Vice President of Network Integration.

Prior to this, Mr. Paul was Director of MCI’s (now Verizon Business) Call Processing Infrastructure, and also held numerous positions in Systems Engineering including Intelligent Call Center Application Development and Data Network Application Development.

Mr. Paul holds twelve patents: seven in the area of Fraud Detection and Neural Network technology and five in the area of Content Delivery Networks with Deep Caching Infrastructure. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Computer Science from Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey. Mr. Paul currently serves as a member of the Advisory Council for the College of Engineering at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. Mr. Paul is also a member of board of directors for the Hawaii chapter of the Red Cross.

 

 

 

Ron Beerman, Vice President – Network Operations

Ron Beerman is Vice President of Network Operations for Cincinnati Bell and Hawaiian Telcom. Mr. Beerman is responsible for technology and service management functions, including the Network Operations Center, planning and engineering, Central Office support, and technology at the heart of our residential, business, and wholesale services.

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Mr. Beerman joined the company in 1996. Prior to his current position, Mr. Beerman served as Vice President of Wireline Operations. Mr. Beerman has also served in leadership positions within Information Technology, Call Center Operations, Network Operations, Managed Services, and Field Operations.

Mr. Beerman holds a bachelor’s degree from Miami University and an MBA from Xavier University. Mr. Beerman serves on the Board of Directors for Camp Joy in Clarksville, Ohio, and has served as chair for several successful corporate fundraising campaigns, including the 2016 United Way campaign, which raised over $1.8 million dollars.

 

Michele Lehmkuhl, Vice President – Product Strategy

Michele Lehmkuhl is Vice President - Product Strategy for Cincinnati Bell and Hawaiian Telcom. She is responsible for consumer and business product strategy, revenue management, pricing, product development and management.

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Ms. Lehmkuhl joined the company in October 2000. Prior to her current position, she served as Senior Director of Marketing for Cincinnati Bell where she had responsibility for marketing and advertising for the company’s consumer and business segments. Ms. Lehmkuhl earned a bachelor’s degree from Northern Kentucky University.
 

 

 

Patrick McDonough, Vice President – Strategic Operations

Patrick McDonough is Vice President of Strategic Operations for Cincinnati Bell and Hawaiian Telcom. Mr. McDonough leads operations for Hawaiian Telcom’s Shared Services. Groups encompassed within Shared Services include: logistics, procurement, real estate (portfolio management and operations), fleet, safety, and security.

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Mr. McDonough is responsible for long-term financial planning in Hawaii and implementation of financial measures in day-to-day operations for improved responsiveness to market demands and operational efficiencies. He is also responsible for fully supporting Hawaiian Telcom through the identification and adoption of best practices, as well as identifying, measuring, and securing synergies.

Prior to his current position, Mr. McDonough served as Vice President of Business Operations. Mr. McDonough joined the company in 1999 as Controller, then acting CFO, of the company’s wireless division, and has held a series of executive positions.

Mr. McDonough holds a bachelor’s degree from Wilmington College and is a certified public accountant. Mr. McDonough is active in the community and dedicated to giving back. He is an avid volunteer and has journeyed on mission trips to Barbados and Appalachia. Mr. McDonough has served on nonprofit boards and finance committees to support multiple charities.

 

Ben Morgan, Vice President – Customer Operations

As Vice President – Customer Operations, Ben Morgan is responsible for end-to-end ownership of Hawaiian Telcom customers’ journey, from order to installation, billing and customer support. In this capacity, he is responsible for Hawaiian Telcom’s Field Operations (install and repair, Central Office, and Dispatch), Service Activations, UCC Operations, IP Support Services (Tier 2 Business Support) and Service Quality Management (Government & Top 35 Business Accounts) teams.

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Previously Mr. Morgan served as Vice President – Field Operations from August 2018 to February 2021 and Vice President – Customer Care and Network Reliability, from March 2014 to August 2018. He joined Hawaiian Telcom in October 2011 as Director of Customer Care, bringing with him more than a decade of technology and telecommunications experience. In March 2012, he took on an expanded role as Executive Director – Customer Care.

Before joining Hawaiian Telcom, Mr. Morgan served as Vice President – Voice Services for MegaPath, Inc. in Seattle, Washington. Prior to that, he held management and senior management positions at Speakeasy Inc. (now part of MegaPath Corporation). Mr. Morgan began his professional career at Amazon.com in 1999.

He earned professional certification in call center management from the International Customer Management Institute (ICMI).

Mr. Morgan serves on the board for HUGS, and has served on the State of Hawai‘i Enhanced 911 Board.

 

Gary Peddicord, Vice President – Carrier Services

Gary Peddicord is Vice President of Carrier Services, also known as Wholesale Markets, for Cincinnati Bell and Hawaiian Telcom. He is responsible for driving revenue and overseeing the operations for both companies’ Wholesale business units.

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Mr. Peddicord joined Cincinnati Bell in May 1979 and has held leadership positions in Operations, Regulatory Accounting and Product Management. Prior to joining Cincinnati Bell, he served as an Area Sales Representative for Pitney Bowes.

Mr. Peddicord earned a Marketing degree from Northern Kentucky University and an MBA from Xavier University. He participates in various Leukemia Cancer fundraising events.

 

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Jason Thune, Vice President – Fiber Strategy and Deployment

Mr. Thune began his career at Hawaiian Telcom as a summer intern in 1998. Over his nearly 25-year career with the company, he has held key leadership roles in different areas, including customer operations, network operations, network planning and IT. Prior to being promoted to vice president in August 2022, he served as Executive Director - Fiber Strategy and Deployment.

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To help bring fiber broadband to some of Hawai‘i’s most rural areas, primarily on the neighbor islands, Mr. Thune spearheaded projects to pursue federal grants from the Connect America Fund Phase II, Connect America Fund Phase II Auction and Rural Digital Opportunity Fund. His efforts led to Hawaiian Telcom securing $68.5 million to enable 23,000 locations in rural areas with fiber broadband.

Mr. Thune earned a Bachelor’s degree in Management Information Systems from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign – College of Business, and an MBA from the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa - Shidler College of Business.

He was recognized as one of the 40 Under Forty by Pacific Business News in 2017 and he is a member of the Pacific Century Fellows class of 2016.

Mr. Thune serves on the board of the Aloha Council, Boy Scouts of America.

 

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Filifotu "Fotu" Vaai, Vice President – Consumer Product & Sales

Filifotu Vaai, Vice President - Consumer Products & Sales, is responsible for managing Hawaiian Telcom’s consumer sales and product pricing teams. She joined Hawaiian Telcom in December 2017.

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Prior to joining Hawaiian Telcom, Ms. Vaai served as country (general) manager for Bluesky Communications, American Samoa’s leading internet, wireless, and TV service provider. Her extensive experience in telecommunications includes serving as Marketing Director for Bluesky Group during its acquisitions of SamoaTel and Telecom Cook Islands, and its merger with Amalgamated Telcom Holdings (ATH) in Fiji.

Born and raised in Samoa, Ms. Vaai earned a Bachelor of Commerce & Administration degree with Honors in Information Systems from the Victoria University of Wellington in New Zealand. In 2007 she earned a Graduate Certificate in Telecommunications and Information Resource Management from the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa where she later earned a Master of Arts in Communications.

In 2021, Ms. Vaai was recognized by Hawaii Business Magazine as one of nine women in Hawai‘i who broke through the technology industry’s glass ceiling.

She currently is a member of the Chamber of Commerce Hawai`i’s Young Professionals and the Pacific Islands Telecommunications Association.