Yadkinville, NC – Yadtel has announced that Ken Mills, chief operating officer, will assume the role of chief executive officer as of June 1, 2021, following the retirement of former CEO, Mitzie Branon.
Branon has been the company’s chief executive officer since January 2010. She joined Yadtel in 1990 as an accountant for the parent company, Yadkin Valley Telephone Membership Corporation. She later assumed the role of accounting manager and subsequently controller. In 2005, she was named general manager of the subsidiary company Yadkin Valley Telecom, Inc and served in this role through 2009.
Branon serves on the following industry boards: N.C. Cooperative Coalition, Carolinas Virginias Telephone Membership Association, Visions West, Inc., and Access On. In 2019, she was appointed as a Member of the N.C. Rural Electrification Authority by Governor Roy Cooper. In 2012, she was appointed as a member of the MCNC by Past Governor Beverly Pardue. She also served on the board of the N.C. Telecommunications Industry Association during its existence.
“I am extremely grateful to have been a part of this company for thirty years and feel especially honored to have had the chance to lead it for the past eleven years," commented Branon. I appreciate the faith that the board of directors placed in me and am very proud of the entire Yadtel team. We have had our challenges and successes but the last couple of years have shown great results. The company is well positioned for even greater success in the future because the leadership team has laid out a vision and strategy to guide the company for years to come. 2021 is a great time for Ken to take his place as leader of the company.”
The company’s board of directors unanimously elected Mills chief executive officer effective June 1, 2021. Mills has served as chief operating officer since January 2018. Initially his responsibilities at Yadtel included customer sales and service, marketing, and product development. In addition to those, he is now also responsible for outside plant, information technology and finance. Mills came to Yadtel with 35 years’ experience in marketing, business, and finance. He has extensive business, advertising, and marketing experience with the companies of Legrand and Lowe’s Home Improvement, both in Mooresville, NC. Prior to that he worked with Nabisco in Winston-Salem in product management, marketing, and finance. He graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration with a Major in Accounting. He is also a Certified Public Accountant.
About Yadtel
Yadtel is developing a growing portfolio of first-in-class and best-in-class fiber network services and smart home offerings. Services and offerings include internet, smart wi-fi, wireless, streaming video, home/business security, surveillance, phone systems (traditional and VoIP), transport, and managed IT services. Additional information is available at www.yadtel.com.
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