Richard J Lynch

Richard J. Lynch is currently Chairman of the Board of Ribbon Communications. Prior to the GENBAND-Sonus merger he served as a Director of Sonus since 2014 and the Chairman of the Board of Sonus since 2016. Since 2011, Richard has served as the President of FB Associates, LLC, which provides advisory and consulting services at the intersection of technology, marketing and business operations. Richard was the Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer for Verizon Communications between 2007 and 2011, and the Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer of Verizon Wireless and its predecessors from 1990 until 2007. Richard has served as a member of the Board of Directors and the Compensation, Nominating and Governance Committee of Blackberry Limited since 2013. From 2012 to 2016, he served as a member of the Board of Directors, Chairman of the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee and a member of the Compensation Committee of Ruckus Wireless, Inc. From 2010 to 2013, Richard served as Chairman of the Board of Directors and a member of the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee of TranSwitch Corp. Richard is a graduate of Lowell Technological Institute (now the University of Massachusetts, Lowell), where he received Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees in Electrical Engineering. He has also completed post-graduate work at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and the Johnson School of Management at Cornell University. Dick served as an Executive Vice President of Enterprisewide Strategic Technology Initiatives at Verizon Communications Inc. from 2010 to August 2011. Mr. Lynch served as an Executive Vice President and Chief Technical Officer of Verizon Communications Inc., since July 16, 2007. He served as Chief Technology Officer and Executive Vice President of Cellco Partnership, Inc. (formerly Verizon Wireless Capital LLC) from April 2000 to August 2007. From 1990 to 2000, he served as the Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer for Bell Atlantic Mobile. From 1995 to 2000, he served as the Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer of Bell Atlantic NYNEX Mobile. He has been the Chairman of TranSwitch Corp. since July 2012. He served as the Chairman of the Wireless Data Forum (formerly, the CDPD Forum). Under his guidance, the CDPD forum was reformed as the Wireless Data Forum embracing all wireless data technologies and a wider variety of members. He has served as an Executive Board Member of the CDMA Development Group, an organization responsible for promotion, advancement, deployment and future developments of CDMA. Mr. Lynch began his career in 1972 with New England Telephone and has held a variety of positions in planning, operations, and engineering there and in Bell of Pennsylvania. He has been at the forefront of wireless data solutions, starting with Cellular Digital Packet Data (CDPD) in 1995 when he led Bell Atlantic Mobile's build of one of the largest CDPD networks in the country. In 2004, he again led the industry with the decision to widely deploy EV-DO, in the first true wireless broadband service widely provided to the public in the U.S. Mr. Lynch was also responsible for the decision to deploy CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access), which still remains the basis for Verizon Wireless high-quality voice network. Building on these and other key technology decisions, he has supported the introduction of key innovative products and services into the marketplace. He serves as a Director of Wholesale Applications Community (WAC) Limited. He has been a Director at Ruckus Wireless, Inc. since February 27, 2012, Research In Motion Limited since February 7, 2013 and TranSwitch Corp. since December 2010. He serves as a Director of GSM Association. He served as a Director of Sierra Wireless Inc. He has served as a member of the Federal Communications Commission Technical Advisory Committee. For his leadership in the early years of wireless data, Mr. Lynch was honored with the President's Award by the Cellular Telecommunications and Internet Association (CTIA). He has earned patents for advances in the area of wireless technology. He is a frequent guest lecturer in academia and industry on technology and its business implications. He is a Fellow of The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc. (IEEE). Mr. Lynch is a graduate of Lowell Technological Institute (now University of Massachusetts) where he received bachelor’s and master’s degrees in electrical engineering. He has also completed post graduate work at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and the Johnson School of Management at Cornell University.