Our Team
James Dunn
Executive Director
James Dunn is the Executive Director for Connect Alaska where he provides leadership and vision to accelerate the growth of broadband and related technology in the state of Alaska. He works with Alaska Broadband Task Force members to formalize a strategic broadband plan that is focused on identifying and addressing Alaska’s unique broadband challenges. Additionally, he is responsible for implementing state strategies for outreach and awareness of the program and its impact among broadband stakeholders. In collaboration with the Connected Nation mapping team, Dunn will facilitate the GIS-based inventory assessment of existing broadband infrastructure and service availability within Alaska and act as a liaison between providers and residents desiring broadband access.
James Dunn has been involved in telecommunications in rural Alaska for over twenty-five years. In that time he has worked with tribal governments, rural local exchange carriers, Internet service providers and consumers throughout the state to secure broadband connectivity. Dunn has also served as the CEO and President of an Alaskan native village corporation in rural Alaska.
He is licensed as an attorney and he holds an MBA degree from Georgetown University in Washington, D.C.
Therese Dolan
Program Coordinator
Therese Dolan is Program Coordinator for Connect Alaska where she is charged with the development and implementation of a training program for regional leaders that will assist them in developing a deeper understanding of broadband issues generally as well as the unique broadband landscape of their respective regions and assist them in regional planning and engagement activities designed to advance the broadband frontier in Alaska.
She also engages in partnerships with regional leaders, such as the executive directors of the 13 Alaska Regional Development Organizations, in an effort to better address the broadband infrastructure build-out concerns and digital literacy requirements needed to foster enhanced job creation opportunities and improvements in the overall quality of life for rural Alaska.
Prior to joining Connect Alaska, Dolan was the fundraising and special events director for the successful 2010 reelection campaign of Alaska Governor Sean Parnell. Dolan also has 17 years of management experience as a United States Army Officer including commanding a data processing company, human resources, facilities management, and program management. She holds a bachelor of fine arts degree from the College of Saint Benedict in St. Joseph, Minnesota.
Corey Johns
Senior Stakeholder Relations Manager
Corey Johns serves as Senior Stakeholder Relations Manager within the Stakeholder Relations & Development group. In this position, Corey functions as the primary relationship manager in all Connected Nation states that do not have permanent state-based offices. In addition, Corey is charged with developing, retaining, and growing client relationships by investing significant time in understanding the goals and needs of the state’s various agencies, libraries, educational systems, etc., and preparing responses to those findings based on Connected Nation’s suite of products and (or) services.
Corey joined Connected Nation in February 2009 as Connected Tennessee’s State Ops Manager for the East region. During his tenure, he has been a valuable leader of Tennessee’s statewide strategy promoting technology use and works to increase both the availability and adoption of broadband across East Tennessee. Corey was responsible for determining each East Tennessee county’s current use of technology and making plans for the best way to utilize technology in order to improve local government services and provide better healthcare and education, ultimately helping Tennessee communities remain economically strong.
Rick Langenek
Project Manager
Rick Langenek serves as Project Manager for Connected Nation. In this role, he will assist in the development and diffusion of a project management culture throughout the Connected Nation enterprise. Rick will have a lead role in Connected Nation project management activities including implementation efforts for our Connect State engagements and provide project management support for identified Connected Nation deliverables including eCS activities and assist in the facilitation of the governance process for Connected Nation’s Project Management methodology.
Rick joined Connected Nation with extensive experience in integration management, scope management, and procurement management most recently serving as the I.T. Project Manager for Hewlett Packard in Lexington, KY. In this role, Rick managed all projects and resources within the Exstream IT Department. He established and implemented new IT project management processes and worked with and represented stakeholders on need identification, requirements definition, solution evaluation, and project justification for business solutions.
Rick holds a B.S. in Business Administration / Finance from the University of Akron and also obtained his PMP certification from the Project Management Institute (PMI) and a Kepner-Tregoe Project Methodology Certification from the Kepner-Tregoe Institute.
Jeremy Thacker
Communications Specialist
Jeremy Thacker serves as a Communications Specialist where he is responsible for assisting with projecting a positive image of Connected Nation to stakeholders and the general public through various media activities including web and other multimedia assets. Jeremy coordinates with media at a national level to gain maximum exposure for Connected Nation’s activities and support partner communications and assist in strategic downstate media outreach.
Jeremy brings with him more than 15-years of experience in television show producing, breaking & entertainment news and live event planning. He has most recently served as Freelance Producer for CMT/MTV Networks, GAC and the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville. Prior to his tenure in Nashville, Jeremy was a Supervising Producer for E! Networks in Los Angeles.
He holds a B.A. in Communications from the University of Arizona.
