Corporate Governance

LeRoy T. Carlson, Jr. is president and CEO. Carlson joined the company in 1974 as a vice president. He was named president in 1981 and chief executive officer in 1986. Carlson is also chair of the board of TDS' publicly traded subsidiary, UScellular.

Prior to joining TDS, Carlson held several positions with Singer Company. Previously, he was an auditor for Arthur Andersen LLP.

Carlson is a member of the Harvard Club of Chicago and the Harvard Business School Club of Chicago.

Carlson received an MBA from the Harvard Graduate School of Business and a BA from Harvard College.

Vicki L. Villacrez is executive vice president and chief financial officer for TDS, Inc.

Prior to joining TDS, Villacrez was vice president – finance and CFO at TDS Telecom in May of 2012, and was promoted to senior vice president in 2017. She has been with the company for three decades, having first joined parent company TDS, Inc. in 1989, serving as an internal auditor. Before moving into her current role, she held multiple leadership positions with growing responsibility across finance.

Villacrez serves on the Board of Directors for United States Cellular Corporation (NYSE: USM), a publicly traded company. Villacrez works with numerous stakeholders, including the TDS Board of Directors, Audit Committee, investors, buy-side and sell-side analysts, news/industry reporters, lending institutions, and rating agencies.

Villacrez earned a Bachelor of Science in accounting from Upper Iowa University and a Master of Business Administration from Edgewood College in Madison, Wisconsin. She is also a CPA.

In her personal time, Villacrez volunteers with the Second Harvest Food Bank of southern Wisconsin and has served as Treasurer and Executive Board Member since 2014.

Joseph R. Hanley is senior vice president - strategy and corporate development. In this role, he leads the corporate development and acquisition initiatives of TDS and its business units. He is also responsible for all aspects of corporate strategy, as well as strategic technology and public policy initiatives.

Hanley joined TDS in 1988 and has held a series of positions in engineering, product management and development, customer operations, technology assessment, and strategy. He is a member of Tau Beta Pi (Engineering Honor Society), Eta Kappa Nu (Electrical Engineering Honors Society) and Beta Gamma Sigma (Business Honors Society). He served as First Vice Chair of ATIS, an organization responsible for communications technology standards. Hanley holds an MBA from Arizona State University and a BS in electrical engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Jessica Bartley is vice president – IT Security and Chief Security and Privacy Officer (CSPO). She is responsible for the TDS' corporate information security program, including policy, governance and compliance, as well as day-to-day information security operations.

Bartley joined TDS in 2012 as Manager – IT Security and helped transform the security culture in the organization. In 2018, she was promoted to Director – Business Intelligence and IT Security and helped to deliver a high value data analytics practice.

Bartley holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from Cardinal Stritch University and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Wisconsin – Madison.

Steve Carroll became vice president of human resources in 2022, after having held manager and director-level roles in IT and human resources and facilities at TDS. His leadership experience spans implementation project management, software and technology selection, business process improvement, operational performance management, strategic and financial planning, and personnel development. In his current role, he is responsible for overseeing TDS and OneNeck IT Solutions human resources, TDS facilities, and Enterprise Benefits.

Carroll joined the TDS family of companies as a Project Manager at TDS Telecom in 2007. Prior to joining TDS, he had an extensive background in consulting as a Senior Manager at Virchow Krause and Company and was also a Director at Cerner Corporation. He has also held consulting roles with Deloitte and Andersen Consulting as well as a client service role at Fidelity Investments.

Carroll earned a BA in Economics from Lawrence University and an MBA from University of Wisconsin-Madison.

David D. Gillman became vice president - tax in 2014. He is responsible for all tax matters related to TDS and its business units, U.S. Cellular and TDS Telecom, including advising on the tax consequences of transactions, financings, and business initiatives, and ensuring compliance with tax laws and filing requirements.

Gillman joined TDS in 1997 and became assistant controller - tax in 2006. Prior to that, he was manager of tax planning at Medtronic, Inc. for two years, and a senior manager at KPMG for nine years.

Gillman, a certified public accountant, is a member of the Tax Executives Institute (TEI). He has been a member of the board of directors of the Wisconsin chapter of TEI, and has served in each of the officer positions, including president in 2007 and 2008. Gillman also served on the board of directors at the institute level of TEI and presently as a member of the institute’s federal tax committee. Gillman received a BA from the University of Northern Iowa and a master's in business taxation from the University of Minnesota.

John N. Greene, Jr., Ph.D. is vice president of enterprise diversity, equity, and inclusion. In this role, he has full responsibility of the TDS and OneNeck IT Solutions diversity, equity, and inclusion program. He also works collaboratively with the TDS business units, coordinating and communicating DE&I activities, while providing strategic recommendations to key stakeholders at all levels of the organization.

Before joining TDS, Dr. Greene was principal at i5 Consulting, headquartered in Milwaukee, WI, delivering talent and organizational development services to for-profit, non-profit, and governmental entities. Dr. Greene spent 12 years in leadership at Johnson Controls, where he was last vice president of global workforce diversity.

Dr. Greene began his post-graduate career in the U.S. Navy as a clinical psychologist, attaining the rank of Lieutenant Commander. He has a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the University of Michigan, and a Master of Arts and Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the University of Alabama. Dr. Greene serves on the Boards of the LGBTQ Community Center of Milwaukee and New Beginnings are Possible.

Kenneth M. Kotylo has been vice president of acquisitions and corporate development since 2003. His responsibilities include assessing the strategic and financial implications of new investments, developing business plans and valuations, negotiating deal terms, coordinating due diligence, and industry benchmarking.

Prior to joining TDS, Kotylo was an equity research analyst for William Blair and Company. Earlier, he served with Ameritech for nine years in various areas, including corporate strategy and development, corporate finance, financial planning, and business development. He has also held positions with Baxter International and KPMG Peat Marwick.

Kotylo is a certified public accountant and chartered financial analyst (CFA). He is a member of the CFA Institute (formerly the Association for Investment Management and Research), the CFA Society of Chicago, the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, and the Illinois CPA Society. Kotylo received an MBA in finance from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and a BA in accounting from Michigan State University.

Anita Kroll became vice president and controller in 2017 and Chief Accounting Officer in 2019. She will be responsible for corporate accounting, internal and external reporting, accounting policy, tax accounting, and enterprise-wide shared services. Kroll joined TDS in 2011.

Prior to that, she served as director of accounting and reporting for TDS and held a project role in accounting policy. Before joining TDS, Kroll served as vice president of finance for Spring Windows Fashions and senior vice president of accounting for Clear Channel Outdoor. Kroll also spent six years at Ernst & Young, LLP, and has held various teaching positions at the University of Wisconsin, Madison and at Edgewood College.

Kroll is a certified public accountant and received a BS in accounting from University of Washington and an MBA from University of Wisconsin – Madison.

Jane W. McCahon is vice president – corporate secretary for TDS [NYSE: TDS], a diversified telecommunications services corporation headquartered in Chicago and its majority-owned, publicly traded subsidiary, UScellular [NYSE: USM]. McCahon oversees corporate governance activities, including management of the TDS and U.S. Cellular boards of directors. She is also a member of the Company’s corporate strategy group. She was previously senior vice president of corporate relations and corporate secretary and was responsible for day-to-day communications with the investment community, the Company’s environmental, social and governance (ESG) program, and corporate communications. McCahon joined TDS in 2009 as vice president of corporate relations.

Before joining TDS, McCahon was a principal with Massachusetts-based Conway Communications, which provided investor relations consulting for a diverse range of companies. Prior to that, she was vice president of corporate relations for Eastern Enterprises and served as manager of investor relations for Waban, Inc. (now BJ's Wholesale Club).

McCahon is a member and former chair of the National Investor Relations Institute (NIRI). She is a co-founder and former chair of the NIRI Ethics Council and has also served on the NIRI Senior Roundtable Steering Committee. In 2011, she was named in the inaugural class as one of eleven NIRI Fellows. NIRI Fellows are recognized leaders who represent the ideals of the investor relations profession. She is also a member of the Society of Governance Professionals.

McCahon holds a BA in economics and finance from Bentley University and a JD from Suffolk University Law School.

Laurie A. Ruchti leads the strategic direction of TDS' corporate IT organization, focusing on providing excellent service and support to TDS' business units, U.S. Cellular and TDS Telecom, and corporate end users. She oversees all aspects of the TDS Corporate IT organization, including strategy and delivery, business services, technical services, business intelligence, and security. Laurie also leads the business applications function for OneNeck IT Solutions.

Ruchti joined TDS in 1986 and became Vice President and CIO in 2020. Prior to that she was Vice President – IT Strategy, Quality and Application Services.

Ruchti has a BS in business administration with a computer science emphasis from the University of Wisconsin-Platteville, and an MS in business from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Peter D. Taft became vice president, Strategy in 2017. Taft leads the development of growth and portfolio strategies for the TDS enterprise, including identifying and evaluating new business areas and business models that complement and extend the TDS business portfolio.

Taft most recently served as vice president – Product Management and Strategy for XO Communications, which owns and operates one of the largest IP and Ethernet networks in the U.S. Prior to that, he was vice president – Strategy for Nextel International, a mobile service provider with operations in several Latin American countries.

Taft has an MA in International Affairs from George Washington University and a BA in History from Gustavus Adolphus College. He is also a graduate of the Stanford Executive Program.

Colleen Thompson is vice president of corporate relations for TDS [NYSE: TDS], a diversified telecommunications services corporation headquartered in Chicago. Thompson will be responsible for investor relations and ESG. She handles day-to-day communications with the investment community and financial media, corporate public relations and employee communications.

Prior to joining TDS, Thompson was Director of Business Strategy at UScellular. She joined UScellular in 2012 and held various director roles within accounting and finance. Colleen also worked at companies including TransUnion Corporation, Constellation Brands, and KPMG.

Colleen is a Certified Public Accountant and earned her MBA from the Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University and her BA in Accounting from the University of Notre Dame.

John M. Toomey is vice president and treasurer. He is responsible for capital markets activities, banking relationships, cash investing, enterprise risk management, and certain other corporate finance functions for TDS and its business units, U.S. Cellular and TDS Telecom. He joined TDS in 2000 and became vice president and assistant treasurer in 2005, and was promoted to treasurer in 2018.

Prior to joining TDS, Toomey was a risk manager in the treasury department of Sears. Previously, he was director of risk management services for Waste Management, Inc.

Toomey is a member of Pi Tau Sigma, the national mechanical engineering honor society; Tau Beta Pi, the national engineering honor society; and Beta Gamma Sigma, the honor society serving business programs.

Toomey received an MBA in finance and accounting from the Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University, and a BS in mechanical engineering from Marquette University.

Thomas S. Weber has been vice president of internal audit since 2016. Weber directs the company’s internal audit function and coordinates with the TDS Audit Committee in the performance of its corporate oversight role.

Weber joined TDS' subsidiary, U.S. Cellular in 1992 and has held a number of U.S. Cellular roles including vice president and controller and principal accounting officer in 2002; vice president of financial strategy in 2005; and most recently vice president of financial and real estate services in 2010. Prior to joining U.S. Cellular, Weber held various financial and accounting positions with Chrysler Corporation.

Weber, a certified public accountant earned a BS from DePaul University and an MBA from Northwestern University's Kellogg Graduate School of Management.