Dr. R. Kirby Godsey
Chairman of the Board

Dr. Godsey is Chairman of the Board of Birch Communications.   Previously, Dr. Godsey served as the 17th president of Mercer University and held that position since July 1, 1979. Prior to his appointment as president, he served as executive vice president and as dean of the College of Liberal Arts. Before coming to Mercer in 1977, Dr. Godsey was vice president and dean of the college at Averett College in

Danville, Virginia. Dr. Godsey earned his undergraduate degree in history and religion from Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama. He holds master of divinity and doctor of theology degrees from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, and a master of arts in philosophy from the University of Alabama. In 1969, he earned a Ph.D. in philosophy from Tulane University. The University of South Carolina, Averett and Samford have awarded him honorary degrees.

Vincent Oddo
President & CEO

Vincent Oddo is President and Chief Executive Officer of Birch Communications. He is a 20-year veteran of the telecom industry and has specialized in both wireline and wireless properties. Prior to joining Birch Communications, he served for several years as chief operating officer of Network Telephone in Pensacola, Florida. Mr. Oddo holds a BA degree and a Master’s of Public Administration (MPA) from Long Island University.

Chris Aversano
Executive Vice President &
Chief Operating Officer

Chris Aversano brings to Birch Communications 18 years of experience in telecommunication & engineering experience covering Wireline, Wireless, & Satellite communications. Aversano has also served as the VP of Service Delivery & Engineering Operations at Network Telephone Corp, VP of Provisioning at Nuvox, Director of Process Design at Covad Communications, and

Program Manager for the United States Air Force responsible for Global Positioning System (GPS) Satellites. He holds an BS in Electrical Engineering from Clemson University as well as an Associates Degree in Telecommunications from the United States Air Force.

Allan Samson
Senior Vice President, Product Sales & Marketing

Allan has been with Birch Communications since August 2000. With more than 16 years of experience in telecommunications, he is responsible leading the product marketing and sales functions. Before coming to Birch Communications Allan spent 8 years at ATT (formerly SBC). While at ATT he served in various leadership positions in product management, regulatory and network

operations. His last two assignments at SBC included the introduction of managed AIN services and the negotiation of interconnection agreements with competitive local exchange carriers (CLECs). He holds both a Bachelor of Science in industrial engineering from the University of Missouri and an M.B.A. from Southern Methodist University.

Edward James
Senior Vice President,
Chief Financial Officer

Mr. James was appointed our Chief Financial Officer on June 30, 2008. Prior thereto and from November 2006, Mr. James served as Chief Financial Officer of American Telecom Services, Inc., a provider of bundled personal telecommunication equipment and service product offerings. From September 2001 through November of 2006,

Mr. James was employed by Carter’s Inc, the nation’s largest branded marketer of baby and young children’s apparel, where he served in a number of financial capacities of increasing responsibility, culminating as Director of Finance for its wholesale and mass distribution channels. From 1992 through September 2001, he was employed by United Parcel Service in varied positions, mostly related to accounting, operations and finance project management. Mr. James received a BA from Mississippi College and an MBA from Cumberland University.

Jerry Hill
Vice President, Information & Technology and CIO

Jerry Hill joined Birch Communications in 2000 as Director of Information Technology. He was promoted to the position of Vice President of Information Technology in April 2004. In this position, Mr. Hill is responsible for leadership and direction in developing, implementing and managing information technology initiatives related to all aspects of the core business, including the

improvement of customer relationship management, business process improvement, billing and OSS interfaces. Jerry has over 20 years experience in the software development industry and has been recognized nationally for his work. He holds a BA in Business Administration from Mercer University and an MBA.

Chris Bunce
Vice President, Legal, and General Counsel

Chris joined Birch Communications in June 2000. He provides leadership over legal operations, responsible for legal and regulatory compliance and transactional matters. Prior to joining Birch, Chris was counsel for GST Telecom in Vancouver, Washington, and he has served as counsel for telecommunications carriers including CallAmerica, ICON Networks, and TotalNet,

and Internet service providers Hawaii OnLine and Whole Earth Networks. Chris has a Bachelor’s degree in both History and Journalism/Mass Communication from Iowa State University and a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Iowa College of Law.