Verizon Executive Named to Council of Fellows
Penn State President Graham Spanier has appointed Warren native Daniel S. Mead, president of Verizon Services Operations, to the Council of Fellows at Penn State Erie, The Behrend College.
The Council of Fellows is composed of community and business leaders who advise the college’s leadership on strategic planning issues with particular emphasis on regional needs and economic development.
“I’m pleased to welcome Dan to the Council of Fellows,” said Jack Burke, chancellor of Penn State Behrend. “His credentials speak volumes and I’m confident that he will serve Penn State Behrend well in this new role.”
Mead was named president of Verizon Services Operations (VSO) at the unit’s creation in October 2005. From its headquarters in Basking Ridge, N.J., VSO manages centralized finance operations, human resource services, real estate, and supply chain services for all Verizon companies; it is the first operating company to combine functions and employees from Verizon Business, Verizon Telecom, and Verizon Wireless. VSO employs 15,000 people and processes $144 billion in transactions annually.
Mead’s career in telecommunications began in 1978 as a GTE tooling and equipment plant controller in Warren, where he still keeps a home. His leadership role at Verizon began as one of the founding senior executives responsible for launching Verizon Wireless in July 2000. Among Mead’s responsibilities at the time was integrating the wireless customer care teams and cultures of 14,000 employees working for Bell Atlantic, GTE, Airtouch, and PrimeCo as those companies evolved into Verizon Wireless.
Mead holds two Penn State degrees, an M.B.A. and a bachelor’s degree in quantitative business analysis and finance.
Penn State Erie, The Behrend College, is a comprehensive residential college offering 32 baccalaureate, six associate, four pre-professional and two graduate degree programs with 22 minors to more than 4,000 students. Focused on providing a student-centered environment, Penn State Behrend is the link that connects its students to a major research and land-grant institution on a campus enriched by more than 110 clubs and organizations, 21 NCAA varsity teams, 19 intramural sports and modern facilities.