Catherine started her career at Pioneer Communications in 1998 in the customer service department after graduating from Middlebury College. After attending law school at Washburn University, she returned in 2002 as the Director of Legal and Regulatory Affairs and was named the CEO in 2012. In her free time, she enjoys hanging out with her husband, Kevin, and their dog, Charlie, as well as running, traveling, and trying new foods and cuisines. Catherine also stays busy serving on multiple boards, including the Kansas Lottery Commission, which she chairs, and the CoBank Board of Directors.
Leo comes to Pioneer by way of Norvado, a rural cooperative ILEC in Wisconsin where he served as Chief Customer Service, Sales & Marketing Officer. Before taking that role, Leo was a computer network technician and IT manager at Norvado. Leo also spent time in the United States Air Force. He holds a Doctorate of Business Administration in Business Intelligence and Analytics; a Master of Science in Information Security; and a Bachelor of Science in Information Technology.
Leo has deep experience in marketing and sales, building structure around those. He understands cooperative governance and the member-owners of a cooperative. He loves strategic planning and enjoys digging into data. Additionally, he has taught as an adjunct professor for more than 10 years, teaching subjects such as organizational communication, strategic leadership and organizational change, budgeting and financial management, and project management.
In his spare time Leo enjoys spending time with his family, live sports of just about any kind as well as hunting and fishing.
Gavin, the current Chief Operations Officer, a Ulysses native, started his career at Pioneer Communications in 1995 after graduating from Northwest Kansas Technical College. He has worked in many facets of the business, including Outside Plant, Network Operations, Plant Records, and Special Projects. When not watching auto racing like NASCAR or IMSA, Gavin enjoys camping and hiking in remote locations, such as the Mojave and Chihuahuan deserts. A self-proclaimed grillmaster, he is known for his willingness to grill anything – ribs, steaks, burgers – in any kind of weather.
Sarah started her career with Pioneer Communications in 2006 after graduating from KSU with a Bachelor’s degree in accounting and finance. She is currently the Chief Financial Officer and is responsible for the financial health of the cooperative, as well as the accounting, regulatory, and warehouse/inventory teams. Sarah is an active member of the Pink Out Committee and Big Orange Boosters, and enjoys cheering on her children at football, basketball, and baseball games. When not chasing her boys around or attending a sporting event, her favorite vacation spot is anywhere with a beach.
