Verizon CEO to give Hatfield lecture Sept. 19

Lowell C. McAdam '76
McAdam

Lowell C. McAdam ’76, chairman and CEO of Verizon Communications, will speak on campus as the 32nd Robert S. Hatfield Fellow in Economic Education.

His lecture, “Tackling the World’s Biggest Challenges: The Future of Communications Technology,” will be Sept. 19 at 5 p.m. in Statler Hall’s Alice Statler Auditorium and will be followed by a question-and-answer session. The lecture is free and open to the public, but space is limited.

McAdam earned a bachelor’s degree in engineering from Cornell in 1976 and an MBA from the University of San Diego. He is a member of the Cornell University Board of Trustees and a past member of the Dean’s Advisory Council in the College of Engineering. He spent six years in the U.S. Navy Civil Engineer Corps and became a licensed professional engineer in 1979.

McAdam became CEO of Verizon Communications in 2011 and chairman in 2012. He is also chairman of the Verizon Wireless Board of Representatives. McAdam previously served as president and COO, with responsibility for the operations of Verizon Wireless, Verizon Telecom and Business, and Verizon Services Operations. He was also responsible for the technology management and CIO functions.

Prior to those positions, McAdam held executive positions at Verizon Wireless since its inception in 2000 and built the company into the industry’s leading wireless provider. Earlier, McAdam was president and CEO of PrimeCo Personal Communications, owned by Bell Atlantic and Vodafone AirTouch.

McAdam has also served as vice president for international operations for AirTouch Communications and was lead technical partner for cellular ventures in Spain, Portugal, Sweden, Italy, Korea and Japan. From 1983 to 1993, he held various executive positions with Pacific Bell.

McAdam is past chairman of the board of directors of the CTIA, the wireless industry trade association. He is a director of the National Academy Foundation, a partnership between business leaders and educators that helps high schools across the country establish and run technical and service academies to prepare students for college and careers.

The Robert S. Hatfield Fellowship in Economic Education is the highest honor Cornell bestows on individuals from the corporate sector and serves as a platform for exchange of ideas between the academic and corporate communities. Hatfield fellows are invited by the president to spend a day on campus interacting with faculty and students and to deliver a public lecture. The Robert S. Hatfield Fund for Economic Education was established in 1980 by the Continental Group Foundation to honor its retiring chairman, president and CEO, Robert S. Hatfield ’37.

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