National Lifeline Association Designates New Board Members

Kristina Valencia and Nathan Stierwalt to Help Ensure All Americans Have Access to Essential Communications Services

The National Lifeline Association announces today the appointment of two new board members for a three-year term beginning March 31st, 2017: IMMERGE's Senior Vice President, Kristina Valencia and Chief Sales and Marketing Officer for PWG Network Solutions Nathan Stierwalt. Both Ms. Valencia and Mr. Stierwalt are replacing existing board members Jim Dry and Tom Armstrong who recently resigned. The national organization supports Lifeline recipients, providers, and supporters through education, cooperation, and advocacy.

Both Ms. Valencia and Mr. Stierwalt will be the first board members to represent another group of NaLA members that are not ETCs. This is a big deal since our Lifeline Industry is made up of much more than designated ETCs.

Ms. Valencia, a SVP at IMMERGE (www.immerge.com) is the first board member to represent the member base of distributors, which is NaLA's largest group of members and by far our largest potential member base to grow. Ms. Valencia is excited about this opportunity to meet other Distributors and begin gathering information about how she might be able to help give them a stronger voice in the industry.

Nathan Stierwalt, Chief Sales and Marketing Officer for PWG Network Solutions, is our first board member to represent the carrier supply chain as well as phone suppliers. Nathan, in his capacity, will be able to represent both member bases and provide helpful insight to the Board on what is needed and expected from this NaLA group.

"Through their leadership, Kristina and Nathan have helped elevate the industry standard for quality of service through the Lifeline Program," said David B. Dorwart, Chairman of National Lifeline Association. "We are delighted to have them join our board, where they can help us fulfill our vision of ensuring that 'In America, every person should have access to essential communication services.'"

Kristina and Nathan join current board members David B. Dorwart- Chairman, ViaOne Services; David Skogen- Global Communications of America; Steve Klein- SafetyNet Wireless; William Curry- Life Wireless; and Kim Lehrman- Entouch Wireless.

About the National Lifeline Association:
The National Lifeline Association is the only industry trade group specifically focused on the Lifeline segment of telecommunications. It supports the four essential pieces of Lifeline: ETCs and providers, distributors, Lifeline supporters and participants, and government and regulatory bodies.

The federal Lifeline program was created by Congress in 1985 to ensure that all Americans have access to quality telephone service. The Lifeline program requires that potential subscribers take part in a federal assistance program such as Medicaid or Food Stamps, or earn no more than 135 percent of the federal poverty level, and may not receive service from more than one Lifeline carrier at the same time.

"We are passionate about the continuity and advancement of the Lifeline program," added Dorwart. "And we drive this vision by providing education, cooperation, and advocacy."