Richard Ruhl
General Manager, Pioneer Telephone Cooperative (Kingfisher, OK)

Richard began his career at Pioneer September 1, 1976, as a Central Office Technician and has held the position of General Manager since 1995, directing the overall operations for one of the largest telecommunications cooperatives in the United States. With a focus on strong customer service and state-of-the-art technology, Richard has led a staff of 575 to maximize corporate growth and market share through the development of long-term relationships, sustainable products, and innovative partnerships. Over the years, Richard has been responsible for extensive change, diversification, and growth for Pioneer as well as the telecommunications industry. As a result of his professional experience and industry knowledge, he has served on numerous national industry-related Boards and Committees, in addition to state, business, education, and community-focused organizations. He has also supported NTCA’s advocacy efforts throughout his career.

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Glen Hardcastle
Chairman of the Board of Directors, North Central Telephone Cooperative (Lafayette, TN)

Glen has served on the Board for 35 years, since 1986, and has served as Chairman since 2013. During his tenure on the Board, he oversaw the investment in cellular telephone service, and eventually led the decision to divest later when the time was right. With Glen’s support, management entered into the first joint telephone/electric co-op agreement in Kentucky to build out a fiber network to deploy broadband in a previously underserved area. As Chairman, he provided the leadership for company management to apply for a $50 million broadband grant in 2010 to build out the entire service area for NCTC, which was completed in 2021. Glen has the distinction of being just one of handful of telecommunications Board Presidents in recent memory to have two different FCC Chairmen personally visit their service area, with visits in 2015 from FCC Acting Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel, and in 2018 from Chairman Ajit Pai. He has also strongly personally supported the NTCA Rural Broadband PAC for over 20 years, which only serves to further illustrate how clearly he has seen and championed the future for broadband in rural areas.

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Dee Herman
Partner at Herman & Whiteaker (Bethesda, MD)

Dee is a dedicated and active Associate Member of NTCA. He currently serves as the General Counsel for the Foundation for Rural Service on a pro-bono basis—which he has done for several years, and previously served as Chairman and member of the Associate Member Advisory Council, AMAC. Dee also served as legal counsel on a number of telecommunications regulatory and business issues for NTCA member companies over his nearly thirty-year legal career. He has worked to advocate for rural service providers before the FCC and on Capitol Hill, from promoting bidding credits in the FCC spectrum auctions for rural carriers to ensuring regulatory relief.

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Chase Mitchell
Outside Plant Technician, DTC Communications (Alexandria, TN)

Chase was driving his service truck when he came upon a stopped vehicle and a woman who was lying on the ground. Chase investigated and realized the woman was unconscious and emergency services were still a good distance away. He learned that the unresponsive woman was previously a drug addict who may have relapsed and overdosed. Chase checked her vital signs. Her pulse was faint and she had stopped breathing. Chase utilized his CPR and Narcan training, and despite the potential threat to his own welfare of administering CPR during the Covid-19 pandemic, he quickly made the decision that this stranger’s life was more important. During the time they waited for an ambulance, Chase administered two doses of Narcan, began chest compressions, monitored the woman’s breathing and vitals, and when she was ultimately revived, comforted her when she became agitated. Chase performed nearly 50 minutes of live-saving care, utilizing his company training to treat a complete stranger who may have lost her life without Chase’s intervention.

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Katie Kopplin
Customer Technology Consultant, Lynxx Networks (Camp Douglas, WI)

In addition to Katie’s work at Lynxx Networks, she opened her own boutique in the 600-person village of Camp Douglas a few years ago in the small downtown area, where she features local artisans in addition to her own wares. In June 2020, Katie decided to take her endeavor to the next level and started a farmers market in the parking lot of her Camp Douglas store. Now, in only its second year, the market has become the largest in the area, surpassing the number of vendors at the markets in the two, ten-thousand-person towns on either side of the village. There are currently 33 vendors at the Camp Douglas market when everyone is present, selling everything from local produce to food items, crafts, handmade pieces and artwork. On a given Sunday morning, the market has 200 or more people in attendance—one-third of the population of the village Katie calls home. But the weekly market does more than bring foot traffic to a sleepy village in rural Wisconsin. Katie also collects donations for the local food pantry and has set up fun and educational events for children.

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