Board of Directors

Jeffrey T. Hinson, age 58, has served as a director of Windstream since its formation in 2006 and serves as Chairman of the Board. Mr. Hinson has been the President of YouPlus Media LLC, a video content marketing firm, since 2009. From July 2007 to July 2009, Mr. Hinson served as the President and Chief Executive Officer and a member of the board of directors of Border Media Partners, LLC, a Hispanic-focused radio broadcasting company. Mr. Hinson previously served in a number of roles at Univision Communications Inc., a Spanish language media company, including as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer from March 2004 to June 2005 and as Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Univision Radio, the radio division of Univision Communications, from September 2003 to March 2004. From 1997 to 2003, Mr. Hinson served as Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Hispanic Broadcasting Corporation, which was acquired by Univision Communications in 2003 and became Univision Radio. Since 2005, Mr. Hinson has been a director and Chairman of the Audit Committee of Live Nation Entertainment, Inc. (NYSE: LYV), a global entertainment company that promotes live music events, operates music venues, sells tickets to entertainment and sporting events, and provides management services to music recording artists. Since 2007, he has also served as a director and as Chairman of the Audit Committee of TiVo, Inc., a provider of subscription-based DVR services and interactive video advertising, and is a director, Audit Committee member and Chairman of the Nominating and Governance Committee of Ares Commercial Real Estate Corporation (NYSE: ACRE), a specialty finance company focused on originating, investing in and managing middle-market commercial real estate loans and investments.

Dennis E. Foster, age 72, has served as a director of Windstream since July 2006 and is a member of the Compensation Committee. From July 2006 to February 2010, he served as Lead Director, and from February 2010 to May 2013, he served as Chairman of the Board. Mr. Foster is a principal in Foster Thoroughbred Investments (thoroughbred racing, breeding and training operations) in Cle Elum, Washington, which he joined in June 1995. Mr. Foster served as a director of Alltel Corporation from 1998 through 2006. Prior to his retirement in 2000, Mr. Foster held a number of leadership positions in the telecommunications industry, including President and Chief Executive Officer of 360° Communications and Senior Vice President of the Local Telecommunications Division of Sprint Corporation, and he has over 40 years of experience in the telecommunications industry.

Member of the Compensation Committee

Carol B. Armitage, age 55, has served as a director of Windstream since September 2007, serves as Chair of the Governance Committee and is a member of the Audit Committee. Ms. Armitage has served as a telecommunications consultant since 1998. From 1995 to 1997 she served as Senior Vice President, Technology and Strategy at General Instrument. Prior to 1995 she held various management and engineering positions during sixteen years of service with Bell Laboratories and Network Systems (which later became Lucent). Since 2000, Ms. Armitage has served and held various leadership positions on the board of directors of SCALA, Inc., a provider of digital signage and advertising management solutions. From March 2010 to March 2012, Ms. Armitage served as Chairman of SCALA, Inc. From 2000 until February 2010, and again starting in March 2012, she served as Vice Chairman. From 2002 to 2004, Ms. Armitage served as Chairman of the Board and was on the Audit Committee of YDI Wireless (now known as Proxim Wireless Corporation), then a public company engaged in the development and provision of wireless fiber technologies.

Member of the Audit Committee

Chair of the Governance Committee

Samuel E. Beall, III, age 62, has served as a director of Windstream since November 2006 and serves as Chairman of the Compensation Committee. Mr. Beall is a principal in Beall Investments LLC, a private investment company. Mr. Beall served as Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of Ruby Tuesday, Inc., a New York Stock Exchange listed company that owns and operates casual dining restaurants under the Ruby Tuesday brand, from May 1995 to June 2012, and as President of Ruby Tuesday, Inc. from July 2004 until June 2012.

Chair of the Compensation Committee

Francis X. ("Skip") Frantz, age 59, has served as a director of Windstream since 2006 and serves as Chairman of the Audit Committee. From July 2006 to February 2010, he served as Chairman of the Windstream Board. Mr. Frantz has served as Chairman of Central Bank (a community bank in Little Rock, Arkansas) since February 2007, as non-executive Chairman of Swyft Technology, LLC (a software-as-a-service technology provider in Jacksonville, Florida) since February 2010, and as a board member of Recover Gear, LLC (an athletic apparel company specializing in compression/recovery gear branded "100% Play Harder" in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida) since June 2012. Prior to January 2006, Mr. Frantz was Executive Vice President-External Affairs, General Counsel and Secretary of Alltel Corporation. Mr. Frantz joined Alltel in 1990 as Senior Vice President and General Counsel and was appointed Secretary in January 1992 and Executive Vice President in July 1998. While with Alltel, he was responsible for Alltel's mergers and acquisitions negotiations, wholesale services group, federal and state government and external affairs, corporate communications, administrative services, and corporate governance, in addition to serving as Alltel's chief legal officer. Mr. Frantz served as the 2006 and 2007 Chairman of the Board and of the Audit Committee of the United States Telecom Association.

Chair of the Audit Committee

Jeffery R. Gardner, age 53, is President and Chief Executive Officer of Windstream. Mr. Gardner was appointed to his current position in December 2005, and he has served as a director of Windstream since its formation in 2006. He previously served as executive vice president and chief financial officer of Alltel Corporation. He joined Alltel in 1998 when it merged with 360° Communications. Mr. Gardner is a member of the Business Roundtable, an association of chief executive officers of leading U.S. companies. He also is Chairman of the United States Telecom Association. He serves on the board of directors of RF Micro Devices, Inc., Arkansas Children's Hospital, Darlington School, and Loras College. He serves as Chairman of the Arkansas Research Alliance and as Chairman of the advisory board for the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) Center for Distance Health. He also serves on the foundation board at UAMS. Mr. Gardner was named a national finalist for the Ernst & Young LLP Entrepreneur of the Year 2010® Award in telecommunications. Mr. Gardner earned a degree in finance from Purdue University and an MBA from William and Mary and is a certified public accountant.

Judy K. Jones, age 69, has served as a director of Windstream since its formation in 2006. Ms. Jones serves as a member of the Audit Committee and the Governance Committee. She is currently a member of the board of directors of Lovelace Respiratory Research Institute (LRRI) and of the Mind Research Network, a wholly-owned not-for-profit subsidiary of LRRI. She held various senior administrative positions at the University of New Mexico from 1988 to 2006, including Vice President for Advancement, Associate Vice President for Strategic Initiatives (Health Sciences Center) and Chief of Staff to the President of the University. She also held senior administrative positions with New Mexico state government and is a former management consultant serving public sector clients for a major national accounting firm.

Member of the Audit Committee

Member of the Governance Committee

William A. Montgomery, age 64, has served as a director of Windstream since its formation in 2006 and is a member of the Compensation Committee and the Governance Committee. From 2007 to 2012, Mr. Montgomery served as Chairman of the Compensation Committee. Mr. Montgomery has been a private investor since 1999. From 1989 to 1999, Mr. Montgomery was Chief Executive Officer of SA-SO Company, a company engaged in the distribution of municipal and traffic control products based in Dallas, Texas. Prior to 1989, Mr. Montgomery worked as a registered representative in the financial services industry and has over 12 years of experience in the financial services industry, most recently serving with Morgan Stanley in the Private Client Services group from 1985 to 1989. Mr. Montgomery previously served as a director of Hicks Acquisition Corp. I, Inc., a special purpose entity formed for the purpose of effecting a merger or other business combination with one or more businesses, from its inception in 2007 through the consummation of a business combination with Resolute Energy Corporation in 2009.

Member of the Governance Committee

Member of the Compensation Committee

Alan L. Wells, age 53, has served as a director of Windstream since 2010 and is a founding partner of Financial Advisory Partners, LLC, which makes private equity investments and provides financial advisory services to mid-sized companies in the Midwest. He served as Chief Executive Officer of Iowa Telecommunication Services, Inc. ("Iowa Telecom") (NYSE: IWA) from 2002 to 2010 and Chairman of its board of directors from 2004 to 2010. He joined Iowa Telecom in 1999 as President and Chief Operating Officer, and was appointed to the role of President and Chief Executive Officer in 2002. Prior to joining Iowa Telecom, Mr. Wells was Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer at MidAmerican Energy Holdings Company (MidAmerican) (NYSE: MEC), a Des Moines, Iowa-based electric and gas utility holding company, from 1997 until 1999. During the same period, Mr. Wells also served as President of MidAmerican's non-regulated businesses. Mr. Wells held various executive and management positions with MidAmerican, its subsidiaries, and Iowa-Illinois Gas and Electric, one of its predecessors, from 1993 through 1999. Prior to that, Mr. Wells was with Deloitte Consulting (previously Deloitte & Touche Consulting) and previously held various positions with the Public Utility Commission of Texas and Illinois Power Company.