Ivan Seidenberg

Ivan Seidenberg (born December 10, 1946) is the former chairman and CEO of Verizon Communications Inc.

His telecommunications career began more than 40 years ago when he joined New York Telephone, one of Verizon’s predecessor companies, as a cable splicer. He went on to lead Verizon from its inception in 2000, first as co-Chief Executive Officer, then as sole CEO, and then as CEO and chairman. He transformed Verizon into a premier global network company by building a nationwide wireless network, deploying high-speed fiber broadband direct to homes, and expanding Verizon’s global Internet backbone network around the world.

Seidenberg stepped down as CEO in July 2011 and continued to serve as chairman and as a member of the Verizon Board of Directors through December 2011 when he retired from the company. Effective Aug. 1, 2011, Lowell McAdam, former President and COO of Verizon Communications, succeeded Seidenberg as CEO.

Previously, Seidenberg was chairman and CEO of Verizon’s predecessor companies, NYNEX and Bell Atlantic.

Born into a Jewish family, Seidenberg began his career in telecommunications as a cable splicer straight from high school. He was wounded in Vietnam, and subsequently earned a bachelor's degree in mathematics from Lehman College, part of the City University of New York, and an MBA from Pace University.

Seidenberg started his career as a cable splicer at New York Telephone, eventually becoming head of NYNEX in 1994. He took a senior position in Bell Atlantic after that company merged with NYNEX. When Bell Atlantic became Verizon, Seidenberg was sole CEO of the company.

In 2006, Seidenberg donated $15 million to Pace University. Pace’s School of Computer Science and Information Systems was officially renamed the Ivan G. Seidenberg School of Computer Science and Information Systems.

In 2007, President George W. Bush named Seidenberg to the National Security Telecommunications Advisory Committee, which advises the president on communications issues related to national security, emergency preparedness and the protection of critical infrastructure.

Seidenberg is a member of the President’s Export Council, which advises the President on how to promote U.S. exports, jobs and growth, and the National Security Telecommunications Advisory Committee, which provides counsel on communications issues related to national security. From 2009 to 2011, he chaired the Business Roundtable, an influential association of CEOs of leading U.S. companies.

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