Anterix appoints Tom Kuhn, former EEI leader, to board of directors

Thomas Kuhn, former president and CEO of the Edison Electric Institute (EEI), has been appointed to the board of directors at Anterix as its vice chairman.

Anterix is a company that partners with utilities and technology companies to harness the power of 900 MHz broadband for modernized grid solutions. It is the largest holder of licensed spectrum in the country.

“Throughout Tom’s tenure at EEI, he has exemplified visionary leadership and has achieved countless public policy and operational milestones for the utility industry,” Anterix Executive Chairman Morgan O’Brien said. “That Tom chose to join Anterix’s Board after leaving the helm of EEI is a testament to the power of Anterix’s mission to enable the evolution of the grid and transform the communications capabilities of the utility sector.”

Kuhn had been president and CEO at EEI, a trade association representing U.S. investor-owned electric utilities, for more than 30 years before he retired last year.

“We are thrilled to welcome Tom to our Board and to have him join the industry-wide movement driving utility private broadband, in support of a secure and resilient clean energy future,” Anterix President and CEO Rob Schwartz said. “Tom’s perspective and his legendary track record as an energy statesman and a consensus-builder among energy industry leaders and on Capitol Hill will be strategically valuable to our partners and to Anterix.”

Before joining EEI, Kuhn was president of the American Nuclear Energy Council, headed the energy section of the investment banking firm, Alex Brown and Sons, and was the White House Liaison Officer to the Secretary of the Navy. Also, he had previously served on the Secretary of Energy’s advisory board and the board of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

“I am extremely excited to join Anterix as Vice Chairman. For all the challenges and opportunities we are facing as a sector—wildfires, decarbonization, distributed energy, cybersecurity and much more—we need a collective industry communications platform solution,” Kuhn said. “The Anterix team and their commitment to the utility sector gives us the path toward that collective solution. With our first six customers in 15 states, a growing pipeline of utilities pursuing private wireless broadband, and our 100+ vendor community, the benefits that we can realize together across the sector through scale, scope, and mutual assistance will be transformational.”

Kuhn holds a Bachelor of Science degree in economics from Yale University and served as a Naval Officer following his graduation. He also has a Master of Business Administration from George Washington University.