This summer, Underline added a number of key leaders with decades of experience in the technology and telecommunications industries. These individuals will head departments across the company to drive the development of new technologies and products, and provide seasoned leadership to market execution teams. 

• Ryan Korte joins as Head of Cloud & Network Solutions from Lumen
• Jeff Bankston joins as VP of Business Development for Underline Technologies from AWS and Nokia
• Chris Lyons join as Chief Revenue Officer from Logix, Hargray, and Frontier 

‍Ryan Korte has spent 30 years developing and managing advanced fiber-optic network and systems architecture for Fortune 500 enterprise companies and nationwide telecommunications carriers.

At Underline, Ryan will lead the Cloud & Network Ops, Dev Ops, and Security Ops teams. He will work to scale the network infrastructure and related systems as Underline adds new services and expands to new communities, all the while ensuring an excellent client experience. Ryan will also oversee all connectivity, and interconnectivity, to Underline’s service provider partners. 

Prior to Underline, Ryan was with Lumen for more than 23 years and was responsible for several technology and strategy teams across the core Lumen internet, media and optical networks.  Most recently Ryan led the Lumen Cloud Connect product and Network as a Service (NaaS) initiatives. Prior to Lumen he was at MasterCard International, where he developed the strategic direction and technology for the global transaction networks.

‍Jeff Bankston comes to Underline with 25 years of experience across a range of telecommunications technologies, including fiber-to-the-home, LTE/5G, and Cloud.

At Underline, Jeff will lead the development of transformative new products and services, design go-to-market strategies, and pursue strategic partnerships advancing Underline’s mission. Jeff will also lead the development of value-added services and partner offerings for business clients on Underline networks nationwide. 

Prior to joining Underline, Jeff led the Private Wireless business segment at Amazon Web Services (AWS), driving sales, business development and partnerships, culminating in the launch of innovative new products such as AWS Private 5G. At Nokia, Jeff held sales leadership roles covering major U.S. wireline and wireless service providers, with achievements that included  partnering with DISH Networks to deploy the world’s first standalone cloud-native 5G core network.

‍Chris Lyons brings more than 25 years of experience in the telecommunications industry, with a background rooted in sales and operations and a track record of delivering impactful solutions. He has successfully navigated the complexities of market integrations, network expansion, new market buildouts, and new product rollouts ensuring his companies stay ahead in a highly competitive market. 

At Underline, Chris will drive the revenue function for Underline operated networks, developing and leading sales strategies that deliver results at scale. Part of this work will include developing the revenue and client segmentation playbooks for opening new markets as well as building the geographic teams necessary to ensure success.

Prior to Underline, Chris served in various sales and operations roles for both large and small telecom companies throughout the U.S. Chris served as Vice President of Retail and Channel Sales for Logix Fiber Networks where he led a turnaround in the sales organization increasing revenue across all channels. Prior to Logix Chris had revenue responsibility for a nine state Western region for Frontier and ran the Georgia market for Hargray Communications as VP/GM and took the market through an integration and expansion while growing market share against the competition.