Diamond State Networks of Jonesboro named Jill McDaniel as its interim CEO this week, promoting her from the chief operating officer post she has held since November.
Doug Maglothin, previous CEO of the electric-cooperative-owned broadband network, is leaving DSN. As owner of a consulting firm, Leverage Broadband Strategies, Maglothin was a key figure in starting and building DSN.
He now plans to pursue other broadband, middle mile and network opportunities in Arkansas and beyond. The Electric Cooperatives of Arkansas announced McDaniel’s new position and Maglothin’s departure in a news release.
“Doug is the visionary who helped take DSN from just a concept to a best-in-class network operator,” DSN board chair Mitchell Johnson said in a statement. Johnson, CEO of Ozarks Electric Cooperative in Fayetteville, said the network appreciates “what he has helped the cooperatives to accomplish.”
‘Middle Mile’
Diamond State built itself as a “middle mile” network, Maglothin told Arkansas Business in 2022. Instead of delivering broadband to residents, it serves internet providers, mobile network operators and “large-enterprise businesses that want to deal with as few entities as possible,” he said.
The network connects its customers with places across the state and country where upstream internet connectivity is less expensive. This allows the co-ops to “connect the dots and save loads of money,” Maglothin said.
In the news release, he said his four-and-a-half years of envisioning and leading DSN were a career highlight. “Our most incredible accomplishment is the incomparable team that we have built that will carry this mission forward.” Maglothin said he hopes to continue his association with DSN “in the years to come.”
$2.2B Investment
Fourteen of the state’s 17 electric distribution cooperatives own DSN. They joined together to make the largest fiber optic broadband investment in Arkansas history, a $2.2 billion network. The cooperatives are building it across nearly 70% of the state, with the goal of making Arkansas “the most significantly connected state in the country.”
DSN provides a 100% fiber optic network that focuses on reliability, quality and sustainability, the cooperatives said in the release.
In her previous role, McDaniel focused on network engineering and operations. Other specialties included project management, field operations and sales engineering. She joined DSN as vice president of operations in December 2022. Her resume includes positions with Irby Utilities, Ritter Communications, Allo Communications and Windstream.
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