SPEAKERS 

Ed Evans serves as Chairman and CEO of Consumer Cellular. He is an accomplished executive in the wireless space with more than three decades of experience. Ed served as Chief Executive Officer of Inteliquent (NASDAQ: IQNT), Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Syniverse Technologies, a GTCR portfolio company (NYSE:SVR) as well as President and Chief Operating Officer at Dobson Communications (NASDAQ:DCEL).

Before joining Dobson, he held a variety of management positions with BellSouth and GTE from 1989 to 1996. Ed has served on the Boards of Solix, Neutral Tandem, Carolina West Wireless and The University of Florida Athletic Association. Ed is currently a Trustee for The First Tee. Ed earned his MBA in Finance from the J. Mack Robinson College of Business at Georgia State University.

Heather Mann is the Customer Insights Manager for American Electric Power. American Electric Power is one of the largest electric utilities in the United States, delivering safe, reliable power to nearly 5.5 million regulated customers in 11 states. In addition to customer insights, Heather’s team leads digital channel strategy. The team’s goal is to support customer experience efforts through the analysis of operational metrics and customer feedback. The team provides actionable insights to improve customer journeys and reduce the cost to service for all channels and AEP’s seven operating companies.

Prior to joining AEP in 2018, Heather was Vice President, Customer Experience for Mortgage Servicing at JPMorganChase. She has 20+ years leading customer experience focused functions. During her time at Chase, she led teams that supported contact centers, continuous improvement and feedback management with a focus on expanding CX ownership to all areas of the business, including non-customer facing areas. Her ultimate achievement was creating a Customer Insights team from the ground up, experience which she has been able to leverage at AEP.

Heather has a bachelor’s degree with a double major in History and Russian from Allegheny College. She is a certified Six Sigma Master Black Belt.

George Porter is director of communications for Appalachian Power, a role he has held since 2024. In this position, George leads strategic communications and supports engagement with customers, communities and key stakeholders across the company’s service territory.

Before becoming director of communications, George was part of the Transmission Outreach group from 2014 to 2020, where he helped connect communities with information about transmission projects and maintained open communication with local stakeholders.

After stints as a journalist at several newspapers throughout West Virginia, North Carolina, Texas and Virginia, George joined AEP in 2012 at the Hurricane Operations Center.

In his current role, he also leads the company’s Customer Satisfaction initiatives, focusing on clear, timely and transparent communications that support operational priorities, strengthen relationships and help keep customers informed.

George earned a Bachelor of Communications from Alcorn State University and an M.B.A. from Radford University. In his spare time, he enjoys volunteering in his local communities, listening to audiobooks and spending time with his new granddaughter.

Terrilyn Simmons serves as Director of Strategic Growth Communications at Georgia Power, where she develops integrated communications strategies for high-impact projects.

She translates customer intelligence, stakeholder insights, and emerging community sentiment into proactive, hyperlocal communications that build trust, enhance transparency, and support communities through growth and change.

Since joining Georgia Power in 2017, Terrilyn has held leadership roles in brand strategy, energy efficiency, customer engagement, and customer experience. Her work has included guiding brand strategy and overseeing advertising, social media, and marketing campaigns that increased customer engagement and adoption of residential programs and business solutions.

Before joining Georgia Power, Terrilyn was Director of Marketing and Communications at the Metro Atlanta Chamber, where she led an initiative to attract and retain top talent across the 29-county metro Atlanta region.

Terrilyn is committed to community service and serves on several local nonprofit boards. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Broadcast Journalism from Georgia State University.

Leslie Smith leads the Customer Insights and Programs team for Colorado Springs Utilities, where she helps bring the voice of the customer into organizational decision-making. In this role, she oversees customer research, insights, and program support that inform strategy, improve customer experience, and strengthen engagement with the community.

Colorado Springs Utilities is a municipally owned, four-service utility providing electric, natural gas, water, and wastewater services to nearly half a million customers across the Pikes Peak region in Colorado.

Leslie has 16 years of experience in the utilities industry and more than 20 years of prior experience in marketing, merchandising, sales, and customer-focused business leadership. Her career spans a variety of disciplines centered on understanding customer needs, improving service delivery, and supporting meaningful business outcomes. Working for a not-for-profit utility has been a highlight of her career, allowing her to serve the community where she lives, works, and raises her family.