Andrés Irlando
President – New York Region
Verizon Communications
This guy is big. As President – New York Region for Verizon, Andrés Irlando is responsible for the company’s corporate interests in New York and Connecticut. He joined Verizon in 2005 as Vice President – Pacific Region. Back then he covered government, regulatory, and external affairs as well as philanthropy in California, Arizona, Nevada, and Hawaii.
This isn’t Andres’ first “presidency” – before joining Verizon, he was president of the Cesar E. Chavez Foundation, a national educational not-for-profit based in Los Angeles. He also practiced law at O’Melveny & Myers LLP in San Francisco, and worked at the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office. As if that’s not impressive enough, Andrés was an adjunct professor of political science at California State University, Northridge. And did we mention he was an intelligence officer in the United States Navy Reserve from 1999 to 2007?
He’s active in the community, too, as a member of the Pacific Council on International Policy and the Board of Directors of the Business Council of New York.
This dynamo earned a doctor of jurisprudence from Stanford Law School and a bachelor’s degree from Harvard College.
Farooq Muzaffar
Vice President - Product Development and Delivery
Verizon Business
You know all the cool technical gizmos that make running a business so easy? Farooq leads the way in bringing them to life. He’s responsible for developing new products for the enterprise and general business markets. His team creates the products and services needed by global enterprises to compete in an IP-enabled world. This tech wizard is a former McKinsey Scholar and winner of the Chairman’s Leadership Award from GTE. His team’s products are developed and sold globally.
Farooq came from his position as Executive Director in the Architecture & eServices group within Verizon, where he delivered next-generation communications solutions to enterprise customers.
He used to be an investment banker in the Technology, Media and Telecom group at Goldman Sachs, where he advised clients on corporate strategy, M&A and finance.
All this stems from Farooq’s Bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the University of California at Berkeley and an MBA from the Sloan School of Management at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Jeanmarie Milla
Vice President – National Channel Operations
Verizon Telecom Area Operations
Jeanmarie Milla is all about excellence. As Vice President – National Channel Operations for Verizon Telecom’s Area Operations organization, she’s responsible for the creation and execution of support initiatives to deliver operational excellence in Verizon’s internal and external call centers. She is in charge of optimizing sales performance and ensuring quality call center service, just to name two of this multi-tasker’s duties. Her experience in the industry goes all the way back to when she joined New York Telephone in 1980.
She’s also very extra-curricular – she’s a member of the Hispanic Support Organization, Hispanic Leadership Council, Eleanor Roosevelt Foundation, Women's Association of Verizon Employees (WAVE) and Alumni of Adelphi University.
Jeanmarie earned her Bachelor of Science in Business and Communications from Adelphi University and an MBA in Business Management from C.W. Post, Long Island University.
Jeannie Diefenderfer
Senior Vice President – Global Engineering & Planning
Verizon Services Organization
Imagine being responsible for Verizon’s global data, voice and IP wireline networks spanning cities in 150 countries across 6 continents – that’s Jeannie! She is also responsible for the engineering of Verizon’s fiber to the premises (FTTP) platform, which supports the award-winning FiOS Data and TV service.
Back in the day, Jeannie was Vice President – Global Operations for Verizon Business responsible for the installation, repair and maintenance of Verizon Business' global network and technical facilities. She made it to where she is today with Verizon by joining NYNEX in 1984 as a management trainee in the Equipment Installation department and took on increasingly higher positions, working her way up to Executive Director of Equipment Installation.
When she’s not busy being an engineering dynamo, Jeannie serves on the boards of the Ms. Foundation for Women and Tufts University. Internal to Verizon, she has served on the boards of the Minority Multicultural Association of NYNEX, the Women's Association of Verizon Employees, and the Asian Focus Group. She was featured in the 1999 Crain's New York Business "40 under 40" as one of 40 young "rising stars," and was a member of the 1999 class of the David Rockefeller Fellows Program.
A native of Seoul, South Korea, Jeannie immigrated to the US when she was 13 years old. She holds a BS in Chemical Engineering from Tufts University, and an MBA from Babson College.
Jeffrey A. Maldonado
Vice President, Deputy General Counsel – Sales and Operations
Verizon Communications
Jeffrey A. Maldonado is a real legal eagle – responsible for providing legal counsel to Verizon Telecom Regional Operations. His team of seven attorneys covers regulatory, transactional, and process issues to the sales and service, marketing and operations organizations that make up Verizon’s nine Telecom regions.
Jeffrey used to be a big-time courtroom litigator with the firms of Tuttle & Taylor and Alschuler, Grossman & Pines in Los Angeles, California. He is a member of the California and Hawaii bars and the Hispanic National Bar Association.
He’s big on giving back, so he’s also busy with community youth programs including Little League, AYSO, and most recently Catholic Big Sisters Big Brothers of New York City – he’s even on the board! At Verizon, he is a member of the Hispanic Support Organization and the Hispanic Leadership Network.
It’s no surprise that Jeffrey graduated cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in History from Stanford University in 1977, and obtained his law degree from Harvard Law School in 1981.
Magda N. Yrizarry
Vice President - Workplace Culture, Diversity and Compliance
Verizon Communications
Magda Yrizarry’s motto – “To whom much is given, much is expected” – has clearly driven her lifetime of achievement and service. She’s responsible for strategic hiring issues and policies at Verizon relating to diversity, ethics and workplace programs. Her prior role as Executive Director – Public Policy and Strategic Alliances gave her experience in outreach efforts with multicultural communities as well as senior citizen and disabled constituencies throughout the United States.
Magda goes way back with Verizon. She joined in 1990 as Manager – Educational Relations, overseeing corporate responsibility and educational initiatives, as well as volunteer programs like the New York State Mentoring Program, School-Based Management and Junior Achievement.
She’s very active in the Hispanic community, and is a founding member of 100 Hispanic Women and an alumna of the Hispanic leadership Institute.
She earned her Bachelor of Science and Master’s Degree from Cornell University in Ithaca, NY and has completed an executive training program at Harvard University.
Michael H. Millegan
President – Partner Solutions
Verizon Services Operations
Imagine being responsible for sales and marketing for wholesale customers, as well as ordering, provisioning, and managing maintenance centers for Verizon’s many business customers worldwide. It’s a major job, but this ASU Distinguished Alumni of the Year does it with style! Mike joined Verizon when it was the former GTE in 1980, and has held various positions in Finance, Human Resources, Customer Service and Operations.
Naturally, he’s an active community leader and a member of the World Trade Center in Seattle as well as the Springs Foundation. On top of that, ASU named Mike a Wells Fargo Distinguished Lecturer in 2003 and the Distinguished Alumni of the Year in 2005.
He holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Management and a master’s degree in Business Administration from Angelo State University. His hometown is Monterey, California.
Michelle Brown Dutton
Vice President – Network Operations
National Network Creation and Provisioning
Michelle has her finger on the pulse of technology! She handles all the voice, data and video network creation for Verizon nationwide. She brought some serious planning and design skills from her position as the Vice President of Network Engineering and Planning.
Michelle goes way back – she began her career with Bell of Pennsylvania in 1988 in Network Equipment Engineering in Philadelphia, PA as a management trainee. Over the course of 20 years, she’s held management positions in Large Business Marketing, Outside Plant Engineering, Marketing and Regulatory fields.
This busy executive still finds time to get involved in numerous community, civic and business organizations. She serves on the Board for the INNTerim House, INROADS/Greater Baltimore – Washington Inc., and the National Eagle Leadership Institute Board.
To build a career like Michelle’s, it helps to have a BS in Electrical Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, in Troy, NY, and an MS in Organizational Dynamics from the University of Pennsylvania, in Philadelphia, PA.
Trinidad Aguirre
Area President – South/West
Verizon Telecom
It’s a really big deal to take charge of marketing, sales, and operations in fifteen southwestern states. But as Area President – South/West for Verizon Telecom, Trinidad Aguirre makes it look easy. As president, he’s on a mission to provide exceptional customer service, drive revenue growth, increase operational efficiency and maximize profitability.
He prepared for his role when he was Senior Vice President and General Manager for Telecom’s domestic business unit in Texas. He headed the company's operational efforts, aggressively competing against other cable companies, satellite providers, voice-over-Internet operators and other providers of local phone service.
Trinidad got his start in 1980 as an Associate Level Central Office Technician in Network Services and has advanced through various management positions in region operations, headquarters and international. There’s no stopping him!
This dynamo is on HispanicBusiness.com’s list of the 2009 Corporate Elite. He got his undergraduate degree with a computer science concentration from Angelo State University, San Angelo, and a master’s degree in telecommunications from the University of Dallas, Irving.
Kevin Service
Vice President – Region Operations – New York City
President – Empire City Subway
Verizon Communications
Imagine running Verizon’s installation, repair, construction, and overall customer service in “The City that Never Sleeps”! That’s what Kevin Service does every day as Vice President – Region Operations for New York City, where he oversees operations in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Staten Island, Queens and the Bronx. As if that wasn’t enough, he’s also President, Empire City Subway CO/LTD, a wholly owned subsidiary of Verizon that specializes in subsurface engineering and construction services.
He got his experience as Vice President – Complex Services Delivery for Verizon Partner Solutions, responsible for special services operations in New York and New England. Before that he served as Executive Director – Complex Services Delivery for wholesale customers in New York and New England.
Kevin began his career in 1987 with New England Telephone Company and has been on the move upward ever since.
He graduated from The College of the Holy Cross with a B.A. in Economics and English in 1987 and earned an M.B.A. from Suffolk University in 1992. He has also completed Executive Programs at the Wharton School, Boston University, and the Center for Creative Leadership. You know, in his spare time!
Margaret Feldman
Vice President – Business Development
Verizon Wireless
Molly Feldman is Vice President – Business Development for Verizon Wireless. Talk about a powerhouse: she is the lead executive in charge of all merger and acquisition activity, expanding the company's national footprint and acquiring additional radio frequency spectrum for new products and services. To prep for this high-power position, she served as Staff Vice President – Tax for Verizon Wireless.
This legal eagle was previously Assistant Vice President of state tax planning for GTE Service Corporation in Dallas, Texas, where she took on state tax litigation, legislation and planning.
Molly’s got a Bachelor's degree in accounting and a law degree from Florida State University in Tallahassee, Florida. She’s also a member of the Florida Bar and is a Certified Public Accountant. With skills like that in her pocket, she’s ready for anything!