Executive Management

Morgan O’Brien has served as our Executive Chairman of the Board since July 2020 and has been a member of our Board since April 2012. From May 2014 to April 2018, he served as Vice Chairman; and from April 2018 to June 2020, he led Anterix as our Chief Executive Officer.

Since 2009, Mr. O’Brien has served as an independent consultant to several wireless start-ups. As a co-founder and chairman of Nextel, Mr. O’Brien led the creation of the first all-digital nationwide wireless network (the Nextel National Network) and brought push-to-talk (“PTT”) communication to the mass business and consumer markets. After the merger of Nextel with Sprint Corporation in 2004, he was a co-founder of Cyren Call Communications Corporation, where he served until January 2009.

In 2016, Mr. O’Brien was awarded the Armstrong Medal, the highest award of the Radio Club of America, for demonstrated excellence and lasting contributions to radio arts and sciences. He was recognized in 1987 as New Jersey Entrepreneur of the Year and was voted the RCR Person of the Year in 1993 and again in 2006. In 2005, he was inducted into the Washington, D.C., Business Hall of Fame. In 2007, he was named a Fellow of the Radio Club of America and was named “one of the top U.S. wireless innovators of all time,” by Fierce Wireless.

He has served on a number of boards of other public companies, including Sprint, Williams Telecommunications and GTT Communications, Inc. He also serves on the board of several private companies and charitable organizations. Mr. O’Brien is a graduate of Georgetown University and earned his law degree from Northwestern University.

As a career executive focused on leading business transformation, Rob has played a critical role in strategically reshaping Anterix into a leader in private wireless broadband communications for critical infrastructure.

Rob joined Anterix’s predecessor, pdvWireless, as Chief Strategy Officer in 2015, where, together with Executive Chairman Morgan O’Brien, he helped to conceive and lead the execution of Anterix’s vision of transformative broadband connectivity for the modern grid. Throughout his tenure with the company—becoming Chief Operating Officer and later President, CEO, and Director in 2020—Rob has progressively shaped Anterix into a creator of utility-first solutions for the industry’s most pressing energy challenges, leveraging 900 MHz private wireless broadband networks.

At Anterix, Rob, with his team, has created a track record of strategic achievements. These include securing the Federal Communications Commission’s decision to enable broadband development in the 900 MHz band; developing Anterix’s innovative, scalable business model; building industry-wide partnerships and harnessing momentum to bring together pioneering utilities and more than 100 leading technology companies driving solutions that leverage 900 MHz broadband; and developing a game-winning leadership team to accomplish the company’s transformative broadband mission. Rob also pioneered the founding of the Utility Broadband Alliance, the industry-leading utility-led organization championing private broadband networks as a key enabler of the energy transformation.

Prior to joining Anterix, Rob served in key leadership roles where he helped to build breakthrough telecommunications and technology companies, including Unison Site Management, IDT Telecom, The Associated Group, and Nextel. Rob serves as a board member of the Keystone Energy Board and the Jewish Community Foundation of Greater MetroWest NJ. He is a native of Philadelphia and a graduate of The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and The George Washington University School of Government & Business Administration.

Among his honors, Rob is a recipient of the Keystone Policy Center’s 2024 Keystone Leadership Award. He was shortlisted for the New Jersey Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award in 2023 and was a recipient of the 2022 New Jersey Biz Digi-Tech Innovator Award.

Wassim Akhdar joined the company as Senior Vice President of Product and Innovation in November 2023. He is responsible for delivering comprehensive and innovative products and solutions that maximize the value of Anterix’s 900 MHz spectrum, meet the stringent market demands of the critical infrastructure segment, and drive profitable company growth.

Akhdar has more than 24 years of experience in the distribution grid monitoring and control space, most recently serving as Global Head of Grid Management Solutions at Itron, Inc. Prior to joining Itron, Akhdar held key leadership positions at GE Digital Energy, Sentient Energy, and Varentec, Inc., where he successfully launched new innovative solutions ranging from mission-critical grid management systems to grid edge sensing and control devices.

Akhdar holds Master of Business Administration and Bachelor of Electrical Engineering degrees from McGill University in Montreal, Canada.

Gena Ashe is the Chief Legal Officer and Corporate Secretary of the Company. She leads the Company’s legal, compliance, and board affairs functions; sets the overall legal strategy; and provides legal guidance to the CEO, senior executives, and board of directors.

Prior to joining Anterix in 2019, Gena was the Chief Legal Officer and Corporate Secretary for Adtalem Global Education, a top global proprietary education and certification enterprise. She served as Chief Legal Officer and Corporate Secretary of BrightView Solutions from 2012 to 2016 and held several senior executive legal roles for globally recognized companies including IBM, AT&T, Lucent Technologies, Darden Restaurants, and PBS. She began her career at IBM as a microcomputer-based design electrical engineer and scientist.

Gena is on the boards of GXO Logistics, Inc. (NYSE: GXO) and Skyward Specialty Insurance Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: SKWD). Gena’s other board directorships include serving on the Board of Directors of the Executive Leadership Council and as an advisory board member for the Georgetown University Law Center in Washington, D.C.

Gena is the recipient of numerous awards and recognitions, including NACD’s “Directorship 100,” Women Inc. Magazine’s Most Influential Corporate Directors, Savoy Magazine’s Most Influential Black Attorneys and Savoy Magazine’s Most Influential Black Corporate Directors.

Gena earned a Juris Doctorate from Georgetown University, a Master of Science in electrical engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology, and a Bachelor of Arts in mathematics with a physics minor from Spelman College.

Ryan Gerbrandt joined the Company as Chief Operating Officer in March 2020 where he oversees Anterix’s Sales, Product Development, Marketing, Operations and Technology & Engineering efforts. Prior to Anterix, Ryan served 13 years at Trilliant where he pioneered their Smart Grid Deployment efforts and most recently served as Managing Director for their Global Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) and Smart Cities businesses.

Prior to Trilliant, Ryan was responsible for utility communications and control systems at Manitoba Hydro, an electric power and natural gas provider in Canada, where he specialized in Utility Communications Systems, Network Operations, SCADA, HVDC Controls and System Protection. Mr. Gerbrandt received his education in Communications Engineering Technology from Red River College and in Utility Management from the University of Manitoba.

Timothy Gray joined the Company as Chief Financial Officer in June 2014. From November 2011 to May 2013, Tim served as Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of MedImmune, Inc., and then served as Senior Vice President of Finance for MedImmune’s Specialty Care Group until November 2013.

Tim also served in various other finance roles at MedImmune since April 2008. Prior to joining MedImmune, Tim served in finance positions at AOL and Nextel and started his career at Deloitte & Touche LLP. He is also a member of the Audit Committee of the Children’s Inn at the National Institutes of Health. Tim earned a BBA in Accounting from the University of Notre Dame and is a certified public accountant.

Chris Guttman-McCabe joined Anterix as chief regulatory and communications officer in October 2020 to lead the government relations and communications efforts in support of the company’s vision of 900 MHz private broadband for the utility, critical infrastructure and enterprise sectors. He also currently serves on the board of the GridWise Alliance.

Prior to joining Anterix, Chris was a founder and CEO of CGM Advisors LLC, where he worked on communications, government relations, market analysis and business development initiatives for both Fortune 100 companies and start-up tech ventures.

Chris founded CGM Advisors after a 13-year career at CTIA as a spokesperson and advocate for the wireless industry, including testifying 19 times before Congress. At CTIA, he served as executive vice president, overseeing a 90-person association with a $65 million annual budget. Before joining CTIA, Chris worked as an Associate in the Communications Practice Group at Wiley Rein LLP.

Chris earned his law degree, magna cum laude, with a Communications Institute certificate from the Columbus School of Law at the Catholic University of America and a bachelor’s degree in economics from Swarthmore College.

Carlos L’Abbate joined the company as Chief Technology Officer in February 2021 and leads the company’s technology and engineering vision to enable successful customer pursuit and deployment of 900 MHz private broadband networks for utilities and critical infrastructure entities across the United States. Prior to Anterix, Carlos was a member of the FirstNet Authority CTO organization where he was responsible for advising the FirstNet Authority executive team and board of directors in the areas of technology and product development, wireless standards, and network architecture.

Prior to his time at the FirstNet Authority, Carlos was Senior Director of radio access networks and mobile devices at Nextel International, where he oversaw the technology development, network architecture, technical vendor selection, and wireless network design for the company’s networks in five countries.

Carlos completed the PLD (Program for Leadership Development) at Harvard Business School and earned his Post Graduate in Business Administration from Fundação Getulio Vargas and his Bachelor of Science in Electronics and Telecommunications Engineering from the Instituto Nacional de Telecomunicações – Inatel.

Alice Moy-Gonzalez joined Anterix in 2016, and is currently the Senior Vice President of Strategic Development, responsible for planning and executing the company’s integrated business and corporate strategy. Prior to joining Anterix, Alice gained a combined 16 years of experience in the clean energy technology, smart grid and telecommunication industries at GE, Petra Solar, Arcadian Networks and Nextel. In her prior positions she led SaaS sales for the Northeast region, Industrial Internet of Things ( IIoT) product development including networking, software and services, business development and strategy for utility telecom, and RF engineering.

Named a Fierce Wireless 2017 influential woman in startups, and recipient of a Public Utilities Fortnightly Top Innovator award, Alice has proven to be a role model both in the industry as well as in the community in which she lives, launching and chairing interactive STEM experiences to elementary school families.

Alice holds a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from the University of the West Indies, Trinidad, and a Master’s in business administration from Mercy College, NY.

Gretchen Starcher joined Anterix in 2022 as its Chief People Officer responsible for developing and executing the company's people strategy in support of the company's overall business plan and strategic direction. Gretchen’s areas of focus include succession planning, talent management, organizational and performance management, training and development, and total rewards.

Gretchen has had an extensive and diverse 20+ year career in human resources. She is a hands-on leader, supporting strategic business needs and initiatives at companies ranging from large, complex, global organizations to mid-sized and small start-ups. She is an expert people and process leader who builds strong inclusive teams, provides insightful metrics-driven data, and is skilled in all facets of human resources operations. Her professional experience is broad and far-reaching, including work in the pharmaceutical, software, education and telecommunications industries.

Gretchen holds a Bachelor of Arts in English from Washington and Jefferson College, Pennsylvania.