Paul H. Riss - CEO

As CEO, Paul Riss leads the business development activities and is accountable for strategic planning and management of all financial operations. He has served on the board of four CLECs and has more than 20 years of entrepreneurial business and management experience including the engineering of his own leveraged buyout in 1987 and the audit of numerous public companies at Ernst & Young.

Riss was the 2000 - 2001 recipient of the James P. Kelly Award for distinguished public service from the Westchester Chapter of the New York State Society of Certified Public Accountants. He was also a finalist in 2001 for Ernst & Young's Entrepreneur of the Year award for companies in Southern Connecticut and New York's Hudson Valley. He is a CPA in New York State and earned an MBA with distinction from the Stern School of Business at New York University and a magna cum laude BA with distinction from Carleton College.

Riss is a member of the AICPA and the NYSSCPAs. He also serves on a local project committee for Habitat for Humanity and his local church council.

Mark Richards - President and CIO

Mark Richards is responsible for designing, building, operating and growing VoX's VoIP platform and services. Richards has more than 20 years domestic and international experience working in senior management positions for Fortune 500 and emerging companies. He has managed all aspects of telecommunications and information technology companies, including leading businesses through successful capital funding and dramatic increases in profitability and cash flow.

Previously, Richards was the COO of VoIP carrier, Volo Communications. He also served as acting CEO for Epicus Communications, where he led the company to profitability and strong growth. Prior to that, he held executive positions with a variety of CLEC and telecom start-ups, including NET-Tel, TCCF, and American Network Exchange.

Richards also served as a consultant to numerous Fortune 500 companies in the U.S. and abroad, including Citibank Card Services, CitiCorp Karten Services, Citibank London, D.G. Durham London, B.P. UK, and Citibank Japan.

Ron Harden - EVP Sales and Marketing

Ron Harden has more than 30 years domestic and international experience in the areas of sales and marketing, engineering, business development, and strategic planning. He joined VoX from Volo Communications, where he was executive vice president, responsible for sales, marketing, and business development. Prior to that, Harden was director and chief operating officer at PointOne Telecommunications, Inc., a leading VoIP and data services to the wholesale and enterprise markets.

A recognized leader in the telecommunications industry, Harden previously worked with four other prominent telecom organizations: Williams Communications, WorldCom Inc., Grande Communications, and the original WilTel, where he had varied executive management responsibilities in sales and marketing for both the wholesale and retail channels.

Harden has served on the ASCENT board of directors for 6 years, most recently as chairman. He also recently served as chairman of the CompTel / Ascent Alliance board of directors. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering and a Master of Business Administration, both from the University of Wisconsin.