Virginia P. Ruesterholz is president of Verizon Telecom, responsible for sales, customer service, operations and IT for the consumer, general business and domestic wholesale markets. 

Under her leadership, Verizon is deploying the most comprehensive, high speed fiber-optic FiOS technology in the country, providing customers with advanced and innovative broadband experiences.  Verizon’s premier position in network innovations has earned the company numerous citations and awards, including being named to the BusinessWeek 50, which represents the “best in class” from each sector of the S&P 500.

Previously, Ruesterholz was president of Verizon Partner Solutions, responsible for Verizon's wholesale business, including marketing, sales, provisioning and maintenance.

Ruesterholz joined New York Telephone as a manager in 1984.  Since then she has had increasingly responsible assignments in operations, sales and customer service.  In 1993, she was named market area vice president and general manager for service delivery and field operations supporting consumer and business customers.  After the Bell Atlantic/NYNEX merger, Ruesterholz was named vice president – Complex Installation and Maintenance for Network Services and, later, vice president – Operations Assurance.  After the Bell Atlantic/GTE merger, Ruesterholz was named senior vice president of Wholesale Markets and led efforts for approval to enter the long-distance market.

Ruesterholz is a recipient of Crain’s New York Business prestigious “40 Under 40” award and the New York Women’s Agenda inaugural “Rising Star Award.”  She is a member of the Board of Trustees at Stevens Institute of Technology and is also a member of the Board of Directors of the Manhattan Theater Club.           

Ruesterholz graduated from the Stevens Institute of Technology with a degree in chemical engineering in 1983. She earned an M.S. in Telecommunications Management from Brooklyn Polytechnic Institute in 1991.

June 2007