Hawaiian Telcom is led by a strong, seasoned team with a wealth of communication, entertainment and other specialized expertise.
As Hawaiian Telcom’s first female president in its 140-year history, Su Shin stewards the company’s landmark investments topping $1 billion over the past 10 years to expand its future-proof fiber infrastructure across the state.
She is passionate about advancing Hawaiian Telcom’s mission to connect and empower our Hawai‘i, bridging the digital divide, and bringing the best in high-speed internet service to more homes and businesses. Under her leadership, Hawaiian Telcom has expanded fiber internet service to more than half of the state including the entire island of Lāna‘i and the vast majority of Moloka‘i.
Ms. Shin previously served as Chief of Staff, providing strategic counsel to company leaders and directing key projects and initiatives. Prior to joining Hawaiian Telcom as Director – Corporate Communications in 2013, she served as Senior Vice President at Bennet Group. She graduated from McKinley High School before receiving her bachelor’s degree from the University of La Verne in California.
Ms. Shin is committed to giving back to the community, serving on the Boards of the Aloha United Way, Bell Charitable Foundation, the Blood Bank of Hawaii and the McKinley High School Foundation.
Filifotu Vaai, Vice President – Business Sales, manages Hawaiian Telcom’s business sales channels – enterprise, commercial, state, local and federal government.
She previously served as Vice President - Consumer Product & Sales and was responsible for managing Hawaiian Telcom’s consumer sales and product pricing teams.
Prior to joining Hawaiian Telcom in 2017, Ms. Vaai served as country (general) manager for Bluesky Communications, American Samoa’s leading internet, wireless, and TV service provider. Her extensive experience in telecommunications includes serving as Marketing Director for Bluesky Group during its acquisitions of SamoaTel and Telecom Cook Islands, and its merger with Amalgamated Telcom Holdings (ATH) in Fiji.
Born and raised in Samoa, Ms. Vaai earned a Bachelor of Commerce & Administration degree with Honors in Information Systems from the Victoria University of Wellington in New Zealand. In 2007 she earned a Graduate Certificate in Telecommunications and Information Resource Management from the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa where she also earned a Master of Arts in Communications.
In 2021, Ms. Vaai was recognized by Hawaii Business Magazine as one of nine women in Hawai‘i who broke through the technology industry’s glass ceiling.
She currently is a Board member of the Public Schools of Hawai‘i Foundation and was selected as part of the 8th cohort of the Patsy T. Mink Leadership Alliance.
Ron Beerman is Vice President of Network Operations for Cincinnati Bell and Hawaiian Telcom. Mr. Beerman is responsible for technology and service management functions, including the Network Operations Center, planning and engineering, Central Office support, and technology at the heart of our residential, business, and wholesale services.
Mr. Beerman joined the company in 1996. Prior to his current position, Mr. Beerman served as Vice President of Wireline Operations. Mr. Beerman has also served in leadership positions within Information Technology, Call Center Operations, Network Operations, Managed Services, and Field Operations.
Mr. Beerman holds a bachelor’s degree from Miami University and an MBA from Xavier University. Mr. Beerman serves on the Board of Directors for Camp Joy in Clarksville, Ohio, and has served as chair for several successful corporate fundraising campaigns, including the 2016 United Way campaign, which raised over $1.8 million dollars.
Michele Lehmkuhl is Vice President – Consumer Strategy & Sales, responsible for the consumer market segment at Hawaiian Telcom. She is focused on driving consumer market growth tied to Hawaiian Telcom’s expanding fiber footprint. She has responsibility for attracting and retaining customers, understanding the needs of customers to drive a better experience and overseeing sales operations.
Ms. Lehmkuhl joined Hawaiian Telcom’s parent company altafiber in October 2000. Prior to her current position, she served as Vice President of Product Strategy where she had responsibility for pricing, revenue management and product strategy in the consumer and business markets.
Ms. Lehmkuhl earned a bachelor’s degree from Northern Kentucky University.
Gary Peddicord is Vice President of Carrier Services, also known as Wholesale Markets, for Cincinnati Bell and Hawaiian Telcom. He is responsible for driving revenue and overseeing the operations for both companies’ Wholesale business units.
Mr. Peddicord joined Cincinnati Bell in May 1979 and has held leadership positions in Operations, Regulatory Accounting and Product Management. Prior to joining Cincinnati Bell, he served as an Area Sales Representative for Pitney Bowes.
Mr. Peddicord earned a Marketing degree from Northern Kentucky University and an MBA from Xavier University. He participates in various Leukemia Cancer fundraising events.
Mr. Thune began his career at Hawaiian Telcom as a summer intern in 1998. Over his nearly 25-year career with the company, he has held key leadership roles in different areas, including customer operations, network operations, network planning and IT. Prior to being promoted to vice president in August 2022, he served as Executive Director - Fiber Strategy and Deployment.
To help bring fiber broadband to some of Hawai‘i’s most rural areas, primarily on the neighbor islands, Mr. Thune spearheaded projects to pursue federal grants from the Connect America Fund Phase II, Connect America Fund Phase II Auction and Rural Digital Opportunity Fund. His efforts led to Hawaiian Telcom securing $68.5 million to enable 23,000 locations in rural areas with fiber broadband.
Mr. Thune earned a Bachelor’s degree in Management Information Systems from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign – College of Business, and an MBA from the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa - Shidler College of Business.
He was recognized as one of the 40 Under Forty by Pacific Business News in 2017 and he is a member of the Pacific Century Fellows class of 2016.
Mr. Thune serves on the board of the Aloha Council, Boy Scouts of America.
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