Kathleen Q. Abernathy

Kathleen Quinn Abernathy (born 1956) is an American telecommunications technology executive and lawyer who served as a Commissioner of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) from 2001 to 2005.[1] Following government service, she joined the board of Frontier Communications while also returning to the practice of law.[2] In 2010, she became a senior executive at Frontier and she served variously as Chief Legal Officer, Executive Vice President of External Affairs and Chair, America's Best Communities Prize Competition.[3] In 2012, she joined the board of ISO New England, a regional energy transmission organization. She graduated from Marquette University magna cum laude, and from Catholic University's Columbus School of Law.[2] She also served as an adjunct professor of law at Georgetown University and Catholic University's Columbus School of Law.

Kathleen Quinn Abernathy
Born	1956 Louisville, Kentucky, United States
Citizenship	American
Education	Marquette University The Catholic University of America Columbus School of Law
Occupation	Telecommunications technology executive
Employer	Frontier Communications
Title	Executive Vice President of External Affairs
Board member of	Federal Communication Commission

Early career

Prior to her appointment to the Federal Communications Commission, Abernathy was Vice President of Public Policy at BroadBand Office Communications; a partner at the law firm of Wilkinson Barker Knauer LLP; Vice President for Regulatory Affairs at U S WEST; and Vice President for Federal Regulatory Affairs at AirTouch. Earlier in her career, she was a Legal Advisor to FCC Chairman James H. Quello, Legal Advisor to Commissioner Sherrie P. Marshall, and Special Assistant to the FCC General Counsel.[2]

FCC appointment

Abernathy was nominated to the FCC by President George W. Bush on May 1, 2001. She was sworn on May 31, 2001 and served until December 9, 2005.[1] During her tenure, Abernathy chaired the Federal-State Joint Board on Universal Service[4] and participated in numerous international bilateral and multilateral negotiations, including the 2002 ITU Plenipotentiary Conference and the 2003 ITU World Radiocommunications Conference. She also was appointed and served as Chair of the 2004 ITU Global Symposium for Regulators.[5]

Family

Abernathy is married and has one daughter.

References

1. "Kathleen Q. Abernathy: FCC Commissioner". FCC. Retrieved 2012-02-10.
2. "Kathleen Q. Abernathy Biography". Frontier Communications. Retrieved 2012-02-10.
3. "Wilkinson Barker Knauer Congratulates Partner Kathleen Q. Abernathy On Her New Position With Frontier Communications Corporation". TheStreet. Wilkinson Barker Knauer. Archived from the original on 2013-02-04. Retrieved 2012-02-10.
4. "Joint Board on Universal Service".
5. "ITU Documents".

External links

• Appearances on C-SPAN