EAGLE-Net names interim president

BROOMFIELD – Telecommunications industry veteran Michael Ryan has been named interim president of EAGLE-Net Alliance, an intergovernmental entity building a 4,600-mile, high-speed, fiber-optic network.

Former EAGLE-Net head Randy Zila stepped down at the end of 2012 due to family health issues, according to a press statement. Ryan started his new job on Monday, Jan. 14. The network is planned to improve online connections for schools, libraries, government agencies and health-care facilities in rural Colorado.

EAGLE-Net received a $100.6 million grant from the federal government in September 2010 to build the network. Once the grant wraps up in August, EAGLE-Net is expected to sustain itself economically through fees and revenues. EAGLE-Net stands for Educational Access Gateway Learning Environment Network.

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“It’s going to be a big year and a fast and furious year to be sure,´ said Gretchen Dirks, a spokeswoman for the group.

Ryan’s annual salary will be $230,000. He has more than 16 years of executive telecommunications experience, including 12 years at Level 3 Communications Inc. in Broomfield, where he held several senior executive positions. Most recently, Ryan served as vice president of deployment and capital management at Open Range Communications Inc., a telecommunications company in Greenwood Village, in 2010 and 2011.

Ryan said Friday, Jan. 18, that he expects to be evaluated once the grant is complete. His salary was not immediately disclosed. Zila formerly was the superintendent of the St. Vrain Valley School District in Longmont.