Our Board of Directors
Derrick Bulawa
Derrick serves as the CEO and GM of Bek Communication Cooperative, headquartered in Steele, North Dakota. Bek offers voice, broadband and IPTV services via its 100% FTTH network covering over 7,000 square miles in south central North Dakota. In addition, Bek has extended its business lines to include live sports broadcasting, cloud business communications, cloud security and cloud surveillance services. Derrick has over 30 years of experience in telecom related services, TV services and technologies in the United States and oversees and has served on the Codero Board of Directors since 2015. His formal education includes receiving a Bachelor’s in Electronics Engineering Technology (BSEET) from the DeVry Institute of Technology in Columbus, Ohio.
Dustin Durden
Dustin serves as the GM and EVP of Pineland Telephone Cooperative, Inc., headquartered in Metter, Georgia. Pineland’s service area covers 1,200 square miles in eight southeast Georgia counties offering traditional landline telephone, high speed internet, IPTV, fire and burglar alarm, home monitoring, tech support and keysystem/PBX sales. Prior to joining Pineland in 2009, Dustin spent seven years in the rural electric industry. Dustin has served on the Codero Board since 2015. He has a Bachelor’s in Business Administration and an MBA from Georgia Southern University.
Gary C. Gilmer
Gary C. Gilmer was born in Rocksprings, Texas and attended public schools in Rocksprings and San Antonio, graduating from MacArthur High School in San Antonio. He attended Austin College in Sherman, Texas as a National Merit Scholar, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration in 1977. He then attended Baylor University School of Law, graduating with a Juris Doctor degree in 1980.
He practiced law as a solo practitioner in Rocksprings for 10 years, including five years as County Attorney of Edwards County. In 1990 Gary went back to school, attending the Fuqua School of Business at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, and graduating with a Masters of Business Administration in 1992.
Since 1992, Gary has served as Chairman, President and CEO of Southwest Texas Telephone Company and its affiliates SWT Unregulated Properties, Inc., Southwest Texas Digital Services, Inc., and Southwest Texas Telcom, Inc. He also serves as Chairman of the Board of Peoples State Bank of Rocksprings and Vice-Chairman of the Board of Codero Holdings, Inc.
He is a past Board Member and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Texas Telephone Association, as well as a past Board Member of the United States Telecom Association. Gary serves as President of The Gilmer Foundation, Inc., and is an Elder of the First Presbyterian Church of Rocksprings.
Leo Staurulakis
Leo oversees Codero’s operations, which include enterprise-class, Tier III data centers located in Phoenix, Arizona and Dallas, Texas. Leo’s experience includes over 25 years on the executive leadership team of JSI Capital Advisors, a specialized investment banking and financial services firm serving the strategic transaction needs of the owners and management of rural local exchange carriers, independent wireless carriers, broadband communications providers, video providers, managed service providers and other communications and IT-oriented companies.
Leo’s background is in the areas of Business, Management, and Financial Services. He is also a registered principal and broker and a member of the FINRA.
Jonathan West
Jonathan L. West is the CEO of Twin Lakes, with corporate headquarters in Gainesboro, Tennessee. Twin Lakes has evolved from a rural telephone cooperative formed in 1951 to a growing multi-services cooperative with an ever expanding network of over 5,000-miles of fiber optic facilities. Multiple partnerships with progressive electric cooperatives has further grown the Twin Lakes network beyond the traditional footprint. Jonathan has overseen the acquisition of entities that are complimentary to Twin Lakes’ strategic objectives, as well as the development of new products and services to meet the ever-evolving needs of the region’s businesses and households. He is passionate about implementing solutions that bring broadband and related technologies to the unserved communities in rural America.
Jonathan graduated from Tennessee Technological University with a degree in Mechanical Engineering and has been with Twin Lakes since 2001. Since that time, he served in various engineering and management roles, until being named CEO in 2010. In addition to the serving as Twin Lake’s CEO, Jonathan also serves as chairman of NTCA’s Industry Committee, President of Trilight and President of the Tennessee Rural Communications Cooperative Association. He serves on the board of directors for the Highlands Economic Partnership, Codero Hosting, iRis Networks, Tennessee Broadband Association, and the Tennessee Valley Corridor.
Jonathan lives in Celina, Tennessee with his wife of 20 years, Claudia, and their three daughters, Maelee (9), Everly (7) and Bailey (4). He enjoys spending time with his family, traveling, exploring state and national parks, boating on the lake and teaching a bible class for high school students.
