Most Recent Chairman's Award Winner
2008 Chairman's Award Recipient
James Sherburne
CEO and General Manager, WesTel Systems
James Sherburne has made outstanding contributions to rural telecommunications advocacy and business since he first entered the industry in 1976. He has made significant investments of time to educate himself about industry issues, represent the industry on the federal and state levels, and has a track record of building diverse telecommunications businesses where once there was only a telephone company. His reputation for hard work and dedication to any task he sets his mind to has earned him the respect of many colleagues.
At OPASTCO, Sherburne used his expertise in business management to strengthen OPASTCO's financial administration capabilities, as well as how the Foundation for Rural Education and Development (FRED) and the OPASTCO Retirement Trust all worked together with OPASTCO. As chairman of OPASTCO, Sherburne steered the association through rough financial waters just as the Internet boom was ending. His financial skills and his management abilities helped OPASTCO set the stage for its achievements in the following years.
In addition to serving on OPASTCO's board and as its chairman, Sherburne has served on the boards of the Iowa Telecommunications Association, Iowa Network Services, Rural Telephone Finance Cooperative, the Nebraska Telecommunications Association, and US Telcom.