SURW Surewest Communications (MM)

Dan Bessey, Tim Dotson and Marsha Young each Promoted to Vice President ROSEVILLE, Calif., March 23 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Leading independent telecommunications holding company SureWest Communications (NASDAQ:SURW) today announced that it has bolstered its management team by promoting three employees to officers -- Vice President, Finance Dan Bessey, Vice President, Chief Information Officer Tim Dotson and Vice President, Human Resources Marsha Young. (Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20050908/SFSUREWESTLOGO ) "These are well deserved promotions that add to our exceptional leadership team as SureWest continues to grow and gain market share in the region while increasing shareholder value," said SureWest President and CEO Steve Oldham. "Dan, Tim and Marsha each has a proven track record of success in delivering results and each is greatly respected by both internal and external colleagues. The fact that we can pull from our own employee base to fill three key management positions speaks very highly to the people who work at SureWest." About Vice President, Finance Dan Bessey In his new role, Bessey now directs the business planning, forecasting and budgeting for SureWest as well as supporting strategic projects, overseeing both internal and external financial reporting, and ensuring Sarbanes Oxley compliance. After joining SureWest in 1995 as the financial reporting administrator, Bessey was promoted to director of corporate accounting prior to undertaking his most recent role as controller in 2003. Bessey began his career at Ernst and Young in 1991 as an auditor, serving clients in the telecommunications, aerospace and biotechnology industries. He earned a bachelor's degree in accountancy (magna cum laude) from California State University, Sacramento and is a certified public accountant (CPA). He serves as the chief financial officer on the board of the SureWest Foundation. About Vice President, Chief Information Officer Tim Dotson Dotson will oversee the alignment of information technology (IT) strategy and direction with those of SureWest's business mission. The key IT resource to the company's management committee and board of directors, Dotson was instrumental in obtaining Sarbanes Oxley compliance from the information technology prospective. Serving in leadership roles with increasing responsibilities in information technology at SureWest for over 16 years, Dotson acted as the company's executive director of information technology solutions before being named chief information officer. He began his career as a software developer with W.L. Gore and Associates in 1983 before joining AMFAC Hotels and Resorts in 1987 as the data center manager. In 1989 he served as a software consultant at Preeminence Inc. prior to joining SureWest in 1991. Dotson earned a bachelor's degree in geology with a dual major in computer science from Northern Arizona University. About Vice President, Human Resources Marsha Young With over 25 years of professional experience, Young oversees the development of human resource policy and the direction of SureWest's human resources activities. She has spent the last 10 years at SureWest, utilizing her considerable experience and success in the field of human resources to excel in ever-increasing positions of responsibility -- from her initial role as employee relations specialist, to HR operations supervisor, employee relations and training manager, director of employee development and director of human resources. Before joining SureWest, Young spent 15 years in the healthcare industry, most recently serving as the western region administrative services and human resources manager for Anthem Health (now Wellpoint), a Fortune 500 Company with over 15,000 employees. Young earned a bachelor's degree (magna cum laude) and a master's degree (high honors), both in human resources, from Golden Gate University. She also holds the Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) designation from the Society for Human Resources Management and a lifetime certification from the Health Insurance Association of America in both Group Life and Health Insurance, while possessing instructor certification from the University of Phoenix. Young has been a professional public speaker for various organizations over the last 25 years. About SureWest Serving the Northern California region for more than 90 years, SureWest Communications (http://www.surewest.com/) is one of the nation's leading integrated communications providers. SureWest's bundled offerings include an array of advanced digital video, high-speed Internet, local and long distance telephone, and PCS wireless services. SureWest's fiber-to-the-premise IP-based network features high-definition video and symmetrical Internet speeds of up to 50 Mbps. Contact: Ron Rogers, Public Relations Manager, +1-916-746-3123, or . http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20050908/SFSUREWESTLOGO http://photoarchive.ap.org/ DATASOURCE: SureWest Communications CONTACT: Ron Rogers, Public Relations Manager, +1-916-746-3123, or Web site: http://www.surewest.com/

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