Anthony A. Lewis Named President of Verizon Washington, D.C.

    WASHINGTON, Jan. 30 /PRNewswire/ -- Verizon has selected Anthony A. Lewis
 to become president of Verizon Washington, D.C., effective March 1.  He will
 succeed Marie C. Johns, who is retiring at the end of February.
     In his new role, Lewis will assume oversight for Verizon's operations,
 including regulatory and financial matters in the nation's capital, where he
 plans to make his home.
     "Tony is the perfect choice to lead Verizon Washington, D.C. because of
 his broad business experience," said Colleen A. McCloskey, Verizon's senior
 vice president of state public policy and external affairs.  "Tony's
 demonstrated leadership, customer focus and success in a number of operational
 assignments have uniquely qualified him for this key responsibility."
     Lewis joined The Chesapeake and Potomac Telephone Company of Virginia, now
 Verizon Virginia, in 1986 as a group manager in the operator services
 department.  He has since had several jobs with increasing responsibility in
 product-line management, traffic engineering, sales and regulatory.
     Currently, as executive director of regulatory business planning, Lewis is
 leading companywide initiatives to achieve regulatory changes that are
 critical to Verizon's competitive market plans.
     A graduate of the Wharton School's Leadership Development Program at the
 University of Pennsylvania, Lewis received his Bachelor of Arts degree in
 business from Elizabeth City State University.  In 1999, he earned a Master of
 Science degree in business from Johns Hopkins University, where he also
 received a Master of Business Administration the following year.
     Also joining Verizon Washington's leadership team effective March 1 will
 be Mary L. Coyne, who will become the company's vice president and general
 counsel.  Currently, she serves as assistant general counsel for regulatory
 matters.
     Coyne joined Verizon's legal department in 1999 and has litigated cases
 involving wholesale business matters throughout the company's nationwide
 service area.  Prior to joining Verizon, she was an associate with the law
 firm of Wilmer, Cutler & Pickering in Washington.
     Coyne graduated with honors from the University of Chicago Law School in
 1991, where she was a member of the Law Review.  After law school, she served
 as a clerk for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit and the U.S.
 District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana.  She received a Master
 of Arts degree in public policy studies from the University of Chicago and her
 undergraduate degree from George Washington University.  Coyne, her husband,
 Bill Kolasky, and their son reside in the District.
     A Fortune 10 company, Verizon Communications (NYSE:   VZ) is one of the
 world's leading providers of communications services, with approximately $68
 billion in annual revenues.  Verizon companies are the largest providers of
 wireline and wireless communications in the United States.  Verizon is also
 the largest directory publisher in the world, as measured by directory titles
 and circulation.  Verizon's international presence includes wireline and
 wireless communications operations and investments, primarily in the Americas
 and Europe.  For more information, visit www.verizon.com.
 
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SOURCE  Verizon Communications