Dennis Bone, President of Verizon New Jersey, to Retire Next Month

NEW YORK, June 4, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Verizon announced on Monday (June 4) that Dennis Bone, president of Verizon's New Jersey area since 2000, will retire from the company on July 6. 

The company also announced that Jim Gerace, who currently heads Verizon's government and external affairs functions for the New York and Connecticut region, will also assume responsibility for the company's efforts in New Jersey.

"Dennis has been a champion for Verizon's shareholders, customers and employees in the public policy arena as well as in the business and nonprofit communities," said Colleen McCloskey, Verizon senior vice president of state government affairs.  "He has not only ensured that he did what is best for Verizon, but also what is best for the people of New Jersey.  Having worked with Dennis for most of his career, I admire his passion for the future of communications technologies, his sense of fairness and incomparable integrity.  We thank Dennis for his many contributions to Verizon and wish him all the best in his future endeavors."

Said Bone: "I am grateful for my tenure with New Jersey Bell, Bell Atlantic and Verizon, and all that I have learned during my career.  I've been fortunate to work with talented and caring people -- both inside and outside of Verizon.  During this time, we have experienced and helped shape the dramatic changes in the competitive telecommunications marketplace."

Bone has been one of New Jersey's business leaders for many years.  He was co-chair of Gov. Chris Christie's Economic Development Transition Team, which led to the formation of Choose New Jersey, which Bone chairs.  He has been active in strengthening the state's workforce system as chairman of New Jersey's State Employment and Training Commission.

In addition, Bone is on the Board of Trustees of the New Jersey Institute of Technology, the Newark Alliance, the Liberty Science Center, the New Jersey Center for Teaching and Learning, and the Aviation Research and Technology Park.  Bone serves on the Board of Directors of the New Jersey Performing Arts Center.  During his career, Bone served as the chairman of two state chambers of commerce.  He is the immediate past chairman of the New Jersey State Chamber of Commerce and formerly served as the chairman of the West Virginia State Chamber. 

Bone started his Verizon career in 1979 as an engineer for New Jersey Bell, a Verizon predecessor company.  After a variety of jobs with increasing responsibilities in operations, regulatory, external affairs and public policy positions, he was named president of Verizon New Jersey in June 2000.

He is a 1973 graduate of the West Virginia University Institute of Technology, with a Bachelor of Science degree in mathematics.  He also has a Master of Business Administration degree in finance and economics from Rutgers University and a Master of Science degree in counseling from The Johns Hopkins University.  He also has been awarded four honorary doctorates.

Gerace, a New Jersey resident, has led Verizon's government and external affairs initiatives in New York and Connecticut since 2010.  He is responsible for Verizon's corporate interests -- including public policy, government and external affairs, regulatory matters and philanthropy -- in the two states.  Prior to that position, he was vice president for corporate communications at Verizon Wireless.

Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE, Nasdaq: VZ), headquartered in New York, is a global leader in delivering broadband and other wireless and wireline communications services to consumer, business, government and wholesale customers.  Verizon Wireless operates America's most reliable wireless network, with 93 million retail customers nationwide.  Verizon also provides converged communications, information and entertainment services over America's most advanced fiber-optic network, and delivers integrated business solutions to customers in more than 150 countries, including all of the Fortune 500.  A Dow 30 company with $111 billion in 2011 revenues, Verizon employs a diverse workforce of nearly 192,000.  For more information, visit www.verizon.com.

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SOURCE Verizon