Insights

Somos, Inc. Announces New Hire of Government Relations Veteran Ann D. Berkowitz as SVP, CAO Administration and Strategic Policy

Dec 02, 2016

THU, 12/1/2016

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Bridgewater, NJ., December 1, 2016 – Somos, Inc., the leading provider of neutral Toll-Free Numbering and database administration services for the telecommunications industry, today announced the hiring of Ann Berkowitz as their SVP, Chief Administrative Officer – Administration and Strategic Policy reporting to Gina Perini, Somos' President and Chief Executive Officer. Ms. Berkowitz's responsibilities include strategic oversight of all government and industry regulatory and policy initiatives, as well as internal corporate administration and human resources.

"Ann's deep expertise in telecommunications, regulatory affairs and public policy will be a great asset as we continue to strengthen the future of Somos and the growing, dynamic toll-free ecosystem," said Gina Perini, Somos' President and Chief Executive Officer. "As the nation moves from legacy communications networks to systems that rely on Internet Protocol-based networks to provide voice, data and video communications, the importance of neutral registries that ensure data integrity becomes critically important. Somos is uniquely positioned to provide this essential service to the ecosystem, and Ann's experience and proven leadership in this space will be a boon to both Somos and those we serve."

Ms. Berkowitz brings to Somos more than 20 years of government relations experience and a broad policy background in wireless, wireline and other technology areas. She previously served as the Chair of the Somos Board of Directors since 2012 and was most recently the Executive Director of Government Affairs & Public Policy for Verizon. Ms. Berkowitz was the leading advocate for Verizon to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) on a variety of telecommunications policy areas, including number portability, broadband and consumer protection, and is a graduate of the University of Maryland where she earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Business, summa cum laude. 

"Having served as both an industry member and a Director on Somos' Board, I have had the privilege of watching Somos become an industry leader that works to strengthen and drive growth across the Toll-Free and larger telecommunications ecosystems. I am excited to join this innovative team and be a part of Somos' dynamic future," Ms. Berkowitz stated.

About Somos, Inc. 

Somos provides trusted, neutral numbering and registry administration services to enable Toll-Free service providers, service registrars, routing database providers and SCPs. Somos operates the SMS/800 Toll-Free voice registry for administration and routing data for all Toll-Free Numbers in the North American Numbering Plan, as authorized by the Federal Communications Commission. Somos also operates the Texting and Smart Services Registry, the centralized registry for administration and routing data for Toll-Free messaging and multimedia services. Additional information is available at www.somos.com.

Media Contact: 

Michelle Larsen 

Vice President, Customer Engagement 

mlarsen@somos.com