Leadership Team

As Interop Technologies’ President and CEO, John A. Dwyer has leveraged his solid wireless operator experience and diverse management expertise to lead the organization to solid growth and a strong market position. Earlier, he served for three years as Chief Operating Officer of Wireless One Network (Cellular One of Florida) until its successful sale in 2002. Before joining Wireless One Network, John spent seven years with Ameritech Cellular in Chicago. At Ameritech, he held several corporate engineering and marketing positions, eventually becoming the company’s director of national accounts.

Stephen J. Zitnik brings diverse technical and financial expertise to his position as Executive Vice President of Technology and New Ventures at Interop Technologies. Steve is responsible for software development and oversees IT business strategy and direction. Previously, he worked for Wireless One Network, where he was responsible for extending the company’s intellectual property portfolio. From 1997 to 2000, he established and operated a boutique dollar/yen brokerage house, where he worked with well known clients, including Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, ED&F Mann, and Dean Witter. In addition, he has held positions at DHT, Paine Webber, and E.F. Hutton.

Patricia Heath, CFO, has 12 years of experience in the wireless industry from both an operator and vendor perspective. Pat manages financial accounting and reporting, billing, and risk management for Interop Technologies. Previously, she served as CFO of Wireless One Network, where she was responsible for investor and financial reporting, revenue assurance, billing, human resources, and credit and collections. She managed a $475 million syndicated debt facility and was instrumental in acquisition and financing activities. A Certified Public Accountant with 30 years of total experience, Pat previously served as CFO of Founders National Trust Co. She began her career in public accounting with Arthur Andersen. She joined Coopers & Lybrand as an Audit Manager in 1985 and was admitted as a partner in 1990.

Peggy Dwyer joined the company full-time in January 2007 after serving four years with Wireless One Network, where she was Legal Counsel to Interop Technologies and other related companies. As General Counsel, she manages all Interop Technologies’ legal matters and oversees contracts. An attorney with 10 years of experience, Peggy previously was in private practice concentrating in tax and estate planning. She became a Certified Public Accountant in 1990.

José Antonio (Tony) Mijares, Senior Vice President of International Sales, brings more than 30 years of telecommunications management experience to Interop. Tony oversees Asia, Latin America, and the Caribbean, with a focus on new business development. Prior to joining Interop, Tony was Vice President of Sales for Airvana’s CALA market, where he focused on new business development for EVDO (Evolution-Data Optimized) infrastructure and market development of femto cells. He also was responsible for channel sales development with Nortel Networks and Ericsson, as well as carrier demand creation for wireless broadband data in Latin America. Throughout his career, Tony has worked for numerous wireless operators and telecommunication companies, including Nortel, where he held the position of Vice President New Business Sales, Latin American Division.

John Bickford joined Interop Technologies in 2004 and currently is responsible for the company’s Product Support Services team. In addition, he oversees the Scrum software development processes. Previously at Interop, John was the Vice President of Technical Support and Billing Assurance departments. He has more than 18 years of experience in the wireless industry and has held key positions within several companies, including General Manager of Qualicom Systems, where he handled strategic planning, development, and management of key enterprise-wide initiatives. Before joining Qualicom, John worked eight years at Wireless One Network, (Cellular One of Florida). He served in a number of corporate management positions at Wireless One before becoming the company’s Director of Marketing and Distribution. From 1990 to 1993, he was President and Owner of Ultra Copy Inc., a printing and direct marketing organization in Fort Myers, Florida.

Fred Farrell currently leads Interop Technologies’ North American sales team, drawing on more than 13 years of experience in the telecommunications industry. Fred possesses extensive knowledge of the company’s solutions, as well as a thorough understanding of the wireless industry from the operator and vendor perspectives. He is involved in all aspects of the sales process, including customer relations, contract negotiations, and sales and solutions training. He also works with third-party vendors and partners to establish relationships that benefit clients. Previously, Fred held positions in product development, retail management, and B2B sales at Wireless One Network. Earlier, he worked in the financial services industry as an investment and insurance broker. He is a licensed stock broker.

Damian Sazama joined Interop Technologies as Vice President of Marketing and Public Relations in 2007 to lead all marketing, advertising, and public relations initiatives at the company. He previously served at Bluegrass Cellular Inc., where he was Vice President of Sales, Marketing, and Product Development. Damian began his wireless career with GTE Mobilnet as a cell site technician. In 1991, he was one of five employees from GTE who started the management team for Bluegrass Cellular, a Kentucky wireless operator. He held several positions in the company and in 2001 was promoted to Vice President and appointed an officer of the company. At Bluegrass Cellular, he successfully launched many enhanced wireless services, including digital wireless, mobile e-mail, SMS, MMS, ringtones, ringback tones, and push-to-talk services.

Don Wilkins, Vice President of Technical Operations, brings more than 30 years of global experience in telecommunications and technology to Interop’s leadership team. He is responsible for technical support, network operations, and information technology. Most recently, Don served as Vice President of Technology Services at Syniverse Technologies Inc., where he was responsible for more than 400 technical personnel charged with software design, development, and technical support for the company’s suite of telecommunications products. He also has held positions with AT&T Network Services (later Lucent Technologies), American Airlines SABRE Group, and Consolidated Rail Corp. (CONRAIL).

Industry pioneer and Interop Technologies Chairman of the Board James A. Dwyer, Jr., has more than 30 years in the telecommunications market. Before co-founding Interop Technologies, he established and operated a number of companies, including Wireless One Network, Independent Cellular Network, American Cellular Telephone Company, Qualicom Systems, C.Q. Communications, and AirSignal International. During Dwyer’s service as a wireless operator, he invested heavily in research and development of products and technologies that proved extremely marketable. He retained the intellectual property rights to these technologies, which now form the basis for the platforms Interop Technologies currently deploys. A founding member of the Cellular Telecommunications & Internet Association, Dwyer served on the Board of Directors from its inception in 1984 until 2000. During 1995 and 1996, he served as Chairman of the Board and as a member of the Executive Committee. In addition, he has chaired CTIA's Legislative and Regulatory Committee.