CarterBaldwin Recruits President and CEO for Kansas Fiber Network
June 5, 2026 – CarterBaldwin Executive Search has assisted in the recruitment of Danny Pate as the new president and CEO of Kansas Fiber Network (KFN). Partner Chris Guiney and search consultant Ted Wieber led the assignment. “We are pleased to bring Danny on board,” said Mark Gailey, chairman of KFN’s board of directors. “The board ran a diligent search to identify a leader who can accelerate KFN’s strategic direction. Danny’s track record positions KFN to move confidently into our next phase of growth.”
Mr. Pate brings more than 30 years of experience in telecommunications, spanning network and field operations, construction, program management, digital transformation, and sales. Most recently, he served as chief operating officer at Fatbeam Fiber, where he led daily operations, scaled performance-driven operating models, and drove process and cost efficiencies to fuel revenue growth.
Earlier in his career, Mr. Pate served as chief operating officer at Fastwyre Broadband and as executive vice president of operations at Summit Broadband. He began his career in telecommunications with the local division of Sprint, Qwest Communications, and CenturyLink, holding network leadership roles that culminated in vice president positions in engineering and operations across multiple CenturyLink markets over 22 years.
“I’m honored to join KFN at such an exciting time in our industry,” said Mr. Pate. “KFN has a solid foundation of diverse and redundant fiber assets, customer-centric solutions, and a talented team. I could not be more excited to lead KFN into our next chapter.”
Kansas Fiber Network is a regional fiber infrastructure provider headquartered in Wichita and Overland Park, KS. Since 2009, KFN has built a 6,000+ mile, 100G network, 400G-ready, serving carrier, wholesale, enterprise, banking, healthcare, government, and education customers across Kansas, Missouri, and the surrounding Midwest. KFN delivers ethernet, wavelength, dark fiber, mobile backhaul, data center connectivity, cloud connectivity, and custom fiber builds, backed by local engineering and 24/7 support.
CarterBaldwin is a retained executive search firm that partners with its clients to build senior leadership teams. Since its inception in 2001 as a corporate firm, they have expanded its client portfolio to include the non-profit and academic sectors, serving both domestic and international clients from the firm’s headquarters in Atlanta, GA and our Washington, D.C. office. CarterBaldwin is listed among a variety of rankings published by Hunt Scanlon Media, including its Top 50, Private Equity Power 100, and Top 50 Higher Education Search Firms.
Mr. Guiney joined CarterBaldwin in 2016 and leads the firm’s energy and infrastructure practice. His clients include energy, power, utilities, communications, and infrastructure businesses as well as professional services firms. For more than 30 years, Mr. Guiney has assisted companies with critical team-building initiatives including executive search, succession planning, executive effectiveness, and organizational design.
Related: CarterBaldwin Assists Christianity Today with CEO Search
Mr. Wieber has significant international experience working within corporations, governments and universities. He brings a vast knowledge base to both the corporate and non-profit practices within CarterBaldwin. As a consultant, Mr. Wieber partners closely on CarterBaldwin’s C-suite and VP-level roles, for both mission-driven searches as well as the firm’s diverse client base.
Edify Search
CarterBaldwin recently assisted in the recruitment of Jeff Rudder as the new CEO of Edify. The search was led by Chris Hornsby, Kevin Ung, and Jodi Delikat. “This appointment marks a significant milestone for the organization as it continues its mission to improve and expand sustainable Christ-centered education globally,” Edify said. The search for a new leader began just before the passing of Edify’s co-founder and preceding CEO, Tiger Dawson.
“The board felt God’s confirmation of Jeff as our next CEO for his passion around culture, mission and vision, spiritual and organizational leadership, relationship building, and faith in Christ,” said Debbie Hall, board chair of Edify. “We look forward to welcoming Jeff and are excited for what is ahead as we continue to follow God’s leading and calling of Edify.”
Headquartered in San Diego, CA, Edify works with Christian schools to improve and expand education in developing countries. Edify partners with 46 organizations in 11 countries worldwide, including Burkina Faso, the Dominican Republic, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guatemala, Liberia, Northeast India, Peru, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, and Uganda.
Related: CarterBaldwin Assists Montreat College with Provost Search
Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief and Dale M. Zupsansky, Executive Editor — Hunt Scanlon Media
