Tom Gerke

Positions held at EMBARQ

  • General Counsel – Law and External Affairs – 2006
  • General Counsel and External Affairs; Wholesale Markets – 2006
  • Chief Executive Officer – 2007

Education

  • Bachelor's Degree/Management – University of Missouri/Kansas City, Missouri
  • Master's Degree/Finance – Rockhurst University/Kansas City, Missouri
  • Juris Doctorate – University of Missouri/Kansas City, Missouri

Before being named executive Vice Chairman of the Board of the combined companies of CenturyTel and EMBARQ and leading the company’s Regulatory, Governmental Relations and Human Resources functions, Gerke was Chief Executive Officer of EMBARQ. He was named interim CEO by the company's board of directors in December 2007 before taking on the job permanently in March 2008.

Prior to his role as CEO of EMBARQ, Gerke served as General Counsel – Law and External Affairs. In this position, Gerke was responsible for the oversight of the company's legal, regulatory and governmental affairs initiatives, corporate governance and legal support to the EMBARQ board of directors. In January 2007, he assumed responsibility for EMBARQ's Wholesale Markets business unit while continuing to lead the legal, regulatory and external affairs functions.

Gerke brings years of industry and legal experience to the company, having spent nine years in private practice before taking a leadership role in Sprint’s Legal Department in 1994. His responsibilities with Sprint included various executive and legal roles, Corporate Transactions, Technology and General Business, External Affairs and Strategic Planning, Alliances and Business Development. He was Executive Vice President, Law and External Affairs at Sprint from 2003-2006.

Gerke joined Sprint Nextel in 1994 where he held a variety of leadership roles including executive vice president and general counsel. He held other senior management positions in the law department, including assistant vice president of Corporate Transactions, vice president of General Business and Technology, and Corporate Secretary for Sprint. In addition, he served as vice president of Business Development, Strategic Planning and Alliances for Sprint's Global Markets Group. Before joining Sprint, Gerke was a partner with the law firm of Smith, Gill, Fisher & Butts in Kansas City.