Grant Spellmeyer
President & CEO
Grant Spellmeyer oversees the daily operations and affairs of ACA Connects-America’s Communications Association. Grant joined ACAC on June 1, 2022.
Prior to joining ACAC, Grant was Vice President – Government Affairs for US Cellular where his primary duties included directing the federal and state legislative and regulatory efforts across the company’s 21-state operating territory on all policy matters. Grant joined U.S. Cellular in 2006 from ACA Connects Member company TDS Telecommunications Corp. (TDS). As part of the TDS enterprise, Grant served in a variety of wireless and wireline legal and regulatory roles for more than 20 years. Prior to that, Grant was an attorney in private practice in Madison, Wisconsin.
Grant is a 1988 graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison. In addition, he holds an M.A. in public policy from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin Law School. He also holds an MBA from Northwestern University.
Grant lives in Williams Bay, Wisconsin with his wife Sarah. They have three grown children (triplets)! They enjoy many lake activities, the Green Bay Packers, and their new Goldendoodle – Arlo.
John Higginbotham
Executive Vice President & Chief Operating Officer
John Higginbotham serves as the Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer for ACA Connects. Higginbotham is responsible for all of the daily operations of the organization and directly oversees the development and implementation of the marketing and growth strategy for member and associate member companies. Higginbotham holds a BA and MA in Communications from Morehead State University. Before joining ACA Connects in 2020, Higginbotham spent nearly 25 years as a member-operator with the Frankfort Plant Board, a municipal utility in Kentucky. John retired as the Assistant General Manager – Telecom, in 2017. John and his wife reside in Mount Sterling, KY and are the parents of two adult sons, and one adorable grandson. Higginbotham talks way too much about Kentucky Basketball, Kentucky Bourbon and the American Civil War.
Brian Hurley
Senior Vice President of Legal and Regulatory Affairs
Brian Hurley is SVP of Legal and Regulatory Affairs. In that position, he oversees and coordinates ACA Connects’ advocacy on legal and regulatory matters as well as its educational programming for Members. Before joining ACA Connects in 2018, he served 10 years as an attorney at the Federal Communications Commission. Brian graduated from Duke Law School and holds a bachelor’s degree in Philosophy from DePauw University. He lives in Washington, D.C., with his wife and two very spoiled cats. He enjoys cooking new recipes and watching old movies.
Zamir Ahmed
Senior Vice President – External Affairs
Zamir serves as Senior Vice President – External Affairs for ACA Connects. In this capacity, he leads external affairs strategies to advance the organization’s policies and perspectives to diverse audiences, including legislators, federal officials, policymakers, industry partners and other stakeholders.
Prior to joining ACA Connects, Zamir worked in media relations for the National Association of Broadcasters for nearly 13 years, most recently as Vice President of Communications. His duties included developing and executing messaging campaigns spotlighting legislative advocacy, business operations, foundation and technology initiatives, marketing efforts and trade shows.
Previously, Zamir was the Deputy Press Secretary for the House Committee on Small Business. He began his career as an intern in the office of Senator Dianne Feinstein. Zamir holds a bachelor’s degree in English from Middlebury College.
He lives in Washington, D.C. with his wife, son and two cats. An avid trivia nerd, Zamir was a contestant on the December 31, 2014 episode of Jeopardy. He is always interested in recommendations for new TV shows and contemporary fiction novels.
Olivia Shields
Vice President of Public Affairs and Communications
Olivia develops and executes comprehensive communications strategies to advance ACA Connects’ mission and advocacy goals. Olivia is a 10-year veteran of Capitol Hill and served as a top communications advisor for Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) and the House Republican Conference. Before joining ACA Connects, she was the Communications Director for the Energy and Commerce Committee, where she led the communications and messaging strategies for Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) and her policy priorities, including in telecommunications and technology.
Olivia is a graduate of Miami University in Ohio. She married her husband Bobby in 2021 and they have a daughter and a son. Olivia enjoys spending time with her family, golfing, reading, and going on walks while listening to an entertaining podcast.
Bill Tortoriello
Vice President – Technology & Policy
Bill serves as ACA Connects Vice President – Technology & Policy. In this role, he assists the Regulatory Team in technical research, complex compliance issues, and ACAC member education, advocating for the changing businesses our Members face each day.
Bill brings nearly 30 years of regulatory compliance experience from AT&T Wireless, TDS and UScellular. Prior to his role at ACA Connects, Bill worked at UScellular, where he was most recently the Director of Regulatory Policy. In that position, he worked relentlessly on complex regulatory and policy matters dealing with Infrastructure, Public Safety, and Consumer items. Bill has extensive expertise in dealing with FAA, environmental, siting, 477/ Broadband Deployment Collection, accessibility, and E911 and WEA issues. His work has taken him across the Los Angeles, Washington, DC, and Chicago markets. Bill has a Master of Jurisprudence, Compliance & Enterprise Risk Management, from Loyola University School of Law and a Bachelor of Science in Business Management and Administration from Bradley University.
Bill is a born and raised Chicagoan and enjoys the city’s sights and sounds. In his spare time, he enjoys sitting at the pasticceria on the corner, engaging in lively conversation with his family and people from the neighborhood while enjoying the occasional Aperol Spritz.
Max Staloff
Vice President of Regulatory Affairs
Stacey Leech
Vice President of Member Services
Since joining ACA Connects (then SCBA) in 1998, Stacey’s primary focus has been on events and working with our vendor partners. In her current role as Vice President of Member Services, she works on the production of the annual Summit and, in conjunction with NCTC, The Independent Show. Named to the CableFax 2020 List of Most Powerful Women, she has also been awarded a Faxie for most innovative press kit promoting our annual lobbying event. As the liaison between the association and our AMP vendor partners, Stacey works to develop marketing plans that maximize membership benefits and leverage sponsorship opportunities. In her spare time, Stacey enjoys attending college football games (#GoVols and #H2P) and spending time at her family camp with husband, Paul, daughters, Madison and Maressa, son-in-law, Nick and faithful, four-legged companion, Bentley. Stacey’s love of marketing and planning has carried over to her daughters, both of whom work in advertising and public relations.
Tomeika Slappy
Manager of Member Services
With over 25 years of broadly diverse experience encompassing executive support, Tomeika joined ACA Connects in 2016 as Assistant to the President & CEO. In her current role as Manager of Member Services, she skillfully manages a wide range of administrative responsibilities and assists with many aspects of ACA Connects member relations. She graduated from Bradford School in Pittsburgh, PA, with a specialized associate’s degree. Tomeika enjoys traveling, spending time with close friends and family and prides herself in her two other titles – God Mom and Aunt Meika. She is a die-hard fan of the Pittsburgh Steelers and was the winner of a Steelers Nation Unite VIP weekend in 2018.
Nathan Penrod
Director of Digital and Social Media
Nathan Penrod, a talented digital specialist with a diverse background in media production, joined ACA Connects in September 2020. In his role as Director of Digital and Social Media, Nathan leads our efforts to highlight the Association’s advocacy efforts and member activities. He also oversees the development of Association material through various mediums, including print, web, digital and social media.