Directors
Philip Burtner
President and Chairman of the Board
Philip A. Burtner, PE, has been involved in the development of wireless infrastructure throughout the Eastern US for over 25 years as a consulting civil and structural engineer. He is currently Vice President for Centerline Communications, LLC. Prior to joining Centerline Communications, Phil was responsible for developing and growing several successful engineering businesses that served the wireless industry, with specific expertise in the design, permitting and construction of all types of wireless communications facilities and support structures.
Phil has served on the board of the PWA for 10 years and has held the office of Secretary, Vice-President, and now President. Mr. Burtner earned a BS and MS in Civil Engineering from Lehigh University, and is a licensed professional engineer in over 20 states. Phil is a life-member of Trout Unlimited and enjoys spending time outdoors.
Barbara Burba
Vice President and Board Member
Barbara Burba is the CEO of Amerisite Wireless Development. Amerisite is a Diversity Certified Woman Owned Business Enterprise and a Certified Small Business Enterprise, which is a multifaceted services organization. She began operations in 2006 and has over 13 years of highly competent experience in Tower Development, Site Acquisition/Real Estate Services as well as Consulting, Turn-Key Construction, and Contacts/resolutions. She has consulted with Telecommunication and Broadcast Operators, and Tower Companies in multiple markets across the United States to build a valuable network of contacts that trust her skills and judgment when it comes to putting systems on the air. She also has consulted with the Gas industry for data transmission to and from the drilling sites.
Barbara worked with the Federal Department of Education for over 12 years as a Consultant and Trainer. Most of her instructor experience has been in training or educating adults in Government or Education forums. She has worked with several Universities teaching Master’s level and Doctorate Education students. She has collaborated with several consulting firms including Deloitte creating a software program for PA State employees to incorporate an online data base. She participated in software upgrades and revisions as a trainer for all state staff. She also is a certified Facilitator and Mediator with the Atlanta Justice Department. She has worked with various systems within Pennsylvania, Virginia and Ohio training Federal Government Grant Recipient Agencies.
Barbara sits on several Board of Directors. She is currently serving as Vice-President of the PA Wireless Association; Chairperson for the Regulatory Committee, and the Education Committee. Barbara also sits on the Pennsylvania 911 Advisory Board for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. She is the President of the Board of Directors for Tower Trails Therapy Services.
Barbara has recently contracted with WIA’s TEC training program to develop and train as a subject matter expert. She has a B.S in Education from Indiana University of Pennsylvania.
Christopher H. Schubert
Treasurer and Board Member
Christopher H. Schubert is a licensed attorney and shareholder with the law firm of Riley Riper Hollin & Colagreco, located in Exton, Pennsylvania. Chris chairs the Telecommunications Practice Group at the firm and has practiced over 20 years serving the wireless industry. His team of experienced telecom attorneys have successfully zoned and assisted with the leasing of more than 1,000 project sites for spec tower build-outs, network build-outs and deployment of ever-evolving wireless platforms including LTE, LTE-Advanced and WiMAX; MW and fiber backhaul deployment; and most recently, zoning and franchise negotiations for small cell and DAS infrastructure which serves as the foundation for 5G networks. Chris has also been actively engaged at the state and local level in drafting and advocating for legislation to facilitate the deployment of advanced wireless services. He is a regular presenter on topics concerning legislative and regulatory matters affecting the wireless industry.
Chris graduated from Villanova University School of Law with a Juris Doctor. He earned a Bachelor of Business Administration degree, summa cum laude, from Temple University and was designated a President’s Scholar by the university. Chris is active in the Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Chester County Bar Associations. In addition to his role as Treasurer of the Pennsylvania Wireless Association, Chris also serves as Secretary for the Board of Trustees of the Meadowbrook School, Meadowbrook, Pennsylvania.
Lisa Rider
Secretary
Lisa Rider is a telecommunications Project Engineer in Crown Castle’s Canonsburg, Pennsylvania office. Crown Castle provides wireless carriers with the infrastructure they need to keep people connected and businesses running. With approximately 40,000 towers and 27,500 route miles of fiber supporting small cells, Crown Castle is the nation's largest provider of shared wireless infrastructure with a significant presence in the top 100 US markets. Lisa’s background includes project management and design of telecommunication sites, as well as project management, design, grading, stormwater management, and erosion & sediment control for various types of site development in many states. She holds a BSCE from Widener University, and has her FE certification, and is pleased to be part of the Pennsylvania Wireless Association
Sarb Bassi
Board Member
Sarb brings more than 10 years of property management and telecommunications experience to Crown Castle. She began her career at Comcast, where she served in various roles securing exclusive marketing and service agreements with building owners. She shifted to the wireless world in 2016 as a Sales Area Manager, where she focused and drove growth among the four major network wireless carriers in the East region. Sarb has an extensive background in sales and business development. She joined the Crown Castle vertical’s team in 2020 as a Market Sales Manager covering the Central region. Partnering together with fixed wireless providers, government, utilities and broadcast customers, she proactively identifies and maximizes tower growth. She has developed relationships throughout the wireless industry and continues to build strong partnerships to support her customers’ needs to ensure their deployment plans are successful.
Melissa Cooke
Board Member
Since 2001, Melissa Cooke has been an active participant in the wireless industry. Her career started as a Property Specialist with Sprint covering the Philadelphia Market. Dairy Farms and covered bridges were a common sight when searching for locations in Bucks County. Melissa had the opportunity to expand her site development knowledge with projects for T-Mobile, MetroPCS and Northrop Grumman for the City of New York. In 2009, Melissa joined Diamond Communications and is Vice President, Business Development Northeast, where she manages the FirstEnergy portfolio. FirstEnergy’s ten regulated distribution companies cover six states and form the nation’s largest investor-owned electric systems with more than 24,500 miles of transmission lines. Melissa works closely with the wireless carriers to utilize FirstEnergy’s assets to solve the carrier’s coverage needs
Ian Horowitz
Board Member
Ian Horowitz is a highly accomplished Telecom Executive with extensive experience in strategic planning, management, and execution of the sales cycle for U.S and International Dark Fiber, Managed Services, Voice and Data Products and Services, Cloud Adoption Specialist, Direct Connect SDI™. He has expert skills in sales and business development, building and maintaining profitable relationships with partners, vendors, and customers. Ian has superior knowledge of contract negotiation and the ability to deliver favorable terms and conditions. He is adept at closing deals and evaluating complex transactional documents.
Elena Timko
Board Member
Elena Timko is currently the Sales Director for the East coast, and her responsibilities include driving profitable growth for the company in the Contractor and Carrier customer segments for the East and Southeast Regions. Elena is a wireless industry veteran, working in the industry for 22 years. Prior to joining Talley in 2012, she served as the Director of Distribution at CommScope. Elena also held the position of Vice President of Sales for MTS Wireless Components LLC, and started her carrier at Summit Manufacturing LLC, in 1995. Elena has been instrumental in growing Talley’s customer base, by working directly with key accounts, and through supporting the Outside sales teams, to acquire new customers and build strong relationships with existing customers.
Jeffrey De Lucia
Board Member
Jeffrey L. De Lucia has been involved in the design, engineering and development of wireless infrastructure throughout the eastern US for over 22 years as a designer, construction manager, project manager and business development manager. He is currently a project manager with wireless engineering services division of NB+C out of the Elkridge MD, office. Prior to joining NB+C, Mr. De Lucia has been a project manager working for several other national engineering firms as well as Crown Castle Inc.. Specializing in the design and engineering, Mr. De Lucia has supported many large wireless projects for all 4 major carriers along the eastern seaboard. Jeff has served as a committee/board member of the PWA since 2014, mainly supporting the western committee team to organize and run 3 or 4 events each year during his time serving the association. Jeff enjoys spending time with his family and coaching his children’s sports teams outside of work hours.
Talia Jemison
Board Member
With more than 13 years of experience in business development and telecommunications, Talia Jemison is currently a Sales Account Manager at American Tower Corporation. She has an extensive background in sales and marketing in the tower industry and has worked with major carriers, regional carriers and state agencies on high-level projects. Talia has successfully led cross-functional groups to complete projects ranging from new site builds to in-building networks. She participates on several advisory committees dedicated to process improvement and education throughout the industry.
Chip Vignolini
Board Member
Albert (Chip) Vignolini is currently a Sr. Manager of Implementation-Construction with Verizon Wireless located in Pittsburgh, PA and has over 23 years of experience in the wireless and telecommunications industry. His background is in TCP/IP Network Design and Implementation but has held a variety of positions throughout his career including; CP&G, Data, Switch, and Transport Engineering, Data and Switch Capacity Planning and Performance both at a regional and territory level. Currently, Chip is responsible for all construction-related activities for 4&5G Macro and Small Cells across Pennsylvania, Ohio, & West Virginia.
Chip earned his Executive MBA with Colorado Technical University and his undergrad from West Virginia University. He is a licensed FAA Private Pilot for Single Engine Land & Sea, as well as a Licensed FAA Remote Pilot (i.e. Drones). In addition, Chip serves as a Board Member for Condor Aero Club, responsible for Safety & Compliance.
Gordon Nelson
Board Member
Gordon Nelson has over 10 years of experience in the wireless industry, serving as a Sales and Business Development Manager. He currently manages the Northeast region for PerfectVision, a manufacturer and distributor of wireless infrastructure materials. Mr. Nelson earned a BS in Business Information Systems from Lehigh University and currently resides outside of Philadelphia.
