Windstream announced that Jarrod (“J”) Berkshire has been named president of operations for Georgia.

In his new role, Berkshire will be based in Dalton, Ga., and oversee the nearly 450 managers and technicians who operate Windstream’s voice and broadband network in the state. There are about 620,000 households as well as thousands of businesses in Windstream’s Georgia service areas.

“Windstream is committed to a network-first strategy that will give our customers the advanced communications services they expect and deserve, and Jarrod Berkshire is the right person to lead that important effort in Georgia,” said Tony Thomas, president and chief executive officer of Windstream. “He has a deep technical understanding of our statewide network and a real passion for serving our customers.”

“Every customer matters, and every member of Windstream’s Georgia team is dedicated to getting it right for the people who trust us to provide critical communications services,” Berkshire said. “We know our communities because we live and work there, and we take a great deal of pride in serving our friends and neighbors.”

Berkshire, a resident of Ringgold, Ga., was previously director of outside plant engineering for Windstream’s seven-state southeast region. He holds a Bachelor of Science in industrial engineering from Jacksonville State University in Jacksonville, Ala. He has been with Windstream or its predecessor company since July 2000.

Berkshire’s appointment is further evidence of Windstream’s strong commitment to Georgia, Thomas said. Since 2014, Windstream has invested more than $80 million in its broadband infrastructure throughout Georgia and expects to invest an additional $38 million in 2016 to provide faster speeds, improve reliability and “future-proof” the core network, Thomas said.