Diamond State Networks (DSN), Arkansas’s premiere provider for fiber optic middle mile services, announces changes in its executive management team with the promotion of Jill McDaniel to Chief Operating Officer and the hiring of Tim Adkins as Vice President of Sales.

McDaniel’s promotion to COO was solidified just before her one-year anniversary with DSN in November of 2023. This role expands her focus to now include Network Engineering in addition to her existing scope of leading Network Operations, Project Management, Field Operations and Sales Engineering. “Jill is an absolute difference-maker for DSN,” explained Doug Maglothin, CEO of DSN. “I am so pleased that Jill has accepted this new role and increased scope with us. I call Jill our ‘secret weapon’ due to her uncanny ability to bring organization to chaos. In a new and rapidly growing startup like DSN, this is invaluable.”

McDaniel had previously served as DSN’s Vice President of Operations since she started in December of 2022. Her previous career experience includes roles with Irby Utilities, Ritter Communications, Allo Communications and Windstream.

Additionally, DSN has added leadership to its business development function with the appointment of Tim Adkins as its Vice President of Sales. Adkins brings vital experience in wholesale telecommunications business development to DSN with more than 20 years of industry experience including multiple terms at both Iris Networks and Ritter Communications. Adkins and his family previously lived in Jonesboro for two years between 2013 and 2015. 

“I have known Tim since we crossed paths working on a telecom acquisition in 2012. He was a tremendous advisor to me then and has remained a wonderful coworker, friend and advisor to me in the years since. I cannot think of a better leader to build DSN’s sales team around,” said Maglothin.

DSN is owned by 14 of Arkansas’s electric cooperatives who are combining for the largest fiber optic broadband investment in the state’s history, with more than $1.8Billion in network being constructed across nearly 70% of the state.  Diamond State Network’s mission is to make Arkansas the most significantly connected state in the country.