EchoStar President, COO Dugan Retiring

EchoStar Communications Corp. president and chief operating officer Michael Dugan announced his retirement effective April 30.

Dugan will join the board of directors and serve as a senior advisor to the direct-broadcast satellite provider.

The company said several executives will assume Dugan’s duties until a successor is in place.

Dugan has been with EchoStar for 14 years, and he was the chief architect of the technological foundation upon which its Dish Network was founded.

"I am grateful for the years of excellent service Mike has contributed and the role he played in the launch and development of our Dish Network satellite TV," EchoStar chairman and CEO Charlie Ergen said in a prepared statement.

"We would have preferred to retain Mike in a more involved capacity, but I'm delighted to have him available as an advisor," he added.