After nearly two years with the company, Adelphia Communications Corp. senior vice president of operations Ann Montgomery last week said she has resigned, effective May 31.
Montgomery, who joined Adelphia in July 2000, has nearly 17 years of experience in the cable industry. Prior to joining Adelphia, Montgomery was vice president of fulfillment services and operations at AT&T Broadband, and had served in several positions at Tele-Communications Inc. and American Express Cable Services.
Montgomery's resignation comes to light shortly after Adelphia co-founder and chairman John Rigas announced that he would step down from the company.
But in an interview, Montgomery said her decision to leave — she gave Adelphia notice on May 1, but had begun to consider moving on in early March — had nothing to do with Adelphia's current troubles.
When she arrived at the Coudersport, Pa.-based MSO, Adelphia had just started to roll out high-speed data and digital cable service, and its rebuild program still had a way to go before nearing completion.
With all that now out of the way, Montgomery said, it's time to move on.
"I believe the impetus is moving in the right direction, and quarter after quarter, we were making our internal goals," Montgomery said. "After our first quarter, I felt very confident in the direction that the operation's results were going, and was ready to start looking for my next career opportunity.
"Obviously, being the senior-most operations executive next to [a member of] the Rigas family [executive vice president of operations Mike Rigas], there's not a lot of career path upward within the company," she added. "I learned a lot by working with the Rigas family and their operations, and am ready for a greater leadership role elsewhere."
Montgomery said she's been working with Adelphia management to smooth the transition for her departure, and added that she does not know if her position will be filled by someone else, or assumed by Mike Rigas once she leaves on May 31.
Montgomery said she's already received interest from several different firms in the cable industry, but plans to take some time off this summer before deciding on her next job.
Part of the reason for that delay is medical — Montgomery injured her leg in a skiing accident in March, and recently had surgery.
