Pat Riordan has been a driving force in the wireless industry’s efforts in Cybersecurity. His foresight and leadership brought focus on the need for the U.S. wireless industry to coordinate and establish national and international leadership to confront wireless cybersecurity threats. He has been a strong advocate for decades for regional and rural carriers and communities and has kept the concerns and challenges they face before Congress, the FCC, and the broader industry. He has provided leadership in critical business development of rural wireless services addressing many of the Digital Divide issues.
Pat currently serves as chairman of the board of Nsight, a major telecommunications entity in the upper Midwest with roots stretching back to 1910 as an early wireline telephone service provider. Pat’s involvement with the company spans more than four decades, and during this time he has successfully guided Nsight through its expansion from a local telephone company to a premier telecommunications provider in the Midwest offering a broad array of products and services to the area’s businesses and consumers.
Pat’s leadership skills and extensive industry knowledge have earned him key positions in many industry organizations. His involvement includes service as past chairman, the current board and member of the officer’s group for CTIA; past board member and executive committee member for the USTelecom Association; past president and board member of the Competitive Carrier Association (CCA); past president and board member for the Wisconsin State Telecommunications Association; past board member of the Associated Carrier Group; and past president of the Eastern Rural Telecommunications Association. Pat received the Outstanding Achievement Award from the Rural Carriers Association (RCA), now known as the Competitive Carriers Association (CCA), in 2008 and the Outstanding Service Award in 2010. He received the inaugural Lifetime Achievement Award from CCA in 2018. He also serves on the board for Ha Ha’s Hero Foundation.
Pat has five children, five grandchildren, and four stepchildren and resides in Green Bay with his wife, Karen Van Gemert. He is a graduate of St. Norbert College and the Advanced Telephone Management program through the University of Kansas.
Inducted into the Wireless Hall of Fame in 2021.