• Worldwide Fiber Inc. (WFI) announced the appointment of Steve Baker to the position of Vice President and Chief Technology Officer. In assuming the lead technical post, Baker will oversee WFI's technical strategic plans for entering the carrier's carrier wholesale marketplace.
  
  
• Interspeed, a Brooktrout company, announced the appointment of Paul J. Severino to the company's Board of Directors. Severino is Chairman and Chief Executive Office of NetCentric Corp., a supplier of Internet fax solutions for service providers. Previously, he was chairman of the board of Bay Networks, which was formed in 1994 by a merger between Synoptics Communications and Wellfleet Communications.
  
  
• Recognizing the changing market conditions within the exploding telecommunications, Internet and utility industries -- and the synergies between all three for new investment opportunities -- Arete Ventures announced its name change to Kinetic Ventures. The new name suggests energy and movement, much like the dynamic industries in which Kinetic Ventures will operate, and its new position within these fast evolving, multi hundred-billion-dollar-a-year markets.
  
  
• Kana Communications, Inc. announced that Michael McCloskey has been appointed CEO, effective immediately. McCloskey will also take a seat on Kana's Board of Directors. McCloskey was most recently President of Genesys Telecommunications Laboratories, Inc., a provider of customer interaction management software.
  
  
• Arabesque Communications, Inc., a venture-backed developer of Internet voice portal servers for wireless and Internet service providers, announced that telecommunications industry veteran Phil Quigley has joined its Board of Directors. Quigley brings to Arabesque 30 years of telecommunications and management experience, most recently as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Pacific Telesis and, following its merger with SBC Communications, as the company's Vice Chairman.
  
  
• Convergys Corporation announces the appointment of Renee Kuwahara as president of its Direct Broadcast Satellite (DBS) Business Unit in its Customer Management Group. She is responsible for managing all aspects of the DBS unit including its business objectives, profitability, facility management, sales support, and client development.
  
  
• Jetstream Communications named Brad Mandell Vice President of Sales, a move to further expand Jetstream's position as a supplier of voice over DSL (VoDSL) equipment to incumbent and competitive local exchange carriers. Mandell's twenty years of success in senior sales and marketing positions with companies such as 3Com and IBM ROLM Corporation will help Jetstream to continue its rapid growth as it addresses the tremendous VoDSL opportunity.
  
  
• Williams Communications Solutions, a provider of integrated enterprise network solutions to businesses throughout North America and a business unit of Williams Communications, part of Williams, has named Patti Schmigle executive vice president and chief operations officer. Schmigle will oversee field operations and customer services, and the company's National Technical Resource Center at its Houston headquarters.

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