BalsamWest FiberNet has an active managing board.

The board is made of two members each from the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians and Drake Enterprises. The board has also provided the position of Community Interest Director to Southwestern Community College.

Top Row: Don Rose, David Hubbs,  Dr. Cecil Groves Bottom Row: Jennifer Dills, Barbara Palmer Vicknair

Chairman of the Board: Jennifer Dills

Vice Chairman of the Board: Don Rose

Treasurer: David Hubbs

Secretary: Barbara Palmer Vicknair

Community Interest Director: Dr. Cecil Groves

Jennifer Dills – Chairman of the Board – Jennifer Dills was appointed Vice President of Finance for Drake Enterprises, Ltd. in 2008.  As the vice president, Jennifer’s responsibilities include reviewing financial statements and preparing income tax returns for Drake Enterprises’ 18 businesses in the sectors of retail, travel & entertainment, restaurant, software development, internet service, manufacturing, and construction.  Jennifer analyzes financial statements, industry trends, investment opportunities, cash positions and company strategies to ensure the businesses are maximizing sales and minimizing costs.  Along with her group of fifteen professionals, primarily accountants and bookkeepers, she manages sales tax, fixed assets, internal auditing, order processing for 30,000+ customers, and insurance risk management. 

Before joining Drake Enterprises in 2002, Jennifer worked for Dixon Odom PLLC in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, (currently Dixon-Hughes PLLC) as an auditor.

She is an active CPA, a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), and a member of North Carolina Association of Certified Public Accountants (NCACPA).  She also serves as an officer on the Western Carolina University Accounting Advisory Board.

Don Rose – Vice Chairman of the Board – Major Donald E. Rose is a retired Air Force officer with twenty five years of military service. After retirement from the Air Force he worked in the Aerospace industry as a system engineer and business manager. In 1988 he founded Command Technologies, Inc. a professional services firm providing system engineering and technical assistance to various government agencies including the Department of Defense, NASA, the Defense Intelligence Agency, the Central Intelligence Agency and several aerospace firms. He grew Command Technologies to over 500 employees with offices in several states and revenues in excess of $40 million annually. He sold the company in 2004. Subsequently he devotes his time to a variety of interests including service on several boards of directors and commissions. He represents the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians on the BalsamWest FiberNet board of directors.

David Hubbs – Treasurer – David Hubbs has over 25 years of management experience representing enterprise consumers and providers of telecommunications services.  He served as Special Projects Manager for the Oak Ridge National Laboratory Federal Credit Union and later worked for Barnes & Noble Inc. in Development and Documentation of Computer Systems in Manhattan, New York.  Born and raised in Western North Carolina, David chose to return to the mountains to raise a family and served as Director of Internet Services for Drake Enterprises Limited along with serving as the Founding Chair of BalsamWest FiberNET.  In August, 2007 he joined BalsamWest FiberNet as CEO and since that time; monthly recurring revenues have more than doubled for the Sylva based company.  Hubbs is a persistent innovator and developer of transport and managed service products tailored to the specific needs of enterprises and markets.  “Our philosophy is simple”, says Hubbs.  “We provide state of the art communications to Western North Carolina which allows our region to compete with any area of the United States.  We want to help grow and attract 21st century business to our communities.”

Barbara Palmer Vicknair – Secretary – Currently serving on the Community Development Council, a division of the Department of Commerce of NC, Barbara Palmer Vicknair handles the CDGB and Hud Monies for NC.  She serves on the Evergreen Foundation and is the President of the Valley River Human Society in Marble, NC.  Barbara served two terms on the Cherokee County Board of Commissioners and was Chairman for five of the seven years.  She has been instrumental in securing over $25 Million in federal appropriations and grants for infrastructure and schools in Cherokee County.  In the past she has served as a Governor’s appointment to the Rural Prosperity Task Force, Smoky Mountain Mental Health, Cherokee County DSS Board, Rural Economic Development Board and the Cherokee Preservation Foundation.  She has a background in accounting and until recently was a small business owner.  Barbara resides in Murphy, NC with her husband Stephen and has three children and five grandchildren.

Dr. Cecil L. Groves – Community Interest Director – Before assuming the position as president of Southwestern Community College in 1997, Dr. Groves served as chancellor of the Texas State Technical College System, president of Pikes Peak Community College, president of Austin Community College and executive vice president/provost for Delgado College. He was also a manager for Bausch & Lomb's Houston Instrument Division in Austin where he designed computer hardware, software and courseware for teaching computer-aided drafting and design.

Dr. Groves has been appointed by Governors and state leaders in Louisiana, Colorado, Texas and North Carolina to various Boards and Commissions, the latest appointments being to the North Carolina Prosperity Task Force, the Rural Internet Access Authority, North Carolina Workforce Commission, and the Region A Partnership for Children. He was a founding member of the National Coalition for Advanced Manufacturing and the National Coalition for Advanced Technology Centers that helped modernize American industry in the 1980s and 1990s.  In 1990, Dr. Groves was named a Distinguished Alumnus (1990) of the College of Education at University of Texas in Austin and in 1996 a Distinguished Alumnus of Texas A & M University – Commerce

An active supporter of responsible and sustainable economic development, Dr. Groves assisted with the development, expansion and relocation of several major industries such as American Airlines, IBM, Ford Aerospace, Hughes Electronics; Lockheed Missiles and Space, Hewlett Packard, Abbott Laboratories, Texas Instruments, and the 3M Corporation.  Dr. Groves helped to establish BalsamWest FiberNET and currently serves on the Board of Directors as a Community Interest Partner.  For his service and contributions to the state of North Carolina, he was awarded in 2008 the “Order of the Long Leaf Pine”, one of the highest civilian honors bestowed by the Governor.

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