Jeffery R. Gardner
Jeffery R. Gardner, is president and chief executive officer of MONI Smart Security. MONI, the new Monitronics, is a subsidiary of Ascent Capital Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: ASCMA), and is one of the largest home security alarm monitoring companies in the U.S. Headquartered in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, MONI secures more than one million residential customers and commercial client accounts with monitored home and business security system services. In 2016, MONI was ranked number one by J.D. Power in its Home Security Satisfaction Report. The company is supported by the nation’s largest network of independent Authorized Dealers, providing products and support to customers in the U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico.
Gardner sits on the boards of Ascent Capital Management, the holding company that owns MONI; CalAmp (NASDAQ: CAMP), a California based leader in Telematics, and Qorvo (NASDAQ: QRVO), a leading supplier of semiconductor chips in the wireless handset space. He also serves as chair of the audit committee at Qorvo.
Gardner is the former the president and chief executive officer of Windstream Corp., an S&P 500 communications and technology company with operations in 29 states and about $4 billion in annual revenue. Gardner has worked in the telecommunications industry for more than 25 years and is executing a focused strategy to transform Windstream and create value for shareholders. Windstream has completed eight acquisitions since its 2006 spinoff from Alltel Corp., adding more than $2 billion in revenue and creating approximately $200 million in operating and capital synergies. The company completed four acquisitions in 2010 alone totaling $2.2 billion.
Gardner was appointed to the position in December 2005. He previously served as executive vice president and chief financial officer of Alltel Corp. He joined Alltel in 1998 when the company merged with 360° Communications. On December 11, 2014 Jeffery R. Gardner resigned off from his position as CEO of Windstream.
Gardner earned a degree in finance from Purdue University and an MBA from The College of William & Mary. He is a certified public accountant. He serves on the board of directors of RF Micro Devices, Inc., Arkansas Children's Hospital, Darlington School, the Arkansas Research Alliance and is chairman of the advisory board for the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences' Center for Distance Health. Gardner was named a national finalist for the Ernst & Young LLP Entrepreneur of the Year 2010® Award in telecommunications. He is currently the CEO of Monitronics Security LP.