Lightyear Network Solutions has appointed three new members to its board of directors, increasing the size of the board to seven. They are Gary R. Donahee, W. Bruce Lunsford and Jeffrey T. Hardesty.

We are pleased to announce the addition of Gary Donahee, Bruce Lunsford and Jeff Hardesty to our Board of Directors,” said J. Sherman Henderson III, CEO of Lightyear. Their scope and depth of industry, sales and general business expertise will be important drivers for success in both our organic growth and acquisition strategies to increase revenue and EBITDA.”

Donahee has more than 30 years of telecommunications industry experience and brings a wealth of knowledge to Lightyear. Donahee, 63, spent 16 years in senior management positions around the world at Nortel Networks, most recently as EVP and President of the Americas from 1999 to 2003. He served as SVP and president, Carrier Networks for Nortel for Europe, the Middle East and Africa and in a similar capacity for the Caribbean and Latin America region.

Lunsford, 62, is chairman and CEO of Lunsford Capital, LLC, a Louisville-based private equity investment firm that works with a wide range of companies including health care, technology, entertainment and real estate. He is the founder, former chairman and CEO of Ventas, Inc., an NYSE-listed health-care real estate investment company; the founder, former chairman, president and CEO of Vencor, Inc., now known as Kindred Healthcare; and the founder and former Chairman of assisted-living company Atria Communities, Inc.

Hardesty, 46, has more than 20 years of telecommunications industry experience in a variety of roles involving investment banking, private equity and senior management positions including CFO, COO and CEO. He is currently the owner, managing partner and CEO of Desert iNet LLC, a privately owned high-speed broadband Internet provider to residential and business customers in Arizona.