Four key members of Acceris Communications Inc.s board of directors have resigned as the company moves toward an anticipated buyout by Matrix Telecom.

Acceris said today that company president Kelly Murumets and three members James Meenan, Frank Tanki and William Lomicka all have resigned from the board. Acceris said in a statement their experience may not materially contribute to the companys future operating plans, adding that none of the resignations resulted from something any of the four had done. Instead, the company said, Murumets and Lomicka resigned to downsize the board to reflect the reduction in the size of the company and to maintain the ratio of independent to non-independent directors.

The Acceris board of directors now is made up of four members: Henry Toh, Hal Heaton, Allan Silber and Samuel Shimer. Toh and Heaton do not work for Acceris. Silber takes over as chairman of the board; he is chairman and CEO of Counsel Corp. Shimer also is affiliated with Counsel Corp.