Austin Summerford

As chief of strategy, partnerships & towers, Austin is responsible for the evaluation of new lines of business, new markets, large investments, strategic partnerships and mergers and acquisitions. In this role, he also focuses on maximizing the company’s tower and intercarrier portfolios and oversees enterprise risk management.

Prior to joining UScellular, Austin spent more than 18 years at AT&T, most recently serving as vice president of corporate strategy, where he was responsible for the company’s long-term planning and strategic initiatives across multiple business units. He also has extensive experience in corporate development and mergers and acquisitions, with previous roles at AT&T including managing director of corporate development and assistant vice president of infrastructure program management.

Austin earned a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Va., and a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Texas at Austin. In his capacity at AT&T he served on a number of external boards of directors, and he has been active in is his local community, having served on the Advisory Board of St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic School in Dallas, Texas, among other activities.