Our Team

Driven by a commitment to bridging the digital divide, we empower communities through innovation, collaboration, and reliable connectivity.

Senior Leadership Team

Mark Colwell

Executive Director

Mark Colwell

Mark is the Executive Director. Before joining Mission Telecom, Mark served as the Senior Manager of Broadband Programs for the Colorado Broadband Office, where he managed a team working on federal broadband grant programs, including Capital Projects Funds (CPF) and the Broadband, Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) Program.

In addition, Mark was appointed by Governor Polis to serve on the Colorado Broadband Deployment Board, funding state and federal grants to connect unserved and underserved Coloradans.

Mark began his career as a Legislative Assistant in the U.S. Congress, focusing on telecommunications, spectrum, rural broadband, and IT issues. He also worked as a Senior Business Operations Analyst at DISH Network, managing projects related to providing world-class customer experience.

Mark earned a master's degree from the Interdisciplinary Telecommunications Program at the University of Colorado-Boulder, where he was the top graduate.

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Stephen Kowal

Chief Technology Officer

Stephen Kowal

Stephen is the Chief Technology Officer. He is a multicultural, customer-centric global transformation leader with 20+ years of experience in digital transformation and expansion, technology-focused strategy, and performance turnaround. He is valued for propelling start-ups into market leaders.

Stephen consistently achieves hypergrowth and profitability through operational expansion, enterprise digital and cloud-delivery models, and cutting-edge technology solutions. He has repeated success scaling businesses for rapid profits and market dominance, with revenues up to $5B+.

Prior to Mission Telecom, Stephen was head of IT strategy, architecture, and business analytics for Liberty Latin America, where he built lucrative digital technology platforms and improved cross-channel digital marketing to support new commercial Customer Value Propositions, driving the IT strategy for rapid transformation and several acquisitions totaling $3B+.

Through relationship development and collaborative leadership, Stephen has repeatedly demonstrated the ability to restructure, lead teams, and integrate multimillion-dollar IT transformation in large and medium-sized organizations, including startups, resulting in IPO achievements.

Stephen has a BEng in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from Stevens Institute of Technology and harnesses a strong commitment to outpacing competition through a creative spirit.

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Elizabeth Rivera

Director of Marketing and Communications

Elizabeth Rivera

Elizabeth is passionate about the power of communication to drive change. With a career dedicated to advocating for human rights, free expression, and digital equity, she brings a deep commitment to storytelling and movement-building.

Previously, she served as Director of Communications and Advocacy at IFEX, a global nonprofit network of over 100 organizations defending the right to free expression. She is also a Board Trustee for Media Defense, a UK-based nonprofit that provides legal support to journalists and independent media worldwide.

Her experience includes consulting and translation work for NGOs such as Mozilla’s Foundation Internet Health Report, Witness, and Engine Room, as well as serving as the Latin America and Spain Editor for Global Voices. A published author of over 200 articles on human rights, freedom of expression, digital activism, gender, and social movements, she was also a 2019 Cannes Lions winner in the Human Rights category of the Act Responsible competition.

Elizabeth holds a Master of Arts degree with distinction in Global Media and Post-National Communications from SOAS, University of London, and a magna cum laude bachelor's degree in international business from the Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey.

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Jo Ann Cain

Chief Financial and Administration Officer

Jo Ann Cain

Jo Ann is a strategic finance executive specializing in financial transformation and operational turnarounds across nonprofit, higher education, technology, and professional services organizations. She brings extensive experience modernizing financial operations, strengthening reporting and compliance, and implementing systems that improve decision-making and support long-term organizational growth.

Jo Ann is known for stabilizing complex environments and building scalable financial frameworks that restore operational discipline and enable leadership teams to make informed strategic decisions. She has repeatedly helped organizations improve financial visibility, streamline processes, and align financial strategy with organizational priorities.

Prior to her current role, she held senior finance leadership positions across multiple industries where she led financial modernization initiatives, implemented enterprise systems, and partnered closely with executive leadership and boards to guide organizations through periods of change and transformation.

Through collaborative leadership and a solutions-oriented approach, she has built high-performing teams and strengthened financial infrastructures that support sustainable performance.

Jo Ann holds a Master of Business Administration degree from Brenau University, and a Bachelor of Science in Accountancy, graduating magna cum laude, from Arizona State University. She is an Arizona licensed Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and a Certified Fraud Examiner.

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Ashindi Maxton

Director of Mission Telecom Giving

Ashindi Maxton

Ashindi is the Director of Mission Telecom's Grants Program. As a serial social entrepreneur and strategist working at the intersection of racial justice, democracy reform, and philanthropy, she believes everyone benefits by moving power and resources to the communities that have least often had access to them. Ashindi has co-founded multiple innovative philanthropic organizations and campaigns that continue to serve and resource the field of racial and social justice. These include the Donorsof Color Network, New Media Ventures, the Youth Engagement Fund, the Reflective Democracy Campaign, the Emergent Fund, and the ClimateFunders Justice Campaign.

Ashindi was part of a team recognized by Inside Philanthropy as “Donor Organizers of the Year” and has been listed three times on Washington Magazine’s “Young and the Guest List” of geniuses, visionaries, crusaders, and innovators shaping Washington's future as well as the “NAACP Power 40” list of the most influential African-Americans under forty.

In an earlier life, Ashindi was a Fulbright Scholar in the Dominican Republic studying race consciousness in young children. She has also served as a proud fifth-grade teacher and the principal of an arts-based public school.

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