Industry veteran brings three decades of operations and engineering leadership to regional fiber provider
Overland Park, KS, May 8, 2026. Kansas Fiber Network (KFN), a regional fiber infrastructure provider serving Kansas, Missouri, and the surrounding Midwest, names Danny Pate as its new President and CEO.
Pate brings more than 30 years of experience in telecommunications, spanning network and field operations, construction, program management, digital transformation, and sales. Most recently, he served as Chief Operating Officer at Fatbeam Fiber, where he led daily operations, scaled performance-driven operating models, and drove process and cost efficiencies to fuel revenue growth.
“We are pleased to bring Danny on board,” said Mark Gailey, Chairman of KFN’s Board of Directors. “The Board ran a diligent search to identify a leader who can accelerate KFN’s strategic direction. Danny’s track record positions KFN to move confidently into our next phase of growth.”
Earlier in his career, Pate served as Chief Operating Officer at Fastwyre Broadband and as Executive Vice President of Operations at Summit Broadband. He began his career in telecommunications with the local division of Sprint, Qwest Communications, and CenturyLink, holding network leadership roles that culminated in Vice President positions in Engineering and Operations across multiple CenturyLink markets over 22 years.
“I’m honored to join KFN at such an exciting time in our industry,” said Pate. “KFN has a solid foundation of diverse and redundant fiber assets, customer-centric solutions, and a talented team. I could not be more excited to lead KFN into our next chapter.”
Pate supports Boys & Girls Clubs of America, the American Heart Association, and initiatives supporting teachers and first responders. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Management Information Systems from Longwood University.
About Kansas Fiber Network
Kansas Fiber Network (KFN) is a regional fiber infrastructure provider headquartered in Wichita and Overland Park, Kansas. Since 2009, KFN has built a 6,000+ mile, 100G network, 400G-ready, serving carrier, wholesale, enterprise, banking, healthcare, government, and education customers across Kansas, Missouri, and the surrounding Midwest. KFN delivers Ethernet, Wavelength, Dark Fiber, Mobile Backhaul, Data Center Connectivity, Cloud Connectivity, and Custom Fiber Builds, backed by local engineering and 24/7 support. Learn more at KFN.net.
