Apcela’s Leadership

With nearly 200 years of professional experience across industry-leading companies including Verizon, AT&T, Accenture, LightSquared, BroadSoft and Level 3, our leadership team’s practical experience is balanced by innovation and entrepreneurial drive.

The Mark Casey, CEO

Mark is Apcela’s Founder and CEO, and has spent a career building and operating mission-specific networks that deliver the highest levels of speed, performance, and security.

Mark has spent nearly three decades in global communications, telecommunications, and IT infrastructure, with leadership experience spanning AT&T, Verizon (Bell Atlantic and MCI), CSX Fiber Networks and successor CFN Services, and now Apcela. His work has focused on solving complex networking challenges where latency, availability, security, application performance, and business outcomes matter.

Under Mark’s leadership, Apcela has built on its enterprise networking heritage to serve customers with secure, high-performance network solutions for distributed applications, cloud-centric environments, and mission-critical needs. In 2025, Apcela acquired the SmartSky Air-to-Ground network, extending its mission-specific network platform into business aviation, commercial aviation, connected aircraft, and secure inflight network applications.

Mark’s perspective is shaped by a simple operating principle: networks should be built around the mission, the application, the user, and the business outcome — not generic connectivity. Today, that philosophy guides Apcela’s work across enterprise networks, aviation connectivity, connected aircraft, and secure government and sovereign data networking.

Mark holds a BBA from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and an MBA from American University.

Mike Weaver, Vice President of Operations

As VP of Operations, Mike directs Apcela’s operations supporting the growth of the company. Mike also oversees Acpela’s network planning, engineering and architecture, as well as the financial management of carrier relations, to ensure alignment with Apcela’s overall product growth and expansion strategy.

With more than 20 years of experience in business development, finance, strategy and program management in the communications and technology sectors, Mike has a proven record leading cross-functional programs ranging from launching new services and lines of business to leading large-scale network optimization and cost-reduction initiatives with both domestic and international scope.

Prior to Apcela, Mike served as Director of Strategic Programs at XO Communications where he led the company’s $150M transformation program, helped define and launch its Cloud IaaS solutions, and was responsible for end-of-life cycle planning and execution of the company’s legacy TDM services. Mike also held multiple leadership roles at MCI and played a significant role in helping the company emerge from bankruptcy and chart a new strategy for growth and eventual sale to Verizon.

Mike has a BS from Indiana University.

Kunal Thakkar, Vice President of Sales and Marketing

As VP of Sales and Marketing focused on Presales & Product Strategy, Kunal spearheads the alignment of Apcela’s innovative technologies with market needs. Drawing from 20 years of experience and his background in solutions engineering and network engineering, he bridges technical solutions with customer requirements.

At Apcela, Kunal has led the launch of the Arcus Platform, the Multicloud Order Portal and Router, and distributed security offerings. He excels in coordinating with technology and channel partners, managing relationships with existing customers, and steering the presales process to ensure that product strategies meet and exceed client expectations.

Prior to Apcela, he led the network engineering division at the Federal Communications Commission.

Kunal holds an MS in Computer Science from the State University of New York (SUNY) at Buffalo.

Erin Clabeaux, Vice President Finance & Controller

As the VP Finance & Controller, Erin oversees the financial operations of the organization and the development of financial strategies that support overall business goals. This role also involves managing budgets, forecasts, and audits while providing leadership to the finance team to drive efficiency and financial performance.

Erin is an accomplished financial leader with a robust background in accounting and financial advisory. Prior to Apcela, Erin served as an Associate Director at Calculate, LLC, partnering with dynamic start-ups to enhance financial operations.

Erin has also worked as Financial Advisory Manager at Deloitte & Touché, specializing in mergers and acquisitions. She conducted thorough financial assessments and guided clients through complex transactions. Her tenure at Deloitte also included four years in Audit and Assurance, where she managed global teams and oversaw audits for Fortune 200 companies, consistently delivering high-quality results and fostering team development.

Erin is a Certified Public Accountant since 2018 and holds an MBA and a bachelor’s in accounting from the University of Scranton.

Mike Dodson, CTO, Apcela ATG

Mike Dodson is an accomplished telecommunications executive with experience at Nextel, Sprint, and LightSquared, and most recently as the Chief Network Officer of SmartSky Networks, where he led the launch of the nation’s first airborne 4G LTE-based network. With extensive expertise in the design, deployment, and operation of large wireless networks, Mike excels in building high-performing teams and translating strategic goals into actionable plans. His skills encompass business development, program management, and risk management, making him a key player in driving innovation within the wireless industry. Known for his problem-solving abilities and technical leadership, Mike is dedicated to delivering exceptional results and advancing the future of aviation communications.