Mr. Knowling brings over 30 years of experience in the telecommunications and technology sectors, leading companies through periods of high growth and organizational turnaround.

Knowling is Chairman of Eagles Landing Partners. ELP specializes in helping senior management formulate strategy, lead organizational transformations, and re-engineering businesses. Knowling also serves as an advisor-coach to chief executive officers.

Mr. Knowling served as Chief Executive Officer of Telwares, a JP Morgan Chase/One Equity Partners Private Equity owned company from 2005-2009. Telwares is a leading provider of telecommunications expense management solutions.

Prior to joining Telwares, from 2001 to 2005, Knowling was Chief Executive Officer of the New York City Leadership Academy, an independent non-profit corporation created by Chancellor Joel I. Klein and Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg that is chartered with developing the next generation of principals in the New York City public school system.

From 2001 to 2003, Mr. Knowling was Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of SimDesk Technologies, Inc. During his time at SimDesk, he defined the Company’s go-to-market strategy, developed numerous strategic partnerships, and managed the successful launch of the Company’s software.

Prior to this, Knowling was Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Covad Communications; a Warburg Pincus Private Equity backed start-up company located in Silicon Valley. Knowling led the company through its rapid growth and Initial Public Offering to become the largest and most recognizable brand in the high-speed Internet access industry.

Knowling began his career in 1977 at Indiana Bell and progressed rapidly through a variety of assignments in operations, engineering and marketing. When Indiana Bell became a part of Ameritech, Knowling assumed positions of increasing responsibility in marketing, product development, large business marketing and network operations. He was assigned to Ameritech’s re-engineering breakthrough development team in 1992. As the lead architect of the Ameritech transformation, Knowling reported directly to the Chairman. He was named Vice President of Network Operations for Ameritech in 1994.

Knowling then joined U S WEST in March 1996 as Vice President of Network Operations. In 1997 he was named Executive Vice President of Operations and Technologies responsible for a 30,000-member team in charge of planning, delivering and maintaining high-quality telecommunications services for more than 25 million customers in 14 states.

In 2011, Knowling published his autobiography, YOU CAN GET THERE FROM HERE: My Journey From Struggle to Success.

Knowling was awarded the Wall Street Project’s Reginald Lewis Trailblazers Award by President Bill Clinton and the Reverend Jesse Jackson in 1999. In presenting the award to Knowling, President Clinton commended Knowling’s efforts in developing a national agenda for the spirit and mission of inclusion, opportunity, expansion, advocacy and success in the workplace for women and people of color in the high-tech industry.

Knowling serves on the K12 (Herndon, Virginia), Rite Aid Corporation (Philadelphia, PA), Citrix Systems, Inc. (Ft. Lauderdale, FL), and Stream (Philadelphia, PA) boards of directors. Knowling formerly served on the boards of directors of Roper Technologies (Sarasota, Florida), Convergys Corporation (purchased by SYNNEX/Concentrix in 2018); Heidrick & Struggles International, Inc.; Ariba (purchased by SAP in 2013); Hewlett-Packard; and Shell Oil Exploration.

Knowling has been a YMCA volunteer for more than 20 years and he has served in numerous leadership capacities helping YMCA’s around the country. He maintains an active nationwide corporate and public speaking schedule.

Knowling received a Bachelor of Arts degree in theology from Wabash College and a Masters of Business Administration from Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University.