Meet Team SouthLight: The Founders Revolutionizing Telecom
Meet Tina Telson, The Culinary CEO
For Tina Telson, leadership is about nourishing both people and possibilities. Before becoming SouthLight’s CEO, she built her first business as a bakery owner, where she discovered that nothing brings more pleasure than seeing someone enjoy something you’ve created – whether it’s a perfect cheesecake or an innovative business solution.
During her impressive 28-year telecommunications career, including her role as Vice President of Voice and Unified Communications at Lumen Technologies, Tina led a 100-person sales team to achieve $115M in total contract value, while increasing revenue production per representative by 95% and cutting service delivery timeframes in half. As Director of Client Service and Transformation, she pioneered innovative customer service frameworks and led multi-carrier solutions that expanded market reach by 500%, generating over $1.2B in new revenue.
It’s Tina’s philosophy of nurturing growth that truly defines her leadership style. From her early days as a bakery owner (where she perfected the mac and cheese that would later become Trent Reznor’s special request) to her current role guiding SouthLight through the critical POTS-to-SIP transition, Tina believes in creating environments where people can thrive.
Meet Tera Sumner, The Renaissance COO
Before she was orchestrating global UCC initiatives and winning Cisco’s Webex One Managed Services Partner of the Year award, Tera Sumner was chasing down escaped felons on Denver’s 16th Street Mall and working as an EMT to pay for college. This unconventional path has given SouthLight’s Chief Operating Officer a unique perspective on problem-solving and crisis management that proves invaluable in telecommunications transformation.
At Lumen Technologies, Tera spearheaded international expansion across four continents, implementing sophisticated data privacy frameworks and managing strategic partnerships with industry giants including Amazon, Verizon, Zoom, Cisco and Microsoft Teams. Her leadership at Level 3 Communications/CenturyLink demonstrated exceptional business acumen in managing a $2.4B Voice Portfolio and $200M Collaboration Program, where her innovative approach to systems integration generated $8M in annual savings.
A Brush Beetdigger from Northeastern Colorado who holds degrees in Communications and Criminal Justice, Tera is currently pursuing a Master’s in Tech Sciences at Brown University. She also holds a patent for VoIP emergency information systems and brings deep expertise across critical enterprise platforms. When not revolutionizing telecommunications infrastructure, Tera champions causes ranging from music education to wildlife conservation. Her background as both a certified drug and alcohol counselor and correctional officer (who once spent a weekend undercover in the Colorado Women’s penitentiary for a class paper) informs her belief that “different is not bad or good, it’s simply different. Think how boring life would be if we were all the same.”
Meet Ash Somo, The Adventurous CFO
As SouthLight’s Chief Financial Officer, Ash Somo brings both fiscal expertise and an adventurous spirit to the company’s financial strategy. With 32 years in accounting spanning from publicly traded companies to family-owned businesses, his career highlights include overseeing bond-issued funds at EchoStar, serving as controller of subsidiaries at OnCommand (a Liberty Media company), and roles as Controller & CFO at Network Affiliates.
While his Finance degree from Metropolitan State University of Denver and experience in enterprise resource planning systems provide the technical foundation for SouthLight’s financial infrastructure, it’s Ash’s philosophy of balanced growth and sustainable development that truly shapes the company’s approach. His commitment to environmental stewardship and belief in teaching rather than simply giving reflects in both his personal pursuits and professional strategies.
When not managing complex financial operations, you might find Ash hiking Colorado trails, planning his next backpacking adventure, or waiting six hours for Franklin’s BBQ in Austin – a testament to both his patience and appreciation for quality. A self-described “rabbit hole explorer of music,” he seeks out undiscovered bands like Ivory Hours and Nothing But Thieves, bringing the same curiosity and attention to detail to his musical discoveries as he does to financial analysis.
His calming influence and values-driven approach to financial management – “be a good person, stay true to your word, sow love to those I come in contact with” – have helped establish the solid financial foundation necessary for SouthLight’s ambitious growth plans. What drew him to SouthLight? “Tina’s creative vision,” he says. “Watching her during her Lumen days gave me the confidence to be by her side when she decided to start SouthLight.”
