Qwest taps Gowen as new senior vice president

Diana Gowen has been appointed as Qwest Communications International Inc.'s new senior vice president, government services sales, the company said today. Gowen is expected to assume her new position in early June.

Gowen replaces James F.X. Payne, who left the Denver carrier to pursue other interests, the company said. Payne, who had served as senior vice president and general manager of Qwest Government Services Inc. since 1999, was reported to have left his position last week (see related story). He could not be immediately reached for comment.

Gowen, who currently is the president of government solutions at Broadwing Communications LLP of Austin, Texas, has more than 25 years of experience in the telecommunications industry. She previously held other senior executive positions at MCI Inc. and AT&T Corp., where she worked with both civilian and military government agencies in the U.S. and internationally.

In her new position overseeing the sales and marketing efforts of Qwest's solutions for the federal government sector, Gowen will report to Thomas Richards, executive vice president, business markets group.

"Qwest already has a strong position in the federal government space, and I'm anxious to begin working with Qwest's successful and experienced federal team to bring even more value to their customers," Gowen said in a prepared statement.

Gowen holds a bachelor of science degree and master's degree in business administration from the University of Maryland.