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On May 12, Viasat, Inc. announced the appointments of Dr. William “Bill” LaPlante and Michael Paull to its board of directors, effective immediately.
“We are delighted that Dr. LaPlante and Mr. Paull have agreed to join our Board,” said Mark Dankberg, chairman of the board and CEO at Viasat. “Dr. LaPlante brings a wealth of defense and national security experience, while Mr. Paull is a proven leader in the direct-to-consumer digital streaming industry. Dr. LaPlante’s skillset in the defense area is wide-ranging, from technology, to logistics, to global alliance-building, while Mr. Paull’s expertise is similarly diverse within the digital streaming space, where he has successfully led business operations and large-scale consumer-oriented entertainment businesses. These additions to the Board reflect the Board’s commitment to ensuring we provide the right skills, expertise, and diversity of perspectives to support Viasat’s business strategy and future growth.”
LaPlante is the former Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment, where he was responsible to the Secretary of Defense for all matters pertaining to acquisition, contract administration, logistics and materiel readiness, installations and environment, and the defense industrial base, among other things. At the Department of Defense (DoD), Dr. LaPlante played a critical role in providing security assistance to allies and partners around the world, with a particular focus on Ukraine. Prior to this DoD appointment, Dr. LaPlante served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Draper Laboratory, a research and development company specializing in advanced technology solutions in national security, space exploration, health care, and energy.
Paull has more than 20 years of consumer product development, technology, content distribution and acquisition, and media industry experience. He is currently the CEO of RBmedia, the largest publisher of audiobooks in the world, and was previously President of Direct to Consumer for Disney Entertainment, where he oversaw Disney+, Hulu, ESPN+, and Star+ globally. Paull played a key role in the Company’s pivot into the direct-to-consumer space, launching ESPN+ in 2018, followed by the launch and rapid global expansion of Disney+ in 2019, and the launch of Star+ in Latin America in August 2021. Prior to Disney, Paull held senior leadership positions with Amazon (Prime Video), Sony Pictures Entertainment, FOX Entertainment Group, and Time Warner.
Additionally, on May 9, 2025, James “Jim” Bridenstine notified the board that he resigned from the Board, effective immediately. The former NASA administrator and U.S. Congressman from Oklahoma’s tenure on the Viasat Board was impactful, having served as a member of the board’s Nomination, Evaluation and Corporate Governance Committee and Chair of Viasat’s Banking and Finance Committee. “We are grateful to Jim for his significant contributions to Viasat,” said Dankberg. “His deep relationships within Washington, D.C. and the space industry and experience he brings as an independent consultant providing critical government affairs, business development, and strategic advisory services to space and defense companies will benefit many in this dynamic environment and we look forward to engaging these services through his firm, The Artemis Group, going forward.”
Source: Viasat
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