Thomas Stanton was named ADTRAN's Chief Executive Officer in September 2005 and Chairman of the Board in 2007. Since 2023 he has also served as CEO and a management board member of Adtran Networks SE, the company's majority-owned subsidiary formerly known as ADVA Optical Networking SE.
He joined ADTRAN in 1995 as Vice President of Marketing for the Carrier Networks division and held a number of senior management positions, including Senior Vice President and General Manager of that division. He was selected as a director because he is ADTRAN's CEO and has extensive knowledge of all facets of the company and its industry.