Telecom industry veteran Jake MacLeod passed away due to complications from the COVID-19 virus last Friday. MacLeod was a communications industry veteran with over 30 years of experience in network design, deployment and operations. He most recently founded Gray Beards Consulting in 2009, to provide consulting services to government and commercial entities regarding communications network design, deployment and operations.
“Many of us at WIA and among our members are deeply saddened over the passing of Jake MacLeod,” said association President and CEO Jonathan Adelstein. “Jake was big and strong of body, mind, spirit, and character. Losing a man so large leaves an unfillable void. He spearheaded WIA’s Innovation & Technology Council (ITC) when it launched in 2016.”
MacCleod spent 10 years at Bechtel as Principal Vice President, Chief Technology Officer and a Bechtel Fellow. He was responsible for the development of Bechtel’s Network Planning and Network Optimization engineering teams. He proposed the Iraq Rapid Reconstruction Plan for Communications Networks (wireline and Public Safety Wireless) and led the team of specialists in Baghdad to execute the plan.
“Under his leadership,” Adelstein said, “ITC produced major white papers that had a big impact not only for our diverse membership and industry, but also to policy makers and regulators in Washington, D.C., and in states and municipalities across the country. It’s testament to Jake’s stature and the respect with which he was held that he was able to convene and inspire subject matter experts to share their time and knowledge with the greater wireless community. We offer our deepest condolences to his family and will work with his many friends to find a way to honor his memory at the appropriate time when we best can.”
MacLeod was responsible for the design and development of Bechtel’s state of the art communications laboratories at Idaho National Laboratories and at Bechtel in Frederick, MD, which provided applied research and product development services including analysis and characterization of UMTS, HSDPA, Node B Hotels, WiMAX, and DAS. He conceived and hosted biannual technology debates which identified the pros and cons of the most advanced communications technologies. He also represented Bechtel on various industry boards (TIA, ATIS, Los Alamos National Lab, etc.) and at industry conferences by providing keynote and technical presentations at approximately 12 industry conferences per year.
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