Joseph E. Fergus to Deliver Keynote Address at NSU Fall Commencement on Dec. 11


Norfolk, Va.—NSU alumnus Joseph E. Fergus, president, and chief executive officer of Communication Technologies, Inc. (COMTek), a leading-edge telecommunications and information technology company headquartered in Chantilly, Va., will deliver the keynote address at Norfolk State University’s commencement ceremony, scheduled for 10 a.m., Saturday, Dec. 11 at Joseph G. Echols Memorial Hall. The procession will begin at 9:30 a.m. More than 300 students will be participating in the commencement exercises.

In 1990, Fergus founded and established the strategic direction of COMTek while presiding over its daily operation. He also spearheaded its continued growth by tripling the company’s revenues in 2003 and doubling the number of employees. Listed as one of the Top 100 Black-owned businesses in the United States, COMTek ranks in the top one percent of all minority owned businesses nationwide.

He has led COMTek to distinction by establishing industry leadership in many respects. COMTek is the first company in the nation to commercially deploy Broadband Over Powerlines, and is considered the nation’s authority on the operation of these networks. The recipient of the prestigious Department of Defense Nunn-Perry Award for Excellence, COMTek is also one of the few facility-based Global Broadband Service Providers offering secure broadband services worldwide.

Fergus has a wealth of technical expertise and management due to his impressive nine-year tenure at AT&T Laboratories. At Bell Lab, he was recognized as a telecommunications leader who led research and development efforts in leading-edge technologies such as Signaling System No. 7, Integrated Services Digital Network, Intelligent Networks, and Open Systems Interconnection. These technologies have emerged as industry standards and are being used universally in today’s marketplace.

Continuing his tradition of excellence and service in the telecommunications industry, Fergus served as a chairperson on key industry committees that are responsible for setting the technical direction of industry standards. As an inventor and patent holder in the area of computer security, Fergus is a published author on the subject of Signaling System 7 and telecommunications.

A native of St. Croix, Virgin Islands, Fergus received a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Norfolk State University in 1982 and a master’s degree in electrical engineering from the University of Illinois in 1984. He is also a U.S. Navy Vietnam era veteran.

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