New member chosen for MTA board

PALMER — The Matanuska Telephone Association Board of Directors is back up to full strength after appointing a fifth member. George Trabits was picked to take over for Kim Robinson, who resigned because she planned to be out of state for prolonged periods of time.

“The MTA board said it was most impressed by Trabits’ interest in the preservation of the cooperative’s caring culture to maintain an exceptional level of customer experience and support for the community. As an MTA member, Trabits noted in his application how much he appreciates MTA’s product quality and its courteous, expert customer service,” according to a press release from the phone company.

Trabits is a Wasilla businessman who ran for the MTA board in 2009. According to the website of a company he is president of, the Trabits Group, he has spent most of his career working in the mining industry. Trabits group specializes in mineral extraction projects and the technology used to accomplish them.

“His technically- and scientifically-oriented knowledge will support an understanding of state-of-the-art and evolving communications,” according to the MTA press release.

The rest of the board includes its chief governance officer Earl Lackey, its secretary Catherine Fosselman and directors Al Strawn and Larry Wiget.