The Telecommunications Industry Association board is looking for a...

The Telecommunications Industry Association board is looking for a new top executive and has hired a major head-hunter firm to identify and vet candidates, industry officials told us Friday. One official from another trade association said the apparent goal is not to replace current TIA President Grant Seiffert, but to divide the job so the group would have both a president and a CEO. A wireless industry official said TIA appears to be searching for a high-profile executive, such as a former member of Congress or FCC commissioner. Seiffert has been at TIA since 1996, according to his official biography. He replaced Matt Flanigan, a former industry CEO, as president of TIA in January 2007. TIA’s annual conference was in Dallas Tuesday through Thursday. A spokeswoman had no comment.