The Next Generation of Edge’s Network (EdgeNet)
Advancing Network Leadership and Innovation
NEWARK, N.J., October 29, 2026 – Edge announced the next generation of its network, EdgeNet, along with a leadership transition to guide it. Built on decades of engineering and partnership, EdgeNet’s national research and education network is advancing to meet growing demands in education, research and artificial intelligence through resilient connectivity, modernized architecture, and deep technical expertise.
Effective January 1, 2027, Adam Bathiard will assume the role of Assistant Vice President and Principal Network Architect. Bathiard joined Edge in 2007 and has helped shape the network’s architecture and operations ever since. He succeeds Jim Stankiewicz, Associate Vice President and Principal Network Architect, who retires in January.
“In my nearly two decades at Edge, I have watched our network grow and our members’ technology needs change. The foundation Jim and the Edge team built positions us to take the next step, strengthening scalability and performance while keeping the reliability our members count on. I am excited to help shape that future and to keep serving the institutions that have trusted Edge for so many years,” said Bathiard.
Under Bathiard’s leadership, EdgeNet will focus on resilience, engineering excellence and disciplined modernization. Priorities include deepening shared expertise across the engineering team, refining operational practices and developing an architectural roadmap aligned with member needs.
Notes Christopher R. Markham, President and Chief Executive Officer, Edge, “Having worked alongside and learned from Jim Stankiewicz since 2007, Adam brings nearly two decades of institutional knowledge, technical expertise, and leadership to this role. I have tremendous confidence in his ability to build upon Jim’s legacy and lead EdgeNet into its next chapter of innovation and service excellence.”
“In my nearly two decades at Edge, I have watched our network grow and our members’ technology needs change. The foundation Jim and the Edge team built positions us to take the next step, strengthening scalability and performance while keeping the reliability our members count on. I am excited to help shape that future and to keep serving the institutions that have trusted Edge for so many years.”
– Adam Bathiard
“Having worked alongside and learned from Jim Stankiewicz since 2007, Adam brings nearly two decades of institutional knowledge, technical expertise, and leadership to this role. I have tremendous confidence in his ability to build upon Jim’s legacy and lead EdgeNet into its next chapter of innovation and service excellence.”
– Christopher R. Markham
President and Chief Executive Officer, Edge
“In my nearly two decades at Edge, I have watched our network grow and our members’ technology needs change. The foundation Jim and the Edge team built positions us to take the next step, strengthening scalability and performance while keeping the reliability our members count on. I am excited to help shape that future and to keep serving the institutions that have trusted Edge for so many years,” said Bathiard.
Under Bathiard’s leadership, EdgeNet will focus on resilience, engineering excellence and disciplined modernization. Priorities include deepening shared expertise across the engineering team, refining operational practices and developing an architectural roadmap aligned with member needs.
Notes Christopher R. Markham, President and Chief Executive Officer, Edge, “Having worked alongside and learned from Jim Stankiewicz since 2007, Adam brings nearly two decades of institutional knowledge, technical expertise, and leadership to this role. I have tremendous confidence in his ability to build upon Jim’s legacy and lead EdgeNet into its next chapter of innovation and service excellence.”
Those needs extend well beyond bandwidth. AI-enabled teaching and administration, data-intensive research and advanced computing all rely on dependable connections among campuses, cloud services, research partners and computing resources. EdgeNet connects the higher education community within New Jersey, spanning all Carnegie classifications from community colleges to R1 research institutions. Additionally, the network supports numerous K-12 districts, municipalities, healthcare entities, and nonprofit organizations.
Future enhancements will build on EdgeNet’s existing capabilities and be guided by member demand, technical readiness and sustainable delivery, an approach that supports innovation while keeping Edge accountable to the institutions it serves.
EdgeNet reflects the combined contributions of its engineers, member institutions and the communities they serve. Experienced leadership and a clear purpose will carry that work forward: strengthening the connections that enable institutions to teach, discover, collaborate and innovate.
About Edge
Edge serves as a member-owned, nonprofit provider of high-performance optical fiber networking and internetworking, Internet2, and a vast array of best-in-class technology solutions for cybersecurity, educational technologies, cloud computing, and professional managed services. Edge provides these solutions to colleges and universities, K-12 school districts, government entities, hospital networks, and nonprofit business entities as part of a membership-based consortium spanning across the nation.