Tax services provider H&R Block has appointed Tom Gerke as senior vice president and general counsel. In this role he will oversee H&R Block's legal strategy and activities.

Gerke comes to H&R Block having most recently served as general counsel at trucking company YRC Worldwide. However, he is best known for his leadership positions in the telecommunications industry.

Gerke rose through the ranks in telecommunications to become CEO of Sprint spin-off Embarq, a landline telephone company, in 2007. While CEO of Embarq, he led the company through its merger with CenturyTel. Gerke then served as executive vice chairman of CenturyLink, the combined company. Prior to the CEO appointment, Gerke was Embarq's executive vice president and general counsel.

Prior to Embarq, Gerke spent more than a decade serving in various legal and business leadership positions within Sprint, including his service as executive vice president and general counsel. While general counsel, Gerke oversaw the legal and regulatory aspects of the Sprint Nextel merger. In addition, Gerke spent nine years in private practice with a full service law firm focused primarily on strategic corporate matters.