APM BOARD OF MANAGERS  

Chairman:  Clifton Karnei, Brazos Electric Power Cooperative

Vice Chairman: A. Joseph Slater, Southern Maryland Electric Cooperative

Treasurer:  Thomas Smith, Oglethorpe Power Corporation

Secretary:  L. Earl Watkins, Sunflower Electric Power Corporation

APM Board Executive Committee

Clifton Karnei has been Executive Vice President and General Manager of Brazos Electric Power Cooperative, Inc. since September 1997.

Born in Floresville, Texas, Karnei graduated Summa Cum Laude in 1983 from the University of Texas at San Antonio with a Bachelor of Business Administration Degree in Accounting. Mr. Karnei is a Certified Public Accountant in the State of Texas.

From 1983 to 1986, Mr. Karnei worked for the accounting firm of Deloitte, Haskins & Sells. 

In 1986, Mr. Karnei began employment as the Chief Financial Officer for San Miguel Electric Cooperative in Jourdanton, Texas. From 1990 to 1997, Mr. Karnei served as the Chief Executive Officer of San Miguel Electric Cooperative.

Mr. Karnei is a Director on the ERCOT Board of Directors, a position he has held since 1997.  He is the Chairperson of the ERCOT Finance & Audit Committee.  Mr. Karnei is also a Director on the ACES Power Marketing Board of Directors, and on the San Miguel Electric Cooperative Board of Directors and a member of the San Miguel Negotiating Committee.  Back to top

A. Joseph Slater has been President and CEO of Southern Maryland Electric Cooperative (SMECO) since 2002.  Mr. Slater also worked for SMECO from 1979 to 1995, rising to the position of Senior Vice President where he reported directly to the President of SMECO and was responsible for all principal administrative, financial, accounting, information technology, purchasing, retail rate and regulatory functions, and customer service operations supporting the successful operation of this 105,000-member utility. Mr. Slater managed a professional, technical and clerical staff of 90.

From August of 1997 to January of 2000, Mr. Slater was CEO and General Manager of Tideland EMC, in Pantego, NC. In this position, he had overall management and leadership responsibility for a $47 million diversified electric utility serving 21,000 members in eastern/coastal North Carolina

Mr. Slater worked for the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA), in Arlington, VA, from November of 1995 to August of 1997, and January of 2000 to December of 2002, in various roles.

Mr. Slater has an MBA in Finance from George Washington University in Washington, DC, and a B.S. in Economics from Shepherd College in Shepherdstown, WV. He is a graduate of the Management Internship Program, NRECA/University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE, as well as Leadership Maryland, Maryland Chamber of Commerce, Annapolis, MD, 1994.

Mr. Slater’s community & business affiliations are numerous.  Some of them include: Beaufort County Community College Foundation, Board Member; Charles County Community College Alumni Association, Member; Civista Health, Inc., Board Member; Community Bank of Tri-County, Director; George Washington University Alumni Association, Member; Maryland Chamber of Commerce, Director; Port Tobacco River Conservancy, Inc., Board Member; Rotary Club of Belhaven-Pantego; Rotary Club of Charlotte Hall, Founding Member and Past President; Rotary Club Paul Harris Fellow; Shepherd College Alumni Association, Member; Southern Maryland Navy Alliance, Founding Member & past Treasurer.

Mr. Slater has also been a Director with the Consumer Federation of America, the National Cooperative Business Association and the Cooperative Development Foundation, Director.  Back to top

Thomas A. Smith is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Oglethorpe Power Corporation and has served in that capacity since 1999. He previously served as Oglethorpe’s Chief Financial Officer from 1997 to 1999, and held various financial management positions from 1979 to 1990. From 1990 to 1997, Mr. Smith was Senior Vice President of the Rural Utility Banking Group of CoBank. Mr. Smith is a CPA, has Master of Science degrees from the Georgia Institute of Technology and Purdue University, and a Bachelor of Arts Degree from Catawba College. 

Mr. Smith is on several boards, including: the Georgia Chamber of Commerce, ACES Power Marketing, and En-Touch Systems, Inc., and is also a member of the Advisory Board of Mid-South Telecommunications, Inc., and the North American Electric Reliability Council’s Stakeholders Committee. 

In 2003, Mr. Smith was a recipient of the Ellis Island Medal of Honor.   Back to top

L. Earl Watkins, Jr., President and Chief Executive Officer, Sunflower Electric Power Corporation
Earl has served as Sunflower’s President and CEO since June 2004. Previously, he served as Sunflower’s General Counsel for more than twenty-four years.

He is a 1973 graduate of the KU School of Law. After a four-year career with the Air Force Judge Advocate General Corps, he began his civilian career and was in private practice until 2001 when he became Sunflower’s Executive Vice President and General Counsel.

Mr. Watkins is keenly focused on continuing the development of Sunflower’s culture which is based on the core values of respect and dignity, trustworthiness, integrity, accountability, technical competence, and servant leadership. 

He believes the consistent application of these values enable Sunflower to always make sound decisions as the company continues to live its mission statement of providing reliable, long-term power supply and transmission services to its Member-Owners.  Back to top

APM Board Members

Donald W. Kimball has been Executive Vice President and Chief Executive Office of AEPCO since February 1988. When AEPCO restructured to meet the challenges of electric utility deregulation, Mr. Kimball was named Chief Executive Officer of Arizona’s G&T Cooperatives, which includes Arizona Electric Power Cooperative, Inc., Sierra Southwest Cooperative Services, Inc., and Southwest Transmission Cooperative, Inc. He holds a B.S. degree in electrical engineering from Colorado State University and has been employed in the rural electric industry for over 40 years.  Back to top

Prior to joining AEPCO, Mr. Kimball was General Manager of two distribution cooperatives, a Director and Officer of the Heartland Consumers Power District Board of Directors, and a Utility Consultant to a municipal electric utility in southeastern South Dakota. He previously worked for other rural electric cooperatives in Colorado and South Dakota.

George Davies, Board Treasurer, Arizona Electric Power Cooperative, Inc. (AEPCO)
Mr. George Davies was born in Youngstown, Ohio and currently resides in Tucson, Arizona. He graduated from the University of Arizona as a Sigma Alpha Epsilon.

Mr. Davies has been a member of Trico Electric Cooperative (Trico) in Marana, Arizona for 37 years and has served on the Board since 1975. He has been President of Trico since 1981. He has also served on the Board of Directors for Arizona Electric Cooperative, Inc. (AEPCO) since 1987 and is serving as Treasurer at the current time.

In the past, Mr. Davies has served as President of Grand Canyon State Electric Association (1981-83) and AEPCO (1999-2001). He was a Board Member of National Cooperative Service Corporation (1981-2000) and served as Secretary/Treasurer (1994-2000).

Hugh F. Lenox joined Brazos Electric in 1977 as a Planning Engineer. He has since served as Utility Planning Manager and Manager – Planning. He was promoted to the position of Vice President Planning & Marketing in 1998. In 2004, upon implementation of Brazos Electric’s Qualified Scheduling Entity in ERCOT, his responsibilities changed to include power supply operations and his title changed to Vice President Power Supply and Marketing. 

He earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Electrical Engineering from Louisiana Tech University in 1968. He spent three years in the U.S. Navy serving as a line officer in various capacities, including Communications Officer, Administrative Officer and Electrical Officer, aboard two ships. He attended graduate school at Louisiana Tech University for one year after leaving the Navy. He then went to work for Houston Lighting & Power Company (HL&P) in 1972 as an Associate Planning Engineer. While at HL&P, he completed his Master of Science degree in Electrical Engineering at Louisiana Tech in 1974.

Mr. Lenox is a Registered Professional Engineer in Texas and is the Brazos Electric representative on the Technical Advisory Committee of the Electric Reliability Council of Texas.  Back to top

William C. Denton, Big Rivers Electric Corporation
Mr. Denton is a retired manager from CitiFinancial and is currently self-employed as President of Mortgage Network North America. In addition to being the Board Chair for Big Rivers Electric Corporation, Mr. Denton is a Kenergy board member, ACES Power Marketing board member, Habitat for Humanity board member, Henderson County Public Library Foundation board member, and Henderson Lions Club board member.  Back to top

Mark Bailey, President and CEO, Big Rivers Electric Corporation
Mark Bailey joined the management team of Big Rivers Electric Corporation, a generation and transmission cooperative located in western Kentucky, in June of 2007.

Prior to joining Big Rivers Electric, Mr. Bailey had been President and CEO of Kenergy Corp., one of three member-owners of Big Rivers. Before that he had a 30-year career with American Electric Power (AEP), working in the areas of generation, transmission and distribution of electricity.

Mr. Bailey began his electric utility career in 1974 as an electrical engineer with AEP, a subsidiary of Ohio Power. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Electrical Engineering from Ohio Northern University and was a Sloan Fellow at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he earned a Master’s Degree in management.

Active in the community, Mr. Bailey is chair of the board for Henderson Habitat for Humanity and is a board member of Methodist Hospital, Henderson Regional Hospital Foundation, Foundation for Health in Owensboro, Henderson Chamber of Commerce, Leadership Kentucky, and the Kentucky Community and Technical College Foundation. Mark is also a member of the Henderson Rotary Club and the Order of the Kentucky Colonels.  Back to top

Anthony J. Ahern is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Buckeye Power, Inc. and the Ohio Rural Electric Cooperatives, Inc. He was named to these positions in August 2002. He joined Buckeye in 1993 as Vice-President of Engineering and Power Supply. Before joining Buckeye he had 17 years of service with the American Electric Power Service Corporation working in the power generation and environmental areas, and six years with Babcock & Wilcox primarily with sulfur dioxide scrubbers. He serves on the board of ACES Power Marketing, LLC.

Mr. Ahern graduated from Clarkson College of Technology with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Chemical Engineering, the University of Akron with a Master of Science Degree in Chemical Engineering, and from Massachusetts Institute of Technology Sloan School of Management, with a Master of Science in Management.  Back to top 

Steven K. Nelson has been employed by The Frontier Power Company, a member-owner of Buckeye Power, since 1985, serving as General Manager since October 1992. Prior to becoming General Manager, he was Manager of Accounting and Finance. He has also been General Manager of Frontier Propane since its inception in 1999 and General Manager of Frontier Supply since the formation of the company in 2002. He was a Loan Officer and Manager of Accounting at the Commercial & Savings Bank in Danville, Ohio from 1978 to 1985.

Steve graduated in 1974 from River View High School in Warsaw, Ohio and from The Ohio State University in 1977 with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Accounting. He is a Certified Public Accountant.

Steve has served as Chairman of Buckeye Power, Inc. since 1996, is a Cardinal Board and Operating Committee member, Chairman of the ACES Power Marketing Board of Managers, and a member of the Coshocton County Chamber of Commerce.  Back to top

Dennis Murdock, Executive Vice President & CEO, Central Iowa Power Cooperative
Mr. Murdock is currently the Executive Vice President & CEO at CIPCO, and has 40 years experience in the Electric Utility Industry at CIPCO, with responsibilities in Accounting, Finance, Contracts and Power Supply.

Dennis received his Bachelor of Science, Accounting and Math from Upper Iowa University.

Mr. Murdock is a member of several boards, including: Iowa Capital Investment Corporation (Chairman); Iowa Community Development, LC; Iowa Capital Corporation (Chairman); Iowa Area Development Group (Chairman); Hawkeye Insurance Association; Capital Management Associates (Chairman); Iowa Association of Business and Industry; Upper Iowa University (Treasurer).  Back to top

Allan Duffe, Eastern Iowa Light & Power Cooperative
Allan Duffe was elected to the Eastern Iowa Light & Power Cooperative board in July of 1990, and the CIPCO board in April of 1996.  Mr. Duffe joined the ACES Power Marketing board in late 2009.

During his time on the CIPCO board, Mr. Duffe has held several positions, including CIPCO Board President, CIPCO Board Vice President, CIPCO Board Secretary Treasurer, Ex Officio Committee member for all Board Committees, Executive Committee, member and Chair Audit/Finance Committee, member and Economic
Development Committee, Strategic Planning Committee, Budget/Rate Committee, member and Chair Investment Committee, member and Chair Policy Committee, Competitive Environment Committee, Power Supply Committee, CIECO Board of Director, and Iowa Capital Corporation Board of Director.

Mr. Duffe runs his family’s farm, and he and his family reside in Wilton, Iowa.   Back to top

Anthony S. (Tony) Campbell, President & CEO, East Kentucky Power Cooperative
Anthony S. Campbell is President and CEO of East Kentucky Power Cooperative (EKPC), a generation & transmission cooperative based in Winchester, KY.

Before joining EKPC in June 2009, Campbell served as CEO of Citizens Electric Corporation (CEC), a transmission and distribution company located in Southeast Missouri. Campbell began his career at CEC in August 2003. During his tenure, CEC’s load grew 46 percent. In addition, CEC’s power supply issues were a major challenge, and Campbell was instrumental in integrating Citizens Electric into Wabash Valley Power Association (WVPA). 

Campbell has served on multiple boards and committees including the following: Wabash Valley Power Association; Association of Missouri Electric Cooperatives (AMEC); ACES Power Marketing; Illinois Governor Ryan’s Environmental Committee; and the Illinois Coal Development Committee.

Campbell earned his Bachelor of Science Degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Southern Illinois at Carbondale and his Masters of Business Administration from the University of Illinois at Champaign.  Back to top

R. Wayne Stratton, CPA/ABV/CFE/CrFA, Chairman, East Kentucky Power Cooperative
R. Wayne Stratton is the owner of Jones, Nale & Mattingly, PLC in Louisville, Kentucky, a CPA firm that concentrates on financial institutions, health care organizations, natural resources, expert testimony, business valuations, individual taxation and corporate taxation.

Mr. Stratton graduated from the University of Cincinnati with a BBA in accounting.

Mr. Stratton has the designation of “Accredited in Business Valuation” by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants; he is a Certified Forensic Accountant by the American College of Forensic Examiners; and he is a Certified Fraud Examiner by the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners.  He has also been recognized as one of the top tax accountants in the United States by Money magazine.

Mr. Stratton’s professional and civic activities include: the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants; the Kentucky Society of Certified Public Accountants (Past President); the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (a member of the Council, the Business Valuation Credential Committee and the Uniform Accountancy Act Committee); the Kentucky Higher Education Assistance Authority (Past Chairman); and Republic Bancorp (Chair of the Audit Committee).  Back to top

Steve Louder, Golden Spread Electric Cooperative
Steve is President and General Manager of Deaf Smith Electric Cooperative, Inc., a member-owner of Golden Spread, and has been for sixteen years. Prior to this position, Steve was in Engineering and Member Services positions with Deaf Smith for 17 years.

Steve has a BS in Agricultural Engineering from Texas Tech University and is a Registered Professional Engineer in Texas.

Steve served on the CFC Board of Directors from 1997 to 2004, and served one year as the Chairman of that Board. Steve is currently a Director on the Golden Spread Board of Directors and is serving a multi-year term as its Secretary/Treasurer.  Back to top

Mark Schwirtz, President and General Manager, Golden Spread Electric Cooperative, Inc.
Mark is currently the President and General Manager of Golden Spread Electric Cooperative, Inc. (GSEC), and has more than 22 years of energy and utility experience. 

Prior to his appointment at GSEC in 2008, Mark was the CEO and General Manger of Trico Electric Cooperative, Inc. (Trico), a distribution electric cooperative serving over 37,000 members in and around Tucson, Arizona. 

Before taking the position with Trico in 2006, Mark was the Vice President and Chief Operations Officer for Arizona Electric Power (AEPCO), a 560 megawatt generation cooperative located in Cochise, Arizona. In that position, Mark was responsible for the operation and maintenance of AEPCO’s generating facilities and for securing an adequate fuel supply for those facilities. In addition, in Mark's 15 years with AEPCO, he also testified numerous times on fuel and other utility issues before Federal and State regulatory bodies as well as Congress.

Mark holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Meteorology from Texas A&M University.  Back to top

David Saggau, President and Chief Executive Officer, Great River Energy
David Saggau is President and CEO for Great River Energy (GRE). Saggau came to GRE with 10 years of legal experience in the electrical industry. He was an attorney for the FERC in Washington, D.C. and a senior regulatory attorney for New England Electric Systems (NEES) in Massachusetts. Saggau also was Cooperative Power Association’s attorney for three years, prior to the organization’s 1999 consolidation with United Power Association to form GRE.

Saggau received his undergraduate and law degrees from the University of North Dakota.

Saggau is president of the Lignite Energy Council and sits on the board of directors for the Minnesota Business Partners and The Bakken Museum.  Back to top

Jon Brekke, Vice President, Member Services, Great River Energy
Jon Brekke joined Great River Energy as Vice President of Member Services in July 2005 and develops initiatives to improve the organization’s member focus strategies and programs. He also provides leadership for Great River Energy’s resource planning, market services and environmental services groups.

Brekke previously was Vice President of Finance and Planning with Minnesota Valley Electric Cooperative, Jordan, Minn., where he negotiated power supply contracts and coordinated the organization’s strategic planning efforts. Brekke holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Agricultural Business Management from the University of Minnesota. He also served two terms (1998-2001) as Mayor of the city of Shakopee, Minn., and as a city council member from 1994-1995.

From 1989-1990, Brekke provided leadership as President of the Minnesota FFA Association. He currently serves on the Executive Committee and as Secretary of the Minnesota 4-H Foundation.  Back to top

Steve Smith has been the President and Chief Executive Officer of Hoosier Energy Rural Electric Cooperative, headquartered in Bloomington, Indiana, since January of 1994, after serving 18 years in senior management positions.

Steve participates in numerous industry-related organizations including recently serving on the EPRI Board of Directors and as past President of the National G&T Managers Association.

Steve earned both a Bachelor’s Degree and MBA Degree from Indiana University.  Back to top

Dale Walther, Hoosier Energy Rural Electric Cooperative
Dale Walther was named to the Hoosier Energy Board of Directors in April 1996. He holds the office of Secretary and previously served as Treasurer. Dale is currently the Chairman of the Operations Committee. He also represents Hoosier Energy on the ACES Power Marketing Board.

Dale has been a Whitewater Valley REMC Director for 17 years; he has served as the Secretary for 12 years, and has spent a number of years on the co-op’s Whitewater Products LLC Board.

Originally from western Ohio, Dale moved to Indiana as a teenager and today operates a beef cattle and grain farm in Centerville. He has been a member of several boards and committees for banks, agri-business groups, schools, civic organizations, and local government. In addition to being an active 4-H leader, he currently serves on the Wayne County Beef Committee.  Back to top

Dale Lambert, North Carolina Electric Membership Corporation
Dale Lambert began his career in the electric utility industry in 1984 when he was hired as an Apprentice Lineman IA with Randolph Electric Membership Corporation.  He progressed through the apprenticeship program and worked as a Journeyman Lineman until 1993 when he was promoted to district manager of the Robbins District.  Dale served as the district manager until 2000 when he was promoted to his current position of Executive Vice President & General Manager.

Mr. Lambert’s serves on several boards, including North Carolina Electric Membership Corporation (NCEMC), North Carolina Association of Electric Cooperatives (NCAEC), Tarheel Electric Membership Corporation (TEMA), GreenCo Solutions, TSE Services (Past President), Rural Electric Action Committee (Past Chairman), and is the Current Chairman of the NCEMC Power Supply Committee.

Mr. Lambert is also involved with several community organizations, including the Asheboro Rotary Club, Randolph County Economic Development Corporation, NC Jaycee’s Burn Center Advisory Committee, Beulah Baptist Church, and is a Past board member and executive committee member of the Asheboro/Randolph Chamber of Commerce.

Mr. Lambert has been married to Regena N. Lambert for 25 years, and they have two daughters (Amanda & Michelle) and one son (Jason).   Back to top

Richard K. Thomas, Chief Executive Office, North Carolina Electric Membership Corporation
Rick Thomas serves as Chief Executive Officer of the statewide organizations serving North Carolina’s electric cooperatives. These organizations include North Carolina Electric Membership Corporation, a generation and transmission cooperative; North Carolina Association of Electric Cooperatives, a trade association; and The Tarheel Electric Membership Association, a central purchasing and materials supply cooperative.

Mr. Thomas has served the North Carolina electric cooperatives for over ten years in various capacities, including finance, power supply, information technologies and strategic planning. Prior to moving to North Carolina, Thomas held several positions with cooperatives in Texas, including Executive Vice President and General Manager of Northeast Texas Electric Cooperative.

He is a native of Nacogdoches, Texas. He is a Certified Public Accountant, and holds Bachelor and Master’s Degrees from Stephen F. Austin State University.  Back to top

Jack Reasor, President and CEO of Old Dominion Electric Cooperative and the Virginia, Maryland, and Delaware Association of Electric Cooperatives, was born in Danville, VA. He received his B.A. from Lincoln Memorial University in Harrogate, TN in 1975, and then graduated from the T.C. Williams School of Law at the University of Richmond, VA.

He formerly served as a Vice President of First Virginia Bank in Bluefield and President of Premier Trust Company in Bluefield. Prior to that he was a partner in the law firm of Galumbeck, Simmons and Reasor in Tazewell, VA.
 
From 1992-98 he was a Virginia state senator from Southwest Virginia, representing the 38th Senate District. He was chairman of three legislative subcommittees—Juvenile Justice and Family Law, the Unemployment Compensation Act, and Electric Utility Restructuring. He also was chairman of the Coal and Energy Commission.

Jack currently serves as a board member for several organizations, including: The Virginia Public Broadcasting Board; the Virginia Center for Coal and Energy Research; the Henrico County Education Foundation; the Virginia College Fund; the Center for Rural Virginia; the Virginia Economic Bridge; and is a past Chairman of the Virginia Chamber of Commerce.  Back to top

James M. “Jim” Reynolds, Old Dominion Electric Cooperative
Jim Reynolds was raised in rural eastern North Carolina and is a graduate of North Carolina State University.

His professional experience includes working as an Assistant Engineer, Planning and District Industrial Engineer with Virginia Electric and Power Company. Mr. Reynolds has also served for several years as Director of Electric Utilities for the City of Lumberton. He was the General Manager of Community Electric Cooperative from 1977 to 2001, and has been the President from 2001 to present.

Mr. Reynolds' other professional experiences and qualifications include: Registered Professional Engineer (North Carolina-1975, Virginia-1977); Board Member, North Carolina Association of Municipal Electric Systems (1974-77); Board Member, Old Dominion Electric Cooperative (ODEC) (1977-Present); Chairman, Transmission Committee, ODEC (1981-1992); Secretary/Treasurer, ODEC (1981-92);Chairman, ODEC (1992-95);Vice Chairman, ODEC (2004-07); Chairman, Finance Committee, ODEC (2004-07); Board Member, Virginia, Maryland & Delaware Association of Electric Cooperatives (VMDAEC) (2001-Present); Chairman, VMDAEC Manager’s Advisory Committee (1982-92); Board Member, National Rural Utilities Cooperative Finance Corporation (CFC) (1984-90); Chairman, CFC Loan Committee (1989-90); and Board Member, United Utility Supply (1981-84).  Back to top

Michael W. Price, Chief Operating Officer, Oglethorpe Power Corporation
Michael W. Price was named Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Oglethorpe Power Corporation in February 2000. He previously served as COO of Georgia System Operations Corporation (GSOC), one of three companies formed in the restructuring of Oglethorpe Power in March 1997.

Before assuming the COO position, Mr. Price was Vice President, System Planning and Construction, for Georgia Transmission Corporation (GTC), another of the companies formed in the 1997 restructuring.

He serves on the Board of Directors of Southeastern Federal Power Customers, Inc., the Board of Managers of ACES Power Marketing, the Research Advisory Committee (RAC) of the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), and the Advisory Board of Garrard Construction.

An Alabama native, Mr. Price holds a Bachelor's Degree in Electrical Engineering from Auburn University and has completed postgraduate work in marketing, accounting and finance at Georgia State University.  Back to top

W. Scott Ramsey has been the President and General Manager at SIPC since September of 2007.  He was born in Richmond, Virginia in 1962, but grew up in Sturgis, Kentucky. He graduated from Union County High School, and earned a 2-year certificate in Industrial Electricity from Union County Vocational School in 1980. He worked as a cable TV technician in 1980 and later in 1981 worked as an electronic technician, repairing mining equipment for local coal mines. Scott enrolled at Western Kentucky University in the fall of 1982. He earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Electrical Engineering Technology in 1987 which also included a working co-op student experience at Bowling Green Municipal Utilities in Bowling Green, Kentucky. 

Mr. Ramsey and his wife moved to Richmond, Indiana in 1987 after he accepted a position as Electrical Engineer for Richmond Power & Light (RP&L).  Scott held various positions in engineering, planning, and marketing. He designed large industrial distribution-feeders, substations, and transmission structures for the city during the late 80s and early 90s. He took the lead in designing the first all-dielectric fiber-optic system in the United States. The new fiber-optic system was RP&L’s major communication network for relaying, SCADA, and security. Scott was also responsible for the utility’s industrial park and marketing leadership in the mid 1990s.

In 1997 Mr. Ramsey was presented with an opportunity to gain generation experience by accepting a position as Resident Manager at Oglethorpe Power Corporation’s (OPC) Plant Scherer in Juliette, Georgia. Plant Scherer is the largest coal-fired power plant in the United States, co-owned by several utilities in the southeastern region.  Back to top

Larry Lovell, Southern Illinois Power Cooperative
Larry Lovell, Executive Vice President and General Manager, Southern Illinois Electric Cooperative, earned his Bachelor of Science Degree with a major in mathematics and a minor in business administration from Southeast Missouri State University in Cape Girardeau, Missouri. He also studied electrical engineering at the University of Illinois in Urbana, Illinois from 1965 to 1968.

Mr. Lovell was awarded the 2001 Cooperative Management Award by the Illinois Cooperative Council.

Prior positions he has held with Southern Illinois Electric Cooperative include Office Manager, Director of Member Services, Merchandising Manager and Assistant Engineer.

He has been on the Board of Directors of Southern Illinois Power Cooperative from 1990 to Present, as well as the board of County Hospital (Anna, IL) from 1993 to present; United Utility Supply Cooperative, Inc. (Louisville, KY) from 1991 to present; and ICWCG/Rochdale Services, Inc. (Springfield, IL) from 1993 to present, where he is currently serving as Board President. Mr. Lovell is also on the board of ACES Power Marketing in Indianapolis, IN.

Mr. Lovell was instrumental in the formation of several organizations, including: SouthWater, Inc.(a regional not-for-profit water system in Dongola, IL); Southern Services, LLC (an organization formed in Marion, IL to add value to cooperative membership); SoCom, LLC (a joint venture of Southern Services and One Telephone Cooperative in Steeleville, IL); Illinois Cooperatives Workman’s Compensation Group (ICWCG)/RSI in Springfield, IL; and the IBEW Local 702 – Apprentice Lineman Training Program, in West Frankfort, IL.  Back to top

Joseph V. Stone, Jr., Southern Maryland Electric Cooperative
Joe Stone, representing St. Mary’s County on SMECO’s Board of Directors, is owner of the Joe Stone Insurance Agency. 

Stone has served on the SMECO Board since 1996. He is currently vice chairman of the Board and serves as chairman of the Board’s Risk Oversight Committee and is a member of the Personnel and Benefits Committee. Stone is also past chairman of the Bay Country Cooperative Committee. He received his director’s certification from the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association in 1999.

Active in the community, Stone currently serves as a board member of Cedar Lane Home for the Elderly, and is a past board member of both Asbury-Solomons and Friends of Jefferson Patterson Park. Stone is also a member of St. Johns Catholic Church and the 7th District Optimist Club.

Stone is a past recipient of the Community Service Award from Nationwide Insurance and a lifelong resident of St. Mary’s County.  Back to top

Mr. Ray has been married thirty-five years to Glenda J. Ray, and they have three adult children and three grandchildren.   Back to top

Gary Ray Roulet is a longtime employee of Western Farmers Electric Cooperative, a Generation and Transmission Cooperative made up of twenty members, primarily located in Oklahoma, but also serving parts of Kansas, and Texas. He was promoted to Chief Executive Officer on July 30, 2003. Mr. Roulet has 31 years of executive, managerial, supervisory, and technical experience with WFEC, most recently serving as General Manager of Corporate Strategies.  He began his career with WFEC in 1974.

Mr. Roulet currently serves on the Southwest Power Pool Board of Directors, the ACES Power Marketing Board of Managers, the Southwestern Power Resources Board, and the Board of the Oklahoma Association of Electric Cooperatives. In the past, he has served on numerous boards and committees, both industry-related and with the Anadarko community. Mr. Roulet holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Accounting, with a minor in Computer Science, from Southwestern Oklahoma State University. He also served in the U. S. Army.  Back to top

Rick Coons, President and CEO, Wabash Valley Power Association
Rick joined Wabash Valley Power Association in February of 1979 as Senior Accountant. He has served the company as Vice President of Power Supply and Chief Operating Officer. He was named President and CEO of WVPA in August 2005.

Rick earned his BS in Accounting from Ball State University in 1976, received his CPA in 1978, and earned an MBA (with an emphasis in finance) from Indiana University in 1984.  Back to top

G. Tom Taylor is a grain farmer who also owns and manages West Central Indiana Contractors.  Taylor has served on the Boone REMC Board of Directors, a member of Wabash Valley Power Association, since 1994.  Taylor has earned Certified Cooperative Director credentials from the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association.

Taylor is a member of the Dover Christian Church and a volunteer for Habitat for Humanity.  He is also member of the Custom Harvesters Association.  Back to top