NC Co-ops Advance Their Brighter Future Journey

During a panel discussion, Puckett spoke with leaders from Carteret-Craven Electric Cooperative, Randolph EMC and South River EMC.

In April, nearly 400 electric co-op leaders from across the state are meeting in Raleigh for the 2022 Statewide Annual Meeting.

Joe Brannan, executive vice president and CEO for North Carolina’ Electric Cooperatives, opened the meeting by addressing the importance of collaboration among the state’s electric co-ops.

“Collaboration is something that is part of who we are. It goes way back to our predecessors and how they built our cooperatives from the ground up,” Brannan said. “And it’s how we’ll continue to advance our Brighter Future journey.”

Sessions included national co-op perspectives from Jeffrey Connor, COO of the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, and Nelle Hotchkiss, COO for North Carolina’s Electric Cooperatives; and remarks from Greg Puckett, executive vice president and general manager of Surry-Yadkin EMC and board president for the North Carolina Electric Membership Corporation.

“As cooperatives, our strength is in our mission of service and in our proficiency in working together,” Puckett said. “Through cooperation — with each other and with our members — we are staying on the leading edge of innovation.”

Who’s Who at the Annual Meeting

STATEWIDE LEADERS

The following were elected to 2022–2023 board leadership positions:

NCEMC (power supply):

President Greg Puckett, Surry-Yadkin EMC
Vice President Susan Flythe, Cape Hatteras EC
Secretary-Treasurer Greg Andress, Union Power Cooperative

NCAEC (co-op services):

President Tom Batchelor, Haywood EMC
Vice President Richard Midgett, Cape Hatteras EC
Secretary-Treasurer Dirk Burleson, Rutherford EMC

TEMA (material supply):

Incoming directors:
District I: Greg Andress, Union Power Cooperative
District II: Columbus Jeffers, Roanoke Electric
District III: Larry Fowler, Brunswick EMC

Greg Puckett

Tom Batchelor

YOUTH LEADERSHIP SCHOLARSHIPS

The North Carolina Association of Electric Cooperatives awards three scholarships each year to Youth Tour participants from the past year:

Betsy Kornegay (Brunswick EMC) received the Katie Bunch Memorial Scholarship
Catherine Lee (Jones-Onslow EMC) received the Gwyn B. Price Memorial Scholarship
and Sydney Loflin (EnergyUnited) received the Youth Leadership Council Scholarship.

Sydney Loflin