FAQ

I have held both technical and leadership positions at DMEA throughout my career as an electrical engineer. Having that work experience of Delta and Montrose Counties will provide me the opportunity to once again serve the membership. I have been attending and participating in DMEA board meetings since 1983.

The cooperative is the best form of utility business governance in my opinion and I have been proud to have spent most of my adult life working for an electric cooperative like DMEA. People helping people. The investor owned utilities could not make money bringing electricity to the rural areas due to the economy of scale so it took farmers, ranchers, and people like you and me, rolling up their sleeves and forming cooperatives across the country to bring it to themselves.

There are seven unique and distinct cooperative principles that define DMEA's purpose and I wholeheartedly support them all:

1. Open and voluntary membership: open to everyone that receives electric service. membership=ownership

2. Democratic member control: membership votes in Directors to provide self governance. Hence this election.

3. Autonomy and independence: governed by itself, it can accomplish specific things desired by its membership.

4. Member's economic participation: members contribute financially by paying for electric service. Money left      over at the end of each year are earmarked as capital credits to be returned to the membership later as cash. DMEA paid back capital credits in late 2023.

5. Education, training, and  information: DMEA is open and transparent on its books and records and its employees, directors and membership are afforded opportunities to learn and stay current in the industry.

6. Cooperation among cooperatives: As a cooperative, DMEA does a lot of its business with other cooperatives such as material suppliers, software vendors, insurance cooperatives, and industry trade groups.

7. Concern for community: cooperatives work to better their communities through policies supported by the membership. The DMEA membership has asked for more access to local renewable energy and broadband and the board has responded to those requests.

My formal education is as an electrical engineer and business leadership, specific to electric power systems.

I earned a bachelor of science in electrical engineering (BSEE) from NMSU and Masters of Engineering (ME) from CU. I took classes toward a Masters of Business Administration (MBA) from CSU (did not complete degree)

In the limited time since being appointed to the Board of Directors in 2023, I have attended as many training courses as possible toward my Director certification training program.