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Five Utility Pioneers joined the Pioneer Utility Resources Board of Directors in May. The nine-member board, elected by the communication co-op’s members, represents the voices of 187 community-owned utilities, statewide associations and telephone cooperations across the United States.
Incumbents Dave Lock, CEO of the Grand Canyon State Electric Cooperative Association, and Lisa Johnson, CEO of Seminole Electric Cooperative, were reelected to represent Districts 5 and 6, respectively. Three new faces also joined the board: Tennessee Broadband Association Executive Director Carrie Huckeby, in District 3; Farmers and Federated Telephone General Manager Kevin Beyer, in District 8; and Roanoke Cooperative CEO Marshall Cherry, in District 9.
Election results were announced May 25 at Pioneer’s 2023 Cooperative Member Meeting. The new members include two telecommunication executives, a first for Pioneer.
“It’s nice to have Dave and Lisa return for another term on the board, and we’re excited to add Carrie, Kevin and Marshall’s vision and career experience to our board,” Pioneer CEO Michael Shepard said. “Thank you for being willing to represent the voice of Utility Pioneers and serve as stewards of the cooperative.”
New and Returning Board Members
District 3 | Carrie Huckeby
As executive director of the Tennessee Broadband Association, based in McMinnville, Tennessee, Huckeby represents 15 broadband providers serving 200,000-plus broadband connections and 35% of the state’s landmass. She has over three decades of experience in the telecommunications and cooperative industry, beginning with a 23-year career at Ben Lomand Connect in McMinnville, where she held various positions in marketing, sales and competitive services. In 2010 she joined WK&T Telecommunications Cooperative, and the following year took the role of chief marketing officer for the cooperative’s Telecom Management Services group. She was part of an executive team that managed what was then the largest grant/loan fiber network project in the nation.
“My trust and belief in all cooperative principles, my telecommunications voice, my experience working for the client and my familiarity as a 12-year Pioneer client are each integral pieces and tools that I will use to serve, support and participate in the cooperative’s future successes,” Huckeby said.
District 5 | Dave Lock
Lock serves as chief executive officer of the Grand Canyon State Electric Cooperative Association, based in Tempe, Arizona. Grand Canyon is the statewide organization that represents the interests of Arizona’s rural electric co-ops before state and federal policymakers and the Arizona Corporation Commission. Grand Canyon also provides training, education, communications and other services to its members.
Most of Lock’s 40-year career has been spent working for or representing consumer-owned electric utilities. He served in city management capacities at three municipally owned utilities in Colorado. Then he gained regional utility experience, first as executive director of the Colorado Association of Municipal Utilities, then as a senior manager at Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association.
“Pioneer serves a vital and valuable role to rural electric co-ops and consumer-owned power utilities across the country,” Lock said. “Finding creative and interesting ways to share information with our members and consumers is Pioneer’s sweet spot, and I want to do my part in helping the co-op continue to succeed and thrive.”
District 6 | Lisa Johnson
Johnson is CEO of Seminole Electric Cooperative Inc., one of the largest generation and transmission cooperatives in the country. Since starting with Seminole in 2013, she has been named to the “Florida 500” list of the most influential executives in the Sunshine State. Prior to Seminole, Johnson served as senior vice president and COO of Old Dominion Electric Cooperative (ODEC). Johnson joined ODEC in 2006 following an 11-year tenure with Mirant Corporation and Southern Company. She serves as a board member and chair of the Cooperative Research Network and holds a B.S. in mechanical engineering and materials science from Duke University.
District 8 | Kevin Beyer
Beyer has spent the last 25 years as a general manager, successfully leading the rollout of an all-fiber network for Federated Telephone Cooperative, headquartered in Chokio, Minnesota, and Farmers Mutual Telephone Company, headquartered in Bellingham, Minnesota.
He started his career in rural telephony as an accountant at Blue Earth Valley Telephone. After obtaining a thorough understanding of the needs of a rural ILEC, Beyer branched out to direct the finance and regulatory departments of Sherburne County Rural Telephone Co. Today, Beyer leads a team that serves approximately 3,100 square miles in west central Minnesota, providing customers with robust voice and broadband services.
“Pioneer has a successful record of providing its members with the communication expertise they need,” Beyer said. “With the WordSouth acquisition, Pioneer has become a valued partner for the organizations I manage. Therefore, I want to see Pioneer continue its excellence while expanding their footprint across the country.”
District 9 | Marshall Cherry
Cherry has served at Roanoke Electric Cooperative in northeastern North Carolina for three decades and has been the organization’s president and CEO since 2021. Before becoming president and CEO, Cherry had served as the chief operating officer since 2014. Throughout his tenure at Roanoke Electric Cooperative, Cherry has gained broad experience in customer relations management, communications/public relations, information technology, organizational development, nonprofit management and economic development.
“Roanoke’s experience with Pioneer as a communications partner is shaping a comprehensive strategic communications plan to include a recent rebrand,” Cherry said. “Engaging at the board level will intensify this work and my experience in cooperative governance bodes well for the cooperative business model.”
Utility Pioneers Lead Our Co-op
As a utility-owned communications cooperative, Pioneer Utility Resources depends on members to guide the co-op. Pioneer’s Board of Directors meets throughout the year to oversee the co-op’s strategic plan and financial health.
Pioneer’s board expanded from seven seats to nine seats in 2023. The board includes three at-large positions representing all Utility Pioneers and six seats serving specific regions. Before expanding the board, two membership campaigns helped utilities new to Pioneer learn about the benefits of joining the communications co-op.
While Pioneer welcomes two returning members and three new members to the board, the co-op also honors a retiring board member.
Clearwater Power Board Director Robert Callison left Pioneer’s board in 2023 after 10 years of service. Callison represented co-op members in District 5, the Mountain West region.
“We appreciate Bob’s service and commitment to strengthening the co-op over his tenure,” Shepard said.
About Pioneer Utility Resources
Pioneer is a not-for-profit communications cooperative based in Hillsboro, Oregon. Formed in 1956, it provides agency-style communications services to consumer-owned utilities and affiliated organizations in 46 states, the District of Columbia and Canada. Marquee products and services include 11 consumer magazine brands reaching more than 1.3 million U.S. utility households. The cooperative also provides broadband marketing, social media engagement, responsive website design and hosting, podcast production and custom communications services. Pioneer is built to share member stories.
Pioneer also owns Efficiency Services Group, which specializes in support and installation services for utility energy efficiency efforts, primarily in the West, and NewsData, which publishes industry-leading, independent newsletters covering the utility sector in California and the Pacific Northwest. Pioneer is also the largest shareholder in General Pacific, a Fairview, Oregon-based electric supply company. Learn more at pioneer.coop.