After two decades at the helm, East Central Electric Cooperative CEO Tim Smith announced plans to retire during the 2024 Annual Meeting. 

Smith’s tenure has been marked by improvements in safety, advancements in reliability, and an expansion in services the co-op is able to provide. 

For Smith, the role of CEO is defined by one overarching responsibility—serving the co-op’s member.

SERVING OUR MEMBER AND COMMUNITIES 

For 20 years, Smith has been a steadfast proponent of member service, and for good reason. The cooperative is owned and governed by the people it serves. 

“The member is what makes the cooperative,” Smith said. “They are the owners. They’re the folks we work for every day.”

In finances, in performance metrics, in every interaction with the board and senior staff, Smith keeps the best interest of the members paramount.

“Leadership in this context is about finding the balance in how you take care of the member, answer to the Board of Trustees, and work with all the great employees we have, to keep all of that going in the right direction,” Smith said. “No matter what we are facing: storms, policy impacts in our industry, an economic crisis, we do what’s right by the members no matter what.”

The biggest challenges of Smith’s tenure have all been wired to this one energizing aim. 

How do we improve our system (be it infrastructure or workflow) to best serve our members? 

“Decisions about how we change out equipment, the proper amount of funds needed to maintain our Right-of-Way, systematic pole inspections, all of those impact our members’ reliability and service,” Smith said. “Making headway on the challenges we faced took time, education, and determination. It wasn’t overnight.” 

In a series of incremental wins, two large achievements stick out.

The first was the facility modernization in 2010 followed by a facility expansion in 2021. 

“We gave our employees a workplace that allowed them to excel in their jobs,” Smith said.

The latest was the roll-out of high-speed fiber internet to all co-op members, providing a needed resource to rural communities and improving system reliability with smart grid technologies. 

“This will benefit our membership for years to come and enable us to provide even more reliable electric service,” Smith said.

A CAREER OF SERVICE

Prior to accepting the role at ECE, Smith worked for 14 years as a human resources manager and then a decade as the assistant general manager of Ouachita Electric Cooperative in Arkansas.

While at ECE, Smith served on the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association board for 12 years, shaping policies and initiatives that advanced the cooperative movement and brought broadband internet to rural Oklahoma. 

At the Oklahoma Association of Electric Cooperatives (OAEC), Smith held numerous office positions and served on committees to help guide statewide projects.

Smith has also been involved in the Cooperative Broadband Coalition, the Okmulgee Area Development Corporation Board, and has served as an alternate trustee for ECE’s Generation and Transmission Cooperative partners, KAMO Power and Western Farmers Electric Cooperative.

For all of these efforts, Smith was awarded the Oklahoma Rural Electric Hall of Fame Award by OAEC in April.

WHAT COMES NEXT

“There are exciting things coming in our industry,” Smith said. “New technologies and new innovative ways to provide electric services. There will be new energy saving programs that will enable people to make improvements to their homes and save on energy costs. There will be more distributed energy throughout our system.”

“The next leader is going to be fortunate to be a part of these transitions and continue to make lives better for our membership. There are exciting times ahead.”

The choice of the next CEO belongs to the ECE Board of Trustees, made up of co-op members who have been elected by the membership. 

“Our goal is to identify a dynamic leader who will not only uphold the cooperative’s core values and commitment to serve our members but will also steer us towards a future defined by innovation and sustainability,” Board President Lowell Hobbs said. “We are dedicated to finding an individual who possesses the vision, experience, and passion necessary to lead us into the next chapter of our journey.”

Applications for the position will be accepted through September 17, and the Board of Trustees hopes to announce their selection in November. Qualified candidates may review the job description and submit their applications here.