Co-op Leadership Team

Pat Lindley was born and raised in Mount Vernon, TX and attended Mt. Vernon High School. He also owned and operated a dairy in Mt. Vernon for 33 years. Presently, he is the owner and operator of a beef cattle ranch. He is also a current board director for the First National Bank of Mount Vernon. Over the years, he has also served his community as a director on the Mount Vernon Independent School Board and as a member of the Franklin County Appraisal Board. Importantly, in the electric cooperative industry, he has also been elected and served on the boards of several Generation and Transmission Cooperatives. Currently, he serves on the boards of Northeast Texas Electric Cooperative, East Texas Electric Cooperative and Tex-La Electric Cooperative. He has acted as a WCEC Board Member since 1978, and during that time has served in the officer’s position of Vice President and his current role of President. During his WCEC board tenure he achieved the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association’s highest certification of Credentialed Cooperative Director (CCD), which demonstrates understanding and competencies in five core areas of cooperative governance. Parents of two children and four grandchildren, Pat and his wife Judy reside in Mount Vernon where they attend the First Baptist Church of Mount Vernon.

Cathy Roberts is a native-born Texan (Victoria, TX) and spent her pre-school years in Edna, moving to Mineola while in elementary school. She graduated from Mineola High School and received her Bachelor’s in Food and Nutrition from North Texas University and attained her Master’s Degree in Public Health Nutrition from Columbia University Teachers College. For over 30 years she worked as a Closer and President of Don Roberts Abstract & Title Company. Since selling the title company, she is an assistant at her husband’s Quitman law practice. Cathy has been a WCEC board member since 1991, has served as the Secretary/Treasurer, and is currently serving as the Vice President. During her tenure she has achieved National Rural Electric Cooperative Association's highest certification of Credentialed Cooperative Director (CCD), which demonstrates understanding and competencies in five core areas of cooperative governance. She and her husband Richard have two children and one grandson, and reside in Quitman where she attends the First United Methodist Church.

Jane Roberson is a native Texan and lifelong resident of Grand Saline. She graduated from Grand Saline High School and attended Tyler Junior College. She received her Bachelor's degree in education from the University of Texas at Austin. Jane was an early childhood education teacher for more than 20 years. She worked both at Grand Saline ISD and Mineola ISD, retiring in 2014. Jane has been a WCEC board member since 1993, and is currently the Secretary and Treasurer. During her tenure on the board she has achieved the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association’s highest certification of Credentialed Cooperative Director (CCD), which demonstrates understanding and competencies in five core areas of cooperative governance. Jane has one daughter, son-in-law, and two grandchildren.

Burke Bullock was born in Tyler, TX and is a lifelong East Texas resident. He graduated from Pickton High School and attended and obtained both a Bachelor’s and a Master’s from East Texas State University. He served the community for over thirty years as an agriculture teacher at Winnsboro High School and after retirement acted as a Hopkins County Commissioner for two terms. For 15 years, Burke was also a Winnsboro Volunteer Firefighter. Since 1969 he has owned and operated a successful Dairy. He also currently serves his community as the President of the Cornersville Water Supply. Burke has been a WCEC board member since 1992, and during that tenure he achieved the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association’s highest certification of Credentialed Cooperative Director (CCD), which demonstrates understanding and competencies in five core areas of cooperative governance. He and his wife Sue are the parents of four children and twelve grandchildren and they reside in Winnsboro and attend the Pine Street Baptist Church in Winnsboro.

Kenneth Langley was was born in Tyler, TX, and raised in Red Springs. He attended Winona Independent School District from first through twelfth grades, followed by studies at Tyler Junior College and the National Fire Academy. Kenneth was a career firefighter, serving with the Tyler Fire Department where he achieved the rank of Captain before retiring after over 30 years of service. He also owned and operated two businesses - Ken’s Country Store and Red Springs Feed, both in Red Springs.

Over the years, he has served his community as both a director and president of the Winona Independent School Board. For over 20 years he has served as a board member of Sand Flat Water Supply, where he is currently the Secretary/Treasurer. He is a past board member of the Smith County Jr. Livestock Show and a lifetime member and committeeman of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. He has achieved the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association’s highest certification of Credentialed Cooperative Director (CCD), which demonstrates understanding and competencies in five core areas of cooperative governance. He and his wife of over 40 years, Rosie, reside on their working cattle ranch near Red Springs and are members of Cross Brand Cowboy Church in Tyler. They have three children and 8 grandchildren.

Brent Glenn is a lifelong and proud member of a fourth generation Yantis, TX family. He graduated from Yantis High School and attended East Texas State University, which is now Texas A&M Commerce. He has owned and operated a successful dairy since 1976. He also owns and operates Glenn Cattle Company, which specializes in back grounding feeder cattle and cow and calf operations. He has served as a WCEC Board Member since 2002 and during that tenure he achieved the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association’s highest certification of Credentialed Cooperative Director (CCD), which demonstrates understanding and competencies in five core areas of cooperative governance. Parents of two sonsand one grandchild, Brent and his wife Diane, reside today on the Yantis homestead that his great grandfather settled in the early 1800’s. They attend the First Baptist Church of Yantis.

WCEC IS CALLING FOR NOMINATIONS FOR A DIRECTOR FOR DISTRICT 7

The business and affairs of WCEC is managed by a 7 Member Board of Directors, each representing one of the 7 WCEC Districts. With Lewis Young’s retirement, the cooperative is seeking candidates to run for election to the District 7 position. The election results will be announced October 9, 2020 at the WCEC Annual Meeting. Directors serve a 3-year term and can run and serve for multiple elected terms.

Per WCEC’s bylaws, there are 2 ways for a member to become a potential Director candidate: (1.) Nomination by the Elections Committee, or (2.) by submitting a valid petition with the signatures of one hundred or more Cooperative Members. Members interested in serving as a Director should call the office to request a Director Candidate Package to be filled out and returned by August 10, 2020.

No matter how a potential candidate is nominated, the Bylaws also provide that it is the job of the Elections Committee to certify that all potential candidates meet all the criteria and the nomination complies with the Bylaws. Accordingly, a member desiring to be nominated may not be included on the Director election ballot if the Election Committee determines that they do not meet the qualifications identified in the Bylaws, or their petition is not valid.

Qualifications to be considered for placement on the ballot, per Article V of WCEC’s Bylaws include:

No person shall be eligible to become or remain a Director of the Cooperative who:
(a) is not a Member in the area served or to be served by the Cooperative and of the district he or she is to represent;
(b) is regularly, directly, and substantially employed by or financially interested in a competing enterprise or a business selling goods or services to the Cooperative, or a business primarily regularly engaged in selling electric or plumbing appliances, fixtures or supplies, to the Members of the Cooperative;
(c) is not a resident of the district they represent; or who does not purchase all electric energy used at their residence where they actually live and reside from the Cooperative. A resident of a district is an individual who resides and is registered to vote with an address located in the district;
(d) is an employee or has been a former employee of the Cooperative within the seven (7) years prior to the election at which such Member is to be placed on the ballot;
(e) has not been a Member of the Cooperative for a period of twenty-four (24) consecutive months, preceding the election;
(f) has been convicted of a felony or a crime of moral turpitude in this state or any other state;
(g) who is a close relative of an employee of the Cooperative;
(h) does not have the capacity to enter legally binding contracts; or
(i) is a close relative of an existing Director of the Cooperative.

For purposes of these Bylaws “close relative” shall include an individual who:
(a) is either related by blood, law, or marriage, including half, step, foster, and adoptive relations, a spouse, child, grandchild, parent, grandparent, or sibling; or
(b) resides in the same residence.

When a membership is held jointly by a husband and wife, either one, but not both, may be elected a Director, provided however that neither one shall be eligible to become or remain a Director or to hold a position of trust in the Cooperative unless both shall meet the qualifications hereinabove set forth. Nothing in this section shall or be construed to affect, in any manner whatsoever, the validity of any action taken in any meeting of the Board of Directors

Completed packages and petitions, including all member information and a background check authorization form, must be delivered/mailed to the attention of: WCEC Elections Committee, 501 S. Main St. Quitman, TX, 75783, for receipt no later than August 10, 2020 at 5:00 p.m.

An Elections Committee comprised of members will verify all potential candidates’ qualifications, as well as petition signatures, and will announce the qualified director candidates.

Complete details may be found in the governing document, Article V of WCEC’s bylaws.