Meet Chris. He is the Executive Vice President of the Oklahoma Association of Electric Cooperatives (OAEC). Chris is responsible for providing a number of services to the state’s electrical cooperatives, including state legislative lobbying and advertising/marketing for the organization. Chris is a graduate of Kansas State University with a Bachelor’s Degree in electrical engineering and also received his MBA from the University of Oklahoma. Chris serves on The Oklahoma Academy, a statewide nonprofit, nonpartisan, membership organization founded by Governor Henry Bellman in 1967 to bring public attention to policy issues, provide objective, thorough research and act as a catalyst for positive change.
Chris also serves as a member of the REI Capital Access Fund, Inc. board.
Years of Service to REI Oklahoma: 13
Giving Back. Through his affiliation with OAEC, he is involved with several youth programs including the Youth Tour and Youth Power Energy Camp. The Oklahoma Electric Cooperative Washington Youth Tour is an annual, weeklong, all-expenses-paid trip to Washington, DC, that is open to select high school students whose homes are served by electric cooperatives. The Youth Tour is sponsored by the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA), the Oklahoma Association of Electric Cooperatives and 25 of Oklahoma’s electric distribution cooperatives. Youth Power Energy Camp is designed to help cooperative youth develop leadership skills, have summertime fun and learn about one of rural America’s most important industries – rural electrification. 4-H and FFA are also sponsored by OAEC and the co-op volunteers comprise one of the largest volunteer groups at the Special Olympic Games each year.
