Board of Trustees

Representing members in the cooperative’s nine districts are trustees

(seated left to right) Carl Long, District 1, Buddy McCarty, Distict 9, John Hibdon, District 4, Vernon Lewis, District 3, and Steve Riley, Corporate Counsel. Back row (left to right) are Ken Easterling, District 5, Ken Howard, District 8, Chuck Huerter, District 7, Dennis Lenox, District 6, and Jack Bogart, District 2.

Carl Long - District 1

Carl Long, who represents members in District 1, also serves as the VVEC representative to the board of directors for KAMO Power, VVEC’s wholesale power supplier.

He has been a VVEC member since 1967 and was elected to the board of trustees in 1994.

Long has also been elected by his fellow trustees to the board’s three officer positions.

In 1998, he received certification from NRECA as a cooperative director and received his Board Leadership certification in 2003.

He and his wife Midge live in rural Nowata. They have two daughters and four grandsons.

“I feel it’s important that we offer our members the best possible service at the lowest cost,” he says.

Jack Bogart - District 2

Jack and his wife Patti have been members of VVEC since 1980, and live in Oologah. They have two sons, one daughter, one granddaughter and one grandson.

He was elected to the board in 1997, and has since received certification as a cooperative director from the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association.

“Serving on the board of trustees is a privilege,” says Bogart. “I have enjoyed learning about the electric utility business and the cooperative method of doing business. I am amazed at how much joint effort and coordination it takes just to turn on a light switch.”

Vernon Lewis - District 3

Vernon Lewis has been a member of VVEC since 1968 and was elected to the board of trustees in 1984. He has served in every officer position on the board and is currently serving as president.

He represents VVEC on the Oklahoma Association of Electric Cooperatives Board of Directors.
Lewis completed certification as a cooperative director from the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association in 1998.

He has one son and two granddaughters.

“I enjoy being on the VVEC Board of Trustees with the other board members and representing the members in District 3.

John Hibdon - District 4

John and Cecilia Hibdon have been VVEC members since 1982 and reside in Barnsdall. Cecilia is a teacher at Barnsdall Elementary. They have one daughter and one son.

He has attained certified cooperative director status from the Nationa Rural Electric Cooperative Association.

“I am a CPA and insurance agent in Barnsdall, where I have owned H&R Insurance and Accounting since 1981,” he says. “I teach children at Barnsdall First Baptist Church, and volunteer as an elementary wrestling coach. I love to fish and play golf.

“I have really enjoyed my years on the VVEC Board of Trustees.

Kenneth Easterling - District 5

A VVEC member since 1954, Kenneth Easterling was elected to represent the members of District 5 in 1993. He has been elected by his fellow trustees to serve as president, vice-president, and secretary-treasurer.

He was also elected by the trustees to represent the co-op on the OAEC board of directors.

Easterling has completed the Certified Cooperative Director Program sponsored by NRECA and has also received Board Leadership certification.

He and his wife Barbara have been married for more than 50 years and live in rural Claremore. They have two children, seven grandchildren and one great-grandchild.

Dennis Lenox - District 6

Dennis and Sherry Lenox have been members of VVEC for more than 30 years. They live in the Skiatook Lake area and are the parents of Justin and Julie. They also have three grandchildren.

“I love living in rural America,” says Lenox, who is the executive vice-president of American Bank of Oklahoma in Skiatook. “Being in the banking business, I see a lot of people everyday who have questions about the co-op. As a trustee, I'm usually able to answer those questions. If not, I can call someone at VVEC who can give me the answer so I can call the member back.

"Sherry and I enjoy riding motorcycles, NASCAR, spending time with our friends and family, and meeting people.”

Chuck Huerter - District 7

Chuck holds an associate degree in electronics; a bachelor degree in personnel administration and has 20 years experience with Phillips Petroleum. He owned a small business in the health care industry for 15 years before retiring.

He has represented district 7 since 1985, watching the district grow to almost 2,600 members.

Chuck holds certified director status from the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA), which he earned after completing the required number of continuing education classes offered to board trustees, and has also earned his ‘Board Leadership’ certification.

He is an avid bicycling enthusiast, and has ridden in Oklahoma FreeWheel, a cross state bicycle tour.

He has three children and two grandchildren, and is an active member of the Bartlesville community and of St. James Catholic Church.

Ken Howard - District 8

Ken is a production supervisor with American Airlines, where he has worked since 1998. Prior to beginning his career with American Airlines, he owned and operated a local aviation business.

His is a life-long resident of Collinsville where he has lived on VVEC lines, and a graduate of Collinsville High School.

Ken continues his trustee education by attending classes designed for cooperative trustees and has received his certificate in the Credentialed Cooperative Director program sponsored by NRECA.

He has represented the more than 2,800 members in district 8 since 1992, and currently serves as secretary-treasurer of the board of trustees.

He and his wife Dana have three children, and two grandchildren. They are active members of the Collinsville First Baptist Church.

Buddy McCarty - District 9

Buddy was appointed to the board in 1995 to fill the unexpired term of a trustee who was moving, and now represents one of the fastest growing area’s in VVEC’s service territory. District 9 has more than 3,200 members.

He is an agent for State Farm Insurance, recently celebrating his 25th anniversary with the company.

He and his wife Diana have lived in Owasso for more than 25 years. They both attended Northeastern State University, and Diana is now a real estate agent.
Buddy is an involved and active member of the community and serves as vice-president of VVEC’s board.

He and Diana have two daughters and two granddaughters.

He encourages the members in his district to contact him if they have questions about their cooperative. He can be reached at 272-5364.