The Cooperative is governed by its member-owners who elect a seven-member board of directors. There are four districts represented, and Directors must be members in the districts they serve. Elections are held by district on a rotating basis each year at the annual meeting. Every member gets one vote in every election regardless of their home district. Directors serve a three-year term and there are no term limits. Meetings are held monthly and are open to the public. Notices of each meeting are posted in the local papers.
Current Directors are:
District 1: San Juan, Brown, Henry, Pearl and Spieden Islands
Dave Hylton, Vice President
Raised on San Juan Island, graduated from WSU with a degree in Mechanical Engineering, Hylton retired from the Chevron Corporation where he managed operation, maintenance and construction of oil refineries and cross-country pipeline systems. Hylton lives at the north end of San Juan Island and was first elected in 2005.
George Mulligan
A graduate of Harvard College and Harvard Business School, Mulligan was a founding partner and CEO of Mulligan Griffin & Associates, a Washington DC based real estate development firm. He currently works as a charter pilot for Island Air. He and his wife Pauline have lived in Friday Harbor since 1995. Mulligan was first elected in 2008.
District 2: Orcas, Armitage, Big Double, Blakely, Fawn, Little Double and Obstructions Islands
Chris Thomerson, President
Thomerson has a degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Manchester in England. He trained as a field engineer in London in field operations and generation technology. Thomerson and his wife Lynn moved to Orcas Island from Eugene Oregon, after sailing in this area for many years. Thomerson is also current president of the Washington Rural Electric Cooperative and was first elected in 2005.
Winnie Adams
Adams graduated from Stanford School of Education with a Masters degree. Winnie is retired from a career in teaching including sevice as an environmental educator at the Yosemite Institute. In 1977, she moved to Waldron where she built a small house powered by solar energy. In 1990, Winnie and her husband Bob Gamble moved to Orcas and began living part time on the grid. Adams was appointed to serve out Roger Crosby’s term in April, 2010.
District 3: Lopez, Decatur, Center and Charles Islands
Bob Myhr
Bob retired from his position as executive director of the San Juan Preservation Trust in 2002 and is currently a County Council member and independent management consultant. An OPALCO member and property owner since 1967, Bob and his wife have lived full time on Lopez Island since 1985. Bob was first elected to the board in 1986.
Jim Lett
Jim Lett and his wife Shanley have lived on Lopez Island since the early 1990s. Jim retired as Regional Vice President of a national property/casualty insurance company headquartered in Bellevue, Washington. A graduate of Oklahoma State University, Jim served in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve and was active with many insurance industry societies and boards. He was elected by the board in 2009 to finish the term of Ed Marble.
District 4: Shaw, Bell, Canoe and Crane Islands
John Bogert, Secretary/Treasurer
Bogert retired in 2003 as Vice President of Operations for an international utility. Trained as an electrical engineer, holding degrees from Princeton University and Renssalaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI), he has a career history in management and operation of small hydro-electric plants. Bogert is an avid sailor who has twice sailed across the Atlantic and cruised the Caribbean extensively. He has lived on Shaw Island part time since 1988 and full time since 2006. He was elected by the Board in 2008 to finish the term of Leon Fonnesbeck.