It’s Official – Gary Stooksbury and Josh Shallenberger Join NRTC Board

There was not much suspense. NRTC Board Chairman Tim Mergen declared Gary Stooksbury, CEO of Aiken Electric Cooperative, Aiken, SC, and Josh Shallenberger, president and CEO of Shelby Electric Cooperative, Shelbyville, IL, the winners of an online election for the NRTC board. Mergen made the announcement during the Sunday session of the NRTC Annual Meeting for electric members in Nashville. Both men ran unopposed.

With the conclusion of the meeting, Stooksbury and Shallenberger officially took their seats on the board, along with Tom Preston of Duo County Telephone Cooperative, who was elected by NRTC telco members in February. Stooksbury is representing electric District 2 and Shallenberger District 5. There was no nominee for an open District 7 seat, which remains unfilled.

Stooksbury, Shallenberger and Preston all won in online elections. “The electronic voting process was forced on us last year due to COVID. The member response was very positive and the board was pleased that it allowed more members to cast a vote, so we have decided to continue that process going forward,” Mergen said.

During the meeting, members saluted two departing board members, David Pierce, of Amicalola Electric Membership Corporation in Georgia, and former Board Chairman Shannon Clark of Richland Electric Cooperative in Wisconsin.  NRTC CEO Tim Bryan said that NRTC is providing a donation to the North Georgia Christian Academy in Pierce’s name. NRTC is also providing a donation in Clark’s name to the Kickapoo (MI) Area Schools Future Farmers of America.