Board of Trustees
NEXT BOARD MEETING:
Tuesday, November 26, 2024, at 9 a.m.
Dodge City, KS
*Meeting minutes available upon request.
The board of trustees is elected by the membership. Like you, trustees are cooperative members but with a special perspective. Your board is comprised of members living throughout the Victory Electric service area. They are local citizens with the best interests of members, the community and the cooperative always in mind. Board meetings are held monthly, typically the last Tuesday of the month. During these meetings business and affairs of the cooperative are directed by the board of trustees. Their primary function is planning and policy oversight, establishing the long-term objectives of the cooperative, and providing resources to meet those objectives. Board members work closely with the CEO and senior staff to review progress, ensure accountability, make strategic decisions, and stay current on an increasingly complex business.
Member-elected trustees are responsible for the vision and future of the cooperative. While trustees bring a variety of unique, individual skills and experiences to the board room, in order to effectively govern a cooperative with an average $70 million in revenue and more than $190 million in assets, it is crucial they receive on-going education to help them understand the complexities of the electric utility business, our members’ needs, and the ever-changing landscape of local and national economies. The time trustees spend training and educating themselves ensures Victory Electric is well positioned for continued success.
Daryl Tieben
President
District 1- Dodge City
Tieben has been a board member since 2009 and maintains the Director Gold Certification through the NRECA. He is the current board President and has over 40 years of business ownership experience in Dodge City. Mr. Tieben resides in Dodge City with his wife, Carol.
Cedric Drewes
Vice President
District 8- Dodge City
Drewes has been a board member since 2009 and maintains the Director Gold Certification through the NRECA. He serves as Vice President of the board and is one of Victory Electric's representatives on the Sunflower Electric board. Mr. Drewes is a local farmer and lives in Dodge City with his wife, Diane.
Terri Larson
Secretary-Treasurer
District 10- Dodge City
Larson has been a board member since 2012 and maintains the Director Gold Certification through the NRECA and serves as Secretary/Treasurer. She is a retired teacher who currently works as a substitute teacher in Dodge City. Mrs. Larson lives in Dodge City with her husband, Kirk.
John Leis
District 2- Minneola
Leis has been a board member since 2005 and has earned the Board Leadership Certification through the NRECA. Mr. Leis is a local farmer and lives in Minneola with his wife, Jill.
Ken Schulte
District 3- Spearville
Schulte has been a board member since 2007 and has earned the Board Leadership Certification through the NRECA. Schulte has over 40 years of business ownership experience in Dodge City. Now retired, Mr. Schulte lives in Spearville with his wife, Gwen.
Jim Imel
District 4- Bucklin
Imel has been a board member since 1987 and has earned the Board Leadership Certification through the NRECA. Mr. Imel is a local farmer and lives in Bucklin with his wife, Cindy.
Megan Evans
District 5- Copeland
Evans joined the board in 2023. Mrs. Evans owns an insurance agency in Copeland, where she and her husband, Scott, live.
Kenny Wehkamp
District 6- Cimarron
Wehkamp has been a board member since 1997 and maintains the Director Gold Certification through the NRECA. Currently, he serves as one of Victory Electric's representatives on the Sunflower Electric board, as the Vice President. Mr. Wehkamp is a local farmer and lives in Cimarron with his wife, Ivy.
James Ochs
District 7- Jetmore
Ochs has been a board member since 2013 and has earned the Board Leadership Certification through the NRECA. He is a fifth-generation farmer, mechanic, and cattleman. Mr. Ochs lives in Jetmore with his wife, Deb.
Pat Morse
District 10- Dodge City
Morse has been a board member since 2010 and maintains the Director Gold Certification through the NRECA. He is current board President and is Victory Electric's representative at KEC serving on the Executive and Legislative Committees as well as the statewide representative on the NRECA board of directors. Morse has over 40 years' experience in the utility industry. Mr. Morse lives in Dodge City with his wife, Shannon.
Randy Quint
District 10- Dodge City
Quint has been a board member since 2011 and maintains the Director Gold Certification through the NRECA. Although retired, he has over 30 years' experience in the electric industry. Mr. Quint lives in Dodge City with his wife, Lynne.
Territory
The cooperative territory is divided into districts, all of which are represented by a trustee. Trustees are elected at the annual meeting for three-year terms of office.
At Victory Electric, your voice matters. For more than 75 years, we’ve been owned and governed by members like you. Your vote in our annual board election is your voice in your cooperative, a chance to weigh in on leaders who will represent you and your interests.
For those interested in the process of becoming a trustee for Victory Electric, please carefully review article IV of the cooperative bylaws. Each candidate for a trustee position should carefully read the bylaws and understand the procedures.