LPEA's Board of Directors today elected John Witchel as the new director for LPEA’s District 4 in compliance with Art. III, Sec. 7 of the LPEA Bylaws and LPEA Board Policy 120. Witchel will fill the position vacated by Director Jack D. Turner upon the conclusion of the September LPEA board meeting and will hold the position until the expiration of Director Turner’s original term at the Annual Member Meeting in 2022. Witchel joins Tim Wheeler and Sue McWilliams as the district’s representatives. 

A total of 19 LPEA members applied for the open seat. LPEA’s Board of Directors reviewed applicants and selected four finalists for interviews which took place on September 14th 2020. The four finalists were Pam Patton, George Hepner, Guinn Unger, and John Witchel. During the September board meeting, board directors placed their final anonymous votes (except Director Jack D. Turner who abstained) and selected Witchel as the new director by majority vote.

Witchel has more than 20 years of experience serving on boards, including Animas High School and the Durango Creative District. He is also an expert in energy finance having managed the creation of Tesla's financial software infrastructure and having led a dozen start-ups including GitPrime in Durango.

“Jack Turner was an exceptional board member and leader in our community,” said Witchel. “I’m grateful for the opportunity to step into his out sized shoes. My hope is that I can make a difference for our membership.” 

The LPEA Board of Directors is a governing board with two primary roles: to support the success of the cooperative and to protect public interest through the examination and monitoring of cooperative information. The board sets strategic direction and establishes policy. It is responsible for hiring and evaluating the CEO and for developing and approving LPEA’s mission, vision, and strategic plan. 

More details on the LPEA Board of Directors here.