AECI - Key Persons
Brian A. Prestwood - Chief Compliance Officer, Chief Legal Officer, SVP
Job Titles:
- Chief Compliance Officer
- General Counsel
- Member of the Executive Team
- Senior Vice President
Prestwood joined Associated Electric Cooperative in January 2013 as corporate and compliance counsel. In 2015, he was appointed chief compliance officer and provides legal and compliance counsel for Associated in a range of business affairs that affect the cooperative systems.
Prestwood graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish literature and a Bachelor of Science degree in radio, television and film. In 2005, Prestwood received his Juris Doctor from Texas Tech Law School in Lubbock, Texas. Before joining Associated, he worked seven years in Austin as an energy lawyer for the state of Texas and in private practice.
Job Titles:
- Chief Information Officer
- Member of the Executive Team
- Senior Vice President
Lazzaro joined Associated Electric in 2003, was promoted to manager in 2010, managing director in 2018 and vice president in April 2022. His 19-year career with Associated has included leadership of energy systems, solutions engineering, enterprise product management operations model and most recently developments of the SEEM energy market platform.
Lazzaro earned a bachelor's degree in computer science from Pensacola Christian College in 2002 and a master's of business administration from Drury University in 2005. He achieved an advanced certificate for executives from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Sloan School of Business in 2022.
Director; CEO and general manager, Central Electric Power Cooperative
Turner joined Central Electric Power Cooperative in July 2015, bringing 32 years of experience in the electric utility industry, including various leadership positions in transmission and distribution construction, energy trading, bulk power operations, resource planning and compliance with national reliability standards. Just prior to joining Central Electric, Turner was CEO of the Southwestern Power Administration.
He holds a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from The Citadel, a master's degree in business administration from Georgia State and is a licensed professional engineer.
Job Titles:
- Director
- CEO and Manager of Howell - Oregon Electric Cooperative Inc
Director; CEO and manager, Howell-Oregon Electric Cooperative Inc.
Singletary has been the CEO and manager of Howell-Oregon Electric Cooperative Inc. since 1994, when he also joined the board of Sho-Me Power Electric Cooperative. He was elected to Associated Electric's board in October 2008.
Singletary also serves on the boards of the Association of Missouri Electric Cooperatives and the Missouri Electric Cooperatives Insurance Plan. He is actively involved in his community as a member of various civic organizations, including the board of the West Plains Economic Development Corp., the advisory committee of the Ozarks Medical Center and as president of the Ozarks Development Corp. Marketing and Development Committee.
Singletary earned a bachelor's degree in business administration and computer science from the School of the Ozarks (now the College of the Ozarks), where he also played varsity baseball on scholarship.
Director; General manager, M&A Electric Power Cooperative
Sorrell joined Associated Electric's board of directors in January 2012 after being named general manager of M&A Electric Power Cooperative. Sorrell, who was born and raised in Doniphan, was the cooperative's manager of finance before being named general manager.
He is a graduate of Southwest Missouri State University (now Missouri State University) where he received a degree in accounting. A certified public accountant, he has more than 20 years' experience in various finance and managerial positions. He joined M&A Electric as general accountant in 2006.
Job Titles:
- Chief Executive Officer
- General Manager
- Member of the Executive Team
Tudor joined Associated Electric Cooperative as chief executive officer and general manager in May 2016, bringing more than 30 years of experience in the energy industry, including electric generation assets, wholesale commodity trading and utility management.
Prior to joining Associated, he held notable leadership positions, including: President and chief executive officer of Champion Energy Services, a retail electric provider serving residential, governmental, commercial and industrial customers in a growing number of deregulated natural gas and electric energy markets throughout the United States, and president and chief executive officer of ACES Power Marketing, an Indianapolis-based commodity risk management company owned by 21 generation and transmission cooperatives throughout the United States. In addition he served as executive vice president and chief operating officer of PG&E Energy Trading.
Tudor holds a bachelor of science degree in accounting from David Lipscomb University, Nashville, Tennessee.
David has been and is involved in industry and community organizations. He currently serves as a director with the Electric Power Research Institute, America's Power, National Renewables Cooperative Organization, the Association of Missouri Electric Cooperatives, Woodway Energy Infrastructure and the philanthropic CoxHealth Foundation.
Director; CEO and general manager, NW Electric Power Cooperative Inc.
McDowell was named CEO of NW Electric Power Cooperative in fall 2014 and joined Associated's board of directors in November 2014.
He has 21 years of diverse utility management and business operations experience. McDowell joined NW Electric Power Cooperative in 1998 and served as its director of operations. Since, he has worked closely with NW's distribution cooperative owners, other G&Ts, Associated, the Association of Missouri Electric Cooperatives and the National Association of Rural Electric Cooperatives. He holds degrees in electrical and mechanical engineering, a master's degree in business administration and is a licensed professional engineer in Missouri.
Job Titles:
- Director CEO and General Manager, Northeast Missouri Electric Power Cooperative
Aeilts joined Associated Electric's board in 2004 after becoming general manager of Northeast Missouri Electric Power Cooperative in Palmyra, Mo. Previously, he worked for Adams Electric Cooperative in Camp Point, Ill. He joined that cooperative in 1981 as an energy counselor, eventually becoming general manager in 1994 and serving 10 years in that position.
Aeilts holds a bachelor's degree in agricultural engineering from the University of Illinois and is a licensed professional engineer.
Job Titles:
- President
- Associated Electric Board President
Geisendorfer joined Associated Electric's board of directors in spring 2004 following his election as president of Northeast Missouri Electric Power Cooperative. He has served on Northeast's board since 1996, including holding the office of vice president, and on the board of his local cooperative, Lewis County Rural Electric Cooperative, since 1994, holding the office of president since 2001.
Geisendorfer co-owns and operates a cattle farm and is actively involved in his industry. A lifetime member of the Missouri Cattlemen's Association, he is active in local cattlemen's functions and in his community through church and civic organizations.
Associated Electric Board President Emery Geisendorfer and John Richards, Associated board member and CEO and general manager of Sho-Me Power Electric Cooperative, discuss an issue during a break in the board meeting.
A lifetime farmer in northwest Missouri, Killgore has served on the board of his distribution cooperative, United Electric Cooperative, since 1986. He has represented United on the board of NW Electric Power Cooperative Inc. since 2001. NW Electric elected him to serve on the board of Associated Electric in June 2009, and he currently serves as vice president.
Killgore and his family run Killgore Farms Inc., a 1,000-acre operation in Stewartsville, Mo., that includes row crops, cattle and hogs. He is active in his community and church and has served on the local school board, booster club and currently serves on the Clinton County R-3 Educational Foundation.
John R. Bledsoe brings more than 20 years' experience in cooperative governance to the board of directors at Associated. He was elected to represent M&A Electric Power Cooperative on Associated's board at the annual meeting, June 19, 2019, and serves as treasurer on Associated's board.
John joined the board of his local cooperative, SEMO Electric Cooperative, in 1998 and serves as vice president.
In 2008, he was elected to serve on M&A's board, where he also serves as vice president.
John and his family reside in Charleston, Missouri, and he has served on various nonprofit boards of directors, including his local school board. He earned his degree from Southeast Missouri State University and is retired from UPS.
Job Titles:
- Director
- Board Member and CEO and General Manager of Sho - Me Power Electric Cooperative
Director; CEO and general manager, Sho-Me Power Electric Cooperative
Richards joined Associated Electric's board of directors in February 2016, bringing more than 40 years' experience in the three-tiered system of member cooperatives.
Richards, who was named Sho-Me's general manager in January 2016, served as Sho-Me's chief financial officer 36 years, joining the G&T in 1975 as an accountant after working in accounting for another member G&T, KAMO Power.
Richards studied at Missouri Southern State College and the University of Tulsa to earn his bachelor's degree in business administration, then earned his Master of Business Administration from Drury University. He is a past president of the G&T Accounting & Finance Association and was a member of the Missouri Electric Cooperative Employee's Credit Union Board of Directors for more than 25 years.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Executive Team
- Senior Vice President and Chief Member Relations Officer
Wilkinson joined Associated Electric Cooperative's Information Services Division in 1998 and has led its Member Services and Corporate Communications Division since 2008.
His responsibilities focus on informing and involving Associated's member-owners and the six G&Ts and 51 distribution cooperatives that make up the three-tiered system. Wilkinson oversees member and employee communications and relationships, member programs and educational materials, media relations, and the Take Control & Save energy efficiency and Power 4 Progress economic development programs.
Previously, Wilkinson was a senior database consultant for a firm building database solutions for Fortune 500 companies. He has a bachelor's degree in computer science from Purdue University.
Job Titles:
- Chief Operations Officer
- Member of the Executive Team
- Senior Vice President
- Senior Manager of Plant Operations
Wilmot joined Associated Electric in late 2010 as senior manager of plant operations, bringing 25 years of utility experience with a primary focus on operations. In January 2012, he was named director of Power Production.
Previously, Wilmot was with International Power in Chicago and oversaw its generation assets in four states. His 20-plus years with Alliant Energy started in energy delivery, focusing on electric and gas distribution, and grew to include information technology, operations manager, plant manager, regional director overseeing 10 generating stations, and then to overseeing Alliant's engineering, energy marketing and compliance activities.
Wilmot has a bachelor's degree in accounting from Iowa State University and a master's degree in business administration from the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minn. In 2014, Wilmot completed the Harvard Business School Advanced Management Program. He has been a member of the Association of Edison Illuminating Companies since 2011 and has served on the RMEL Board of Directors since 2016.
A retired educator, Culwell joined Associated's board in May 2022, bringing experience from representing members on the board of KAMO Power since 2012. At KAMO, he serves as vice president of the board. Previously, he served as KAMO's board secretary and chairman of its Technology Advisory Committee. A board member of his local cooperative, Kiamichi Electric Cooperative, since 1998, he also holds a Director Gold Cooperative Certification from National Rural Electric Cooperative. He also serves as KAMO's representative to the Oklahoma Association of Electric Cooperatives.
Culwell has a cow/calf operation, but his career has been in education. He has a bachelor's degree in mathematics and physics, master's degree in counseling/administration, and achieved a 30-year career as a teacher, administrator and superintendent of schools. He also serves on the Kiamichi Technology Center Board of Education.
Job Titles:
- Certified Public Accountant
- Chief Financial Officer
- Member of the Executive Team
- Senior Vice President
Meredith joined Associated in 2004, was promoted to controller in 2008 and then to vice president and controller in 2019. She was named senior vice president and chief financial officer Oct. 1, 2021.
Meredith's 17-year career with Associated has included leadership of financial reporting and analysis, accounting and budgeting and resource planning. She has played an integral role in developing strategies and implementing tactics to maintain the financial strength and flexibility of the cooperative.
Prior to joining Associated, Meredith, a certified public accountant, worked as a supervisor for BKD CPA & Advisors, a top 15 accounting and consulting firm in the nation. She started her career with Ernst & Young, one of the largest professional services networks in the world.
She has a bachelor's degree in accounting from Missouri State University and a master's in business administration from Drury University.
Roger S. Clark - Chief Commercial Officer, SVP
Job Titles:
- Chief Commercial Officer
- Member of the Executive Team
- Senior Vice President
- Director of Member Services and Corporate Communications
Clark joined Associated Electric in April 2007 as director of Member Services and Corporate Communications. In January 2008, he became director of Engineering and Operations at Associated Electric.
Previously, Clark served nearly seven years as general manager and chief executive officer of Boone Electric Cooperative in Columbia, Mo., and was manager of operations and engineering with White River Valley Electric Cooperative in Branson, Mo. A graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy, Clark has a bachelor's degree in engineering and served eight years of active military duty. He later earned a master's degree in business administration from Drury University in Springfield, Mo.
Job Titles:
- Chief Risk Officer
- Member of the Executive Team
- Senior Vice President
Thompson joined Associated Electric in July 2017, bringing 30 years of energy industry experience to lead and establish the cooperative's Energy Risk Management Division.
Prior to Associated, Thompson was vice president of business development and customer services at ACES, a nationwide, member-owned energy management company based in Carmel, Indiana. He also served as director of natural gas trading and vice president of portfolio management during his 16 years with ACES. His career includes director of NE Trading & Storage with Williams Energy Marketing and Trading, as well as positions with PG&E Trading and Energy Services, Gasco Inc., Industrial Energy Services Co. and Halliburton.
Thompson is professionally certified as a Commodity Trade Advisor by the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission. He holds a bachelor's degree in petroleum and natural gas engineering from Penn State University and a Master of Business Administration from West Virginia Wesleyan College.
Job Titles:
- Chief Human Resources Officer
- Member of the Executive Team
- Senior Vice President
Calhoun joined Associated Electric in August 2010, bringing 24 years of experience in human resources, leadership development, talent acquisition, change management, labor relations, succession planning and organizational assessment.
Previously, Shawn was corporate director of employee relations for Bausch & Lomb Inc. in Rochester, N.Y., and worked for Baxter Healthcare's manufacturing facility in Cleveland, Miss. Shawn holds a bachelor's degree in marketing and business administration from the University of Southwestern Louisiana, as well as certifications in human resources leadership and management development.
Director; Executive vice president and CEO, KAMO Power
Hilmes joined Associated's board of directors in January 2019, following his selection as executive vice president and chief executive officer of KAMO Power. His 25 years' experience with cooperatives includes 17 years as chief operations officer at KAMO, where he was instrumental in significant expansion and improvement of the high-voltage transmission system and building relationships with neighboring utilities; five years as a planning engineer at Associated Electric Cooperative; and three years as manager of engineering at Southern Illinois Power Cooperative.
He holds a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering and is a member of the Missouri Science & Technology Academy of Electrical & Computer Engineering.
Job Titles:
- Director
- CEO and General Manager of Callaway Electric Cooperative
Director; CEO and general manager, Callaway Electric Cooperative
Howard, CEO and general manager of Callaway Electric Cooperative, is a director on the board of Central Electric Power Cooperative, which elected him to represent the G&T on Associated Electric Cooperative's board in June 2009.
Howard began his cooperative career in March 1984 with Three Rivers Electric Cooperative, where he worked before taking the job of member services director in June 1985 at Callaway Electric Cooperative. In May 1996, he was named the cooperative's general manager. Howard also serves on the board of the Association of Missouri Electric Cooperatives. He has a bachelor's degree in agricultural mechanization and agricultural economics from the University of Missouri-Columbia.