Board of Trustees
Glades Electric Cooperative is a member-owned electric distribution cooperative. Each spring at our Annual Meeting, members have the opportunity to vote for Trustees to serve on our nine-member Board of Trustees. Each year, three Trustee seats are up for reelection. Trustees serve three-year terms. Each Trustee represents a district serving a particular area.
John (Jack) Coxe
President
District 8
Lake Josephine
James (Jim) Aul
Vice President
District 7
Lorida
Shannon Hall
Secretary / Treasurer
District 4
Lakeport & Brighton
RD (Donnie) Lundy, Jr.
Trustee
District 1
Moore Haven
Barney Goodman
Trustee
District 2
Hendry County
Mike Pressley
Trustee
District 3
Ortona & Palmdale
Tyler Pugh
Trustee
District 5
Venus & Hicoria
Lee Henderson
Trustee
District 6
Highlands Park
Angela Hodges
Trustee
District 9
Okeechobee County
Election Process Timeline (in days prior to annual meeting)
140 days – 60 days prior (October 24, 2020 – January 12, 2021): Nominating Committee appointed and Board of Directors nominees selected. The Board of Directors must appoint a committee of five to 11 members who shall prepare and post at headquarters at least 45 days before the meeting a list of nominations for Trustees to be elected.
No less than 60 days prior (January 12, 2021): Nominations by petition accepted. Any 15 or more members may make additional nominations in writing not less than 60 days prior to the annual meeting.
No less than 45 days prior (January 27, 2021): Nominations must be posted at headquarters.
No less than 5 days prior (March 8, 2021): Names and addresses of nominees will run in Florida Currents.
Annual meeting to be held March 13, 2021 to elect trustees of three districts up for election.
Districts up for election in 2021: District 2 – Hendry County, District 6 – Highlands Park, District 8 – Lake Josephine
2020 & 2021 Trustee Elections
Saturday, March 13, 2021, the Annual Meeting for the election of trustees will be held at GEC’s Old State Road 8 Complex at 2829 Old State Road 8, Venus, FL 33960. Districts 2, 6, & 8 are up for election in 2021. The 2020 Annual Meeting was cancelled due to COVID-19 and 2020 Trustee elections were postponed until 2021. Therefore, members will also vote for the election of Trustees for Districts 3, 7, & 9.
2020 Trustee Candidate Biographies
District 3 (Venus & Hicoria) Candidate – Tyler Pugh (Incumbent)
- Resident of Venus; works as a ranch manager for Evans Properties, Inc.
- With wife Kristin, has commercial Brahman cow-calf and seed stock operations in Highlands & Dixie counties
- University of Florida, B.S. in agricultural operations management & specialization in production systems, 2012
- Joined GEC Board of Trustees in Aug. 2019 as midterm replacement for Ladd Bass
- Chairman for the Allied Committee of the Florida Cattlemen’s Association & member of the Board of Directors for the Florida Brahman Association
- One son Lane, age 2
District 7 (Lorida) Candidate – James “Jim” Aul (Incumbent)
- Resident of Lorida & GEC member since 1986
- Office manager for a general construction firm in Lake Placid which provides him the opportunity to work with people to design and build new homes and businesses
- Current president of the Seminole Electric Cooperative Board of Trustees & serves on the Finance Committee and Executive Committee
- Originally elected to the Board of Trustees in March of 1996 & completing his eighth term
- Has earned a Credentialed Cooperative Director’s Certificate & NRECA’s Board Leadership Certificate
- Two sons; Corey, age 28, and Garrett, age 26
District 9 (Okeechobee) Candidate – Angela Hodges (Incumbent)
- Resident of Okeechobee since 1968 & GEC member since 1987
- Indian River State College, B.S. in Organizational Management
- Assistant Director of Finance at Okeechobee County School Board
- Previously served on the Glades Electric Charitable Trust
- Has earned a Credentialed Cooperative Director’s Certificate & NRECA’s Board Leadership Certificate
- Serves as Vice President on the Glades Electric Educational Foundation
- Husband, John; two children, Arianna & John Alan; one grandson Noah, age 8
2021 Trustee Candidate Biographies
District 2 (Hendry County) Candidate – Barney Goodman (Incumbent)
- Resident of Pioneer Plantation in Clewiston
- Palm tree farmer in Hendry County
- Licensed Board Certified Dispensing Optician, practicing at Eye Centers of Florida: Clewiston
- Previously served on the Glades Electric Charitable Trust, serving as Chairman during his final year
- Has earned a Credentialed Cooperative Director’s Certificate & NRECA’s Board Leadership Certificate
- Served as a Fire Fighter/First Responder in Station 5 Pioneer Fire Department
- Past president of the Pioneer Homeowners Association and a past Scout Master
- One son, Charlie, who resides in Atlanta
District 6 (Highlands Park) Candidate – Lee Henderson (Incumbent)
- Resident of Highlands County for 44 years
- Owns and operates Henderson Fish Camp
- Appointed as trustee to complete the term of his father, Morgan Henderson, after his passing in 1996, and has been re-elected for seven terms, once serving as Vice President
- Has earned a Credentialed Cooperative Director’s Certificate & NRECA’s Board Leadership Certificate
- Serves on the Florida Electric Cooperative Association Legislative Committee
- Member of the Masonic Lodge, Scottish Rite and Shriners
- Wife, Catherine and two daughters, Morgan, age 29 and Quinci, age 17
District 8 (Lake Josephine) Candidate – John “Jack” Coxe (Incumbent)
- Permanent resident of Sebring since 1993
- Retired general manager of Florida Transport Company’s tallow plant in Miami
- Has earned a Credentialed Cooperative Director’s Certificate & NRECA’s Board Leadership Certificate
- Board of Trustee since 1994; current President
- Past Treasurer on the Executive Board of Florida Electric Cooperatives Association & past board member for Florida Rural Electric Self-Insured Fund, Florida Rural Electric Credit Union & Seminole Electric Cooperative
- Active in Florida Lake Watch Volunteers, Highlands Lake Association, Lake Josephine Association & St. Catherine’s Church
- 2 daughters, 1 son, 9 grandchildren, 8 great-grandchildren
Upcoming Elections
2021: District 2, District 6, District 8
2022: District 1, District 4, District 5
2023: District 3, District 7, District 9
Board of Trustees Qualifications
By-Laws Article IV, Section 3: Qualifications.
For a person to be qualified to become or remain a Trustee of the Cooperative, they must:
A. Be a natural person or individual and be a member of the Cooperative for at least 12 months, maintain their primary residence in the district which the Trustee represents and purchase electric energy from the Cooperative at that residence;
B. Not be employed by or have a material financial interest in a competing enterprise or business that sells electrical energy or a supplier, contractor, consultant or any other entity with which the Cooperative does a substantial amount of business;
C. Not have a relative employed by the Cooperative (the word “relative” shall be a defined word as used in these By-Laws and shall mean children or their spouses, grandchildren or their spouses, husband, wife, sister, brother, parents, stepparents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and their children, mother-in-law or father-in-law, sisters-in-law or brothers-in-law);
D. Not be employed by the Cooperative or any entity controlled by the Cooperative or an entity in which the Cooperative owns a majority interest and must not have been employed by the Cooperative for a period of five years before becoming a Trustee, and no Trustee may become an employee of the Cooperative or any entity controlled by the Cooperative or an entity in which the Cooperative owns a majority interest for a minimum of five years after leaving the Board of Trustees;
E. Attend at least three-fourths of the regular monthly Board meetings during any 12-month period beginning with the first month the Trustee takes office unless the failure to attend a meeting is excused by Board action;
F. Not been convicted of a felony or any misdemeanors involving dishonesty;
G. Subjected to a criminal background check administered by the Cooperative;
H. Subjected to and passed the initial drug screenings administered by the Cooperative for its employees;
I. Subjected to a credit check performed by the Cooperative without evidence of a history of financial irresponsibility; and
J. Is a member in good standing of the Cooperative without any disconnections for nonpayment of utility services within the last five (5) years.
All persons desiring eligibility to become or remain a Trustee shall be required to (1) execute a document that affirms compliance with the qualifications as stated in Article IV, Section 3 of these By-Laws, and (2) provide a release for the Cooperative to investigate and acquire reports necessary to affirm such compliance in order to be deemed qualified. Upon establishment of the fact that a Trustee is holding office in violation of any of the foregoing provisions, the Board of Trustees shall remove such Trustee from office. Nothing contained in this section shall affect any manner whatsoever the validity of any action taken at any meeting of the Board of Trustees.
For additional election information, please see our By-Laws at https://www.gladeselectric.com/member-services/member-forms-information/. If you are interested in serving on the Nominating Committee or the Board of Directors and would like more information, please contact Jennifer Koukos at 863-531-5004 or jkoukos@gladeselectric.com.