Annual Meeting & Election

Nine candidates are contending for four district seats up for election this year on VEC's Board of Directors. Three of the districts have uncontested races, while one – West Zone-at-Large – has six candidates vying for the single seat.

Below are the districts with seats up for election, and candidates, and their candidate statements, running in each district.

District 1 

District 1 includes Averill, Avery’s Gore, Barton, Bloomfield, Brighton, Brownington, Brunswick, Canaan, Charleston, Ferdinand, Guildhall, Holland, Lemington, Lewis, Lyndon, Maidstone, Morgan, Newark, Norton, Sheffield, Sutton, Warner’s Grant, Warren Gore, Westmore and Wheelock.

William Gilbert

Hi, 

My family and I love this area and doing the things that make the NEK a special place to live and raise a family.

I am passionate about the power industry. For 9 years, I have worked on constructing gas, solar and wind power plants in the United States and Ireland. Each new plant is cleaner and more efficient than the last. As a construction contract manager, I understand commercial issues that are important to protect our co-op and members.

I spent my life in public service. I loved every minute of my career doing logistics in the Army. I spent the last 3 years on the governing board of NEKbroadband. It is great to see the project advancing our communities toward digital equity.

Our grid is evolving with advancing technology. Electric demand is rapidly increasing due to the electrification of vehicles and heating. These changes will challenge our co-op. If elected to the board, I will manage changes to protect our members.

Don Worth was a great board member. I enjoy being able to pick up the phone and get a straight answer. Don is willing to jump on a call, discuss any issues, and offer meaningful advice and suggestions. I appreciate his dedication to our community. His shoes will be tough for anyone to fill.

Please reach out to me at [email protected] if you have any questions.

I appreciate your consideration and hope to work for you.

Bill

District 2 

District 2 includes Coventry, Derby and Newport City

Jeff Wilson

I am honored to have served as the District 2 representative on the Vermont Electric Cooperative (VEC) Board for the past year. While I did not come from a traditional utility background, my experience as a U.S. Marine and my decade of service assisting fellow veterans at the VA have instilled in me a deep commitment to service, problem-solving, and advocating for others. I believe these values are essential in representing our members and ensuring their voices are heard.

Over the past year, I have worked hard to learn the complexities of the energy industry while actively assisting members with questions and navigating VEC programs. It has been a privilege to help where I can, and I remain dedicated to advocating for the needs of our community. I recognize that challenges lie ahead—rising costs, shifting energy policies, and external influences beyond our control, but I am committed to ensuring that our members stay informed and that affordability remains a priority.

If re-elected, I will continue to focus on keeping electricity rates as fair and manageable as possible while strengthening public engagement between VEC and its members. I can’t control federal policies or the actions of our neighbors in Canada, but I can promise to work diligently to ensure members understand how these factors impact our cooperative. Transparency, accountability, and community advocacy will remain at the heart of my approach.

I look forward to the opportunity to continue serving you and working together for a stronger, more resilient cooperative.

East Zone-At-Large 

East Zone includes Albany, Averill, Avery’s Gore, Barton, Bloomfield, Brighton, Brownington, Brunswick, Canaan, Charleston, Coventry, Craftsbury, Derby, Ferdinand, Glover, Greensboro, Guildhall, Holland, Irasburg, Jay, Lemington, Lewis, Lowell, Lyndon, Maidstone, Morgan, Newark, Newport City, Newport Town, Norton, Sheffield, Sutton, Troy, Warner’s Grant, Warren Gore, Westfield, Westmore and Wheelock.

Tom Bailey

At this time, I wish to ask for your vote to continue as a director of the Vermont Electric Cooperative. I believe that my past several terms as a VEC director, including President of VEC for 9 years, and my 30 year prior career experience in the electric utility industry qualifies me as a good candidate to continue as your VEC director.

The primary mission of VEC’s management and directors is to provide safe, affordable and reliable electric service to your homes, farms and businesses. Over the past years I have worked closely with your other VEC directors to improve these functions at VEC. As we go forward, we are transitioning to a more renewable, low carbon power supply mix and exploring technology upgrades that are cost effective and do not create an unbearable burden for you, our members.

A further snapshot of my relevant past experience would include a bachelor of science degree from Clarkson University in Engineering and Management and an MBA from Eastern New Mexico University. I am a veteran of the US Air Force and the Air National Guard. My further relevant experience includes 10 years on the North Country High School Board and 12 years on the Town of Derby Select Board.

I would like to recognize and thank all VEC employees and fellow directors for the effective transition to a work mode that continues to provide excellent service for our members. Please contact me if you have ideas, suggestions or questions at (802) 766-2647.

West Zone-at-Large 

West Zone includes Alburgh, Bakersfield, Belvidere, Berkshire, Bolton, Cambridge, Eden, Enosburg, Essex, Fairfax, Fairfield, Fletcher, Franklin, Georgia, Grand Isle, Highgate, Hinesburg, Huntington, Hyde Park, Isle La Motte, Jericho, Johnson, Milton, Montgomery, Morristown, North Hero, Richford, Richmond, Sheldon, Shelburne, South Hero, Starksboro, Stowe, St. Albans Town, St. George, Swanton, Underhill, Waterville, Westford, Williston.

Peter Ehrlich

As a passionate advocate for clean energy and a seasoned technology leader, I am committed to ensuring a reliable, affordable, and sustainable future for Vermont Electric Cooperative (VEC) members. My experience running a community solar farm in Vermont has given me firsthand insight into the challenges and opportunities of renewable energy at the local level.

With 14 years in web software engineering and my current role as an engineering manager at Arbor—a company dedicated to lowering household energy bills while accelerating the clean energy transition—I bring a strong analytical and problem-solving mindset to the table. I understand how to leverage technology to improve energy efficiency, optimize grid operations, and empower consumers.

Additionally, as a member of the Jericho Energy Task Force, I actively engage in community-driven, local solutions for clean energy adoption. I believe in the power of cooperative leadership to strengthen grid resilience, integrate cost-effective renewable energy, and ensure that VEC members benefit from smart, forward-thinking energy strategies.

By serving on the VEC board, I will work to enhance grid reliability, support member-focused energy programs, and ensure a just transition to a cleaner energy future—all while keeping costs fair and affordable. I would be honored to represent the membership and bring my expertise to VEC’s mission.

Jerry Elliott

My name is Jerry Elliott, I reside in the West Zone working as a school bus driver for Cambridge. I have had the position since my retirement from the Electric Utility Industry in 2021. This role allows me to interact with families and understand the circumstances that shape our community. Regardless of economic status, reliable and cost-effective power is essential for the well-being of all.

I bring 35 years’ experience in operations including:

1. Distribution: Managing the delivery of electricity to homes and businesses.
2. Transmission: Working at the Local Control Center to ensure the reliable operation of power transmission.
3. Bulk Power: Engaging in operations and support services to facilitate reliable and economic market solutions.

If elected, I am committed to implementing VEC vision shaped by my core beliefs:

1. Safety and Legality: All work actions and considerations prioritize safety, legality, and the public good.
2. Diverse Power Sources: I will advocate for utilizing a wide range of power sources, both within Vermont and transaction-based including; nuclear, ICUs, renewables (wind, water, battery, solar power), customer load actions, and virtual power plants.
3. Balancing Tradition and Innovation: To meet industry growth, it is essential to embrace traditional and innovative solutions. Changes mandated by legislation and environmental considerations are inevitable. Change must be implemented thoughtfully, considering the economic impact and ensuring consumer-facing programs are available to support the transition.

It would be a privilege to serve with the dedicated team of professionals during these exciting times filled with potential and opportunity.

John Hango

As we continue to become more dependent on electricity, safely delivering reliable and affordable energy to our members is essential. The variability in the different sources of electrical energy combined with our changing demand makes maintaining and expanding our grid more challenging than ever. As this shift continues to evolve, we need to ensure that our infrastructure is capable of reliably meeting our demands at a reasonable cost.

I grew up in Berkshire, Vermont, where four generations of local families reside. My wife and I raised four children here, and we feel strongly that there is a pathway for future generations to continue to live sustainably. My background is in Mechanical Engineering; large-scale manufacturing of generic drugs and R&D for future immunotherapy drugs to fight cancer.

Based on my experience running a large manufacturing plant in Vermont, as well as taking care of our family’s home and farm, I understand that work must be accomplished safely and efficiently. It is imperative to retain and recruit VEC’s current and future staff to ensure we meet our goals.

In our leisure time, my family and I enjoy outdoor recreation and raising a small herd of beef cattle. I’ve had the privilege of serving on boards such as United Way, Northwestern Medical Center, Governor’s Institute of Vermont, Franklin County Industrial Development Corporation, and Parish Council. I am committed to working collaboratively to support our community, businesses, and farms to ensure a resilient infrastructure that reliably and affordably meets the needs for future generations.

Vinnie Jiwatram

As a board member, my priority will be to ensure that the co-op stays true to its mission of providing safe, affordable and reliable energy to its members.

I will use my experience in operations and supply chain management to guide the co-op in achieving a high level of grid resilience by operating safely and proactively planning for unexpected events such storm related outages and security breaches while ensuring that we operate within our financial means.

As your board member, I will use my knowledge in managing financial, human and material resources to guide the co-op’s leadership team in making sound decisions to keep our electric costs contained while operating safely. To be specific, I bring my successful experiences in leading teams to procure and build utility scale energy storage projects, transformers, rectifiers and inverters for public and private entities as well as the US military.

I understand the mechanics of working in regulated industries, conducting contract negotiations, optimizing supply chains and managing safety standards - all while keeping the customer’s concerns for cost and service in mind and doing the right thing for employees.

I personally use solar, wood pellet and fossil fuel energies to balance my energy requirements, so I understand the challenges and rewards that members experience when making energy choices. I hold a Bachelor of Science in Economics and Finance and have been living in Fairfax for over 30 years.

Thank you for considering me to be a steward of your co-op.

Mark Larivee

In 1983, at the age of 19, I enlisted in the US Navy. I was chosen as part of the hand selected precom crew aboard the USS Yorktown CG48 (Guided Missile Cruiser). I concluded my enlistment aboard the Guided Missile Cruiser, serving areas in the Atlantic Ocean, Mediterranean and Black Seas at the rank of Petty Officer 2nd Class Hull Maintenance Technician (HT).

In 1988, I joined my present employer, Viatris (formerly Mylan Technologies). During my 37 years with this company, I have worked my way up to managing and directing multiple projects in a timely and cost-effective manner.

I received my Bachelor of Science degree in Facility Mgmt/Business at Johnson State College. I also hold Masters Licenses in both Electrical and Plumbing/Heating. I am a member of the National Fire Protection Agency and the International Association of Electrical Inspectors.

I would bring a strong work ethic if elected to the VEC Board of Directors. My interest is furthering VEC’s transformation with affordable and sustainable operations.

With the exception of my time in the Navy, I have resided in Northwestern Vermont all of my life, and have lived in Berkshire for 27 years, along with my wife, Anne. We have two sons that we are very proud of, Luc and Ben.

Thank you for considering my candidacy.

Thank you,

Mark E. Larivee

My contact information;

Home (802) 933 -2509

Mobile (802) 393-5205

Email: [email protected]

Bonnie Pratt

The energy system is changing significantly and my entrepreneurial background and PhD in energy systems make me uniquely suited to help VEC address these challenges. I earned my MBA from Babson and went on to launch multiple start-ups and coach entrepreneurs. I’m good at assessing risk and opportunity, collaborating with teams, and centering work around a shared vision for the future. I now work for EnergyHub, a DERMS software company that helps hundreds of utilities manage distributed grid assets like electric vehicles, batteries, and smart thermostats. I work with electric utilities throughout North America on a daily basis so I can bring fresh perspectives and ideas to VEC board meetings.

I have served on the VEC board for the past three years. During that time I have used my business background to assist with financial decision-making to keep rates as low as possible, and supported measures to improve recovery times from extreme weather events like installing smart meters which send a signal back to the utility when power is interrupted so that homeowners no longer need to call VEC to report outages. As extreme weather becomes increasingly frequent it will be important for the co-op to stay attuned to the latest innovations enabling energy reliability, resiliency and affordability. I would like to continue to bring a mix of professional and academic experience to the board and greatly appreciate your consideration for a second term.

Bonnie Pratt

Email: [email protected]

Cell: (617) 833-5746

LinkedIn

The results of the 2023 Board of Directors election can be seen here:

To watch the recorded Annual Meeting Livestream click here.

Thank you donors for the generous raffle prizes!  

• electric string trimmer/leaf blower from Johnson Farm and Garden
• electric lawn mower from Jerihill Ace Hardware in Jericho
• merchandise from Jolley convenience stores
• gift cards and certificates to local and national retailers courtesy of Lucas Tree Experts, Power Sales Group, Charles Curtis LLC, Paul Frank + Collins, and Wilschek Iarrapino Law Office PLLC.

Election

The results of the 2022 election for Board of Directors can be viewed here.

VEC's 2021 Annual Meeting was held remotely on Saturday, May 8.

VEC's 2020 Annual Meeting was held remotely on Tuesday, May 26.