*Because no other members submitted petitions to run for the board, no formal election is needed. This saves the co-op mail and election costs. The three incumbent trustees will be reelected by affirmation. Members in Districts 1, 6, and 9 will not receive ballots to vote in the election.

District 1: Uncontested

Marion, Madison, Monroe, Preble, and Union townships in Allen and Adams counties, Indiana

I have been a Paulding Putnam member 19 years and am retired from iRely. In the past, I have served as chair and vice chair of the Paulding Putnam Board of Trustees, and have nine years of board experience. In that time, I completed trustee training, including earning the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) Director Gold credential, which has strengthened my ability to guide the cooperative through an evolving utility landscape.

My community involvement includes coaching T-ball, serving as a lector and committee member at ‘ St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church, donating blood, and participating in FOE #691, and the YMCA. I enjoy golf, travel, church activities, and spending time with family. As a trustee, my focus is addressing challenges such as government regulations, rising costs, and workforce retirements by supporting PAC efforts, locking in costs when possible, expanding apprenticeships and employee training, successfully growing broadband services, continuing shared services with neighboring cooperatives, and learning best practices from other electric cooperatives.

District 6: Uncontested

Auglaize, Brown, Latty, and Washington townships in Paulding County, Ohio; Defiance and Highland townships in Defiance County, Ohio

I have been a member of Paulding Putnam for 39 years and am now retired, having owned and operated my own business for 40 years. My wife, Karen, and I are proud to call this community home, and I have spent much of my career serving in leadership roles that support local and rural development. These roles include past president of Ohio ACRE, past vice president of the Chiropractic Association of Ohio, and past board chairman of Paulding Putnam. Additionally, I represented Paulding Putnam at the statewide level as secretary-treasurer, vice chairman, and chairman. I have also completed training with NRECA and earned the Credentialed Cooperative Director, Board Leadership Certificate, and Director Gold Certification.

Paulding Putnam faces significant challenges, including maintaining affordable and reliable electric service amid rising costs and the retirement of aging generation, while expanding high-speed fiber broadband to rural areas. My vision is for the cooperative to remain the trusted “go-to” resource for members and to lead in delivering reliable, affordable rural broadband. I am seeking to continue serving on the board because dependable power and high-speed internet are essential to attracting families, businesses, and future growth to our community.

District 9: Uncontested

Sugarcreek, Pleasant, Union, Ottawa, and Riley townships in Putnam County, Ohio

I am a retired chiropractor and have been a proud Paulding Putnam member for 50 years. My wife, Linda, and I are active in our community, including long-standing involvement with St. John’s Catholic Church. I have volunteered with the Glandorf Garden Club for 36 years and enjoy woodworking, welding, and tackling hands-on projects at home.

I currently serve on the Paulding Putnam Board of Trustees and have done so for the past nine years. During that time, I have gained in-depth knowledge of both the electric and broadband sides of the cooperative business and have completed board training through Ohio and Indiana Electric Cooperatives to be an informed and effective trustee. One of the greatest challenges facing electric cooperatives today is shifting government policy, particularly surrounding energy sources, which makes long-term planning and grid reliability more difficult. My focus is to keep members informed about political and regulatory issues that affect reliability and rates, while continuing to support the expansion of fiber broadband services and electric infrastructure to serve new businesses, growing communities, and future development such as data centers.