For the first time since 1981, Carroll White REMC has a new director in District Four. Earlier this year, Margaret Foutch decided to retire from the board after serving for 44 years and leaving a legacy of hard work and trust.
Filling Foutchs shoes is no small feat; however, newly elected board member Marty Cotterman brings solid skills and experience to the boardroom. A 32-year member of REMC, Cotterman served on the board for three years after being appointed in 2010.
I enjoyed serving REMC through the consolidation, said Cotterman.
Marty Cotterman and his wife, Becky
I knew it could mean stepping aside as we reduced directors. During this tenure, I completed my first level of director education, the Credentialed Cooperative Director (CCD) level. I look forward to continuing my Board Leadership training in the future, said Marty.
Cotterman works for LifeLyfts by Life Essentials, a Wolcott, Indiana business serving the farm and construction workers. They build mobility lifts, installing them across the nation and shipping them abroad. They provide mobility products to get men and women back in their agricultural and construction equipment, as well as just getting into their truck or RV or lifts for equestrian therapy, said Cotterman.
Service is a hallmark of the Cotterman family. Defender of the underdog is a term used around the household, Cotterman noted. My dad was a Battling Bastard of Bastogne, said Cotterman. This was a name given to WWII Filipino and American troops who had been trapped on the Bataan Peninsula of the Philippines Luzon Island for three months. When the battles end was imminent, these brave soldiers exploded their TNT storehouses and hundreds of thousands of rounds of small-arms ammunition and artillery shells to keep them out of Japanese hands.
Cottermans mother served on several community boards, and her familys heritage included a line of service men, police, and first responders. A quick count reveals more than a dozen officers, and a handful of nurses and dispatchers, said Cotterman.
Cotterman has served the Lafayette Police and the Monticello Police Department for a total of 45 years. His wife, Becky, is a former police officer. They have two sons and two grandsons who have served in the United States Marine Corps. One son is finishing nursing school, and one son is a dispatcher. Our family will jump in to save lives, hold a lost childs hand, assist a seizing coworker, or run into the accident scene to help those in need, said Cotterman. Its in the blueblood to go into action.
An active community member, Cotterman has served as Past President of the Greater Monticello Chamber of Commerce, Extension Board President, President of Brookston-Chalmers Rotary Club, and has served on several advisory boards and committees over the years.
Since its inception, he has been a part of the Leadership White County Leadership Team, and developing leaders is a passion. White County research showed that many people get through school, get a job, raise their kids, and work until retirement and then decide to serve, said Cotterman. Through Leadership White County, we see younger people willing to learn and desire to serve earlier, often modeling that for their own children.
Cottermans hobbies include being a vintage sign painter and the public address announcer for Frontier High School sports for the past 22 years.
The Cottermans live at Beckys childhood home at 5368 S. 450 E., Monticello. They have five sons: Chip (Jamie), Matt (Nadia), Tyler, Trevor (Kayla), and Kirby (Ceci), and nine grandchildren.
