CANDIDATE BIOGRAPHIES

Jodi Foran

Jodi Foran has committed herself to serving our community in many different ways. Among her roles: board member of Southwest Memorial Hospital; president of the League of Women Voters of Montezuma County; steering committee member of Montezuma Climate Action Network (M-CAN); president of Lakeview Harmony Club and member of the following organizations: Montezuma Historical Society, San Juan Citizens Alliance, Cortez Chamber of Commerce. Her affiliation with these community organizations will enrich her contribution to the EEA Board of Directors.

Jodi's grandfather, Professor Elza Needham, moved to Montezuma County more than ninety years ago. He was a popular teacher, principal and superintendent in Montezuma and La Plata Counties. An elementary school is named for him in Durango. From her grandfather, Jodi developed a lifelong love for Southwest Colorado. She and her husband, Chris, retired to Montezuma County eight years ago. Over four years, they designed and built a passive solar home. Knowing firsthand how the Southwest sun can heat a home on a cold winter day, Jodi enthusiastically encourages other home builders to look into passive solar designs. She and Chris have been very interested in renewable energy for many years.

Jodi's interest in serving as a board member of Empire Electric Association is serious and strong. In the next four years, energy policy and business models will change, and Jodi believes Empire Electric Association can and should play a major role in helping its members understand the changing business environment of electrical power generation. She will encourage the Association to expand its growing member education programs and workshops. EEA has presented excellent forums on conserving electricity, auditing electrical usage, renewable energy and net metering. As an EEA Board member, Jodi will be a strong proponent of on-going — and increasing — educational outreach. She understands that many of the challenges facing a rural electric cooperative are complex and wide-ranging, and she is committed to helping all members participate in the dialogue about issues that EEA and its members will confront in the next decade.

Jodi retired as a business process and technology consultant in 2001. She is a SAP certified business software consultant, and her work experience has included US as well as international companies. She earned a BS in mathematics from Purdue University with honors in biology, and an MS in general education from Texas A&M University, with additional courses at UCLA and University of Texas. She has taught at all levels, including the senior collegiate. With local roots, Jodi has benefited from broad experience in diverse positions in the corporate world.

Candidate's Statement: "I endorse the co-op concept, and feel that it would be an honor to serve Empire's members as a Director. I am organized, focused and committed, and will devote my skills, knowledge, time and enthusiasm to ensure that EEA continues to be an outstanding, well managed business providing reliable power at the lowest rates possible to its members. I applaud the leadership EEA management provides to all of its members, and support EEA's continued contribution to the economic vitality and quality of life in our area. I believe strongly that renewable energy and efficiency can contribute to economic viability, whether new green power is sourced elsewhere or generated by a local business or individual. New sources of power will be crucial to keep our cooperative financially viable, its infrastructure sufficient and its power source reliable and constant in a changing economy."

William Mollenkopf

Dr. William 'Bill' Mollenkopf is a Family Optometrist at the Cortez Vision Clinic. Since 1975, he has cared for — and had the opportunity to get to know — his many patients, all of whom come from the same area served by Empire Electric.

Bill has served on many boards, including the:

• Colorado Board of Optometric Examiners, appointed by Governor Roy Romer.
• Cortez City Council (elected twice), also serving as the Mayor of Cortez.
• Empire Electric Association Board of Directors (two terms).

In addition, Bill was:

• presented the Director's Certificate by the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association.
• appointed Empire Electric's first representative to the Tri-State G&T Board of Directors, where he served on both the Engineering & Operations committee, and the External Affairs/ Member Relations committee.

Bill and his wife Judy enjoy 'roughing-it' from their camp-trailer, 4-wheeling, fishing, and watching the many birds and 'critters' from their home on Simon Draw.

Candidate's Statement: "If elected, I sincerely pledge to you, the members/owners of Empire Electric, to:

• accept the invaluable information/insights provided by Empire's greatest asset, the employees of Empire Electric.
• carefully consider the unique points-of-view that the varied Board Directors offer in discussing policy issues.
• use my experience, skills, and in-depth understanding of our community to make responsible decisions that preserve Empire's dynamic present and future.

I hope that you will "see" me as the best qualified, proven choice to serve your interests as the newest Empire Electric director. I deeply appreciate your consideration, your votes and your support."

David Sanford

David Sanford first came to Montezuma County in 1968 and has been a landowner here since 1972. His working background has been in natural resource management. After receiving a BS degree in Wildlife management, he began his natural resource career as a seed analyst with the California Department of Game and Fish. He worked two years with the Bureau of Land Management in California and Nevada and then spent 17 years with the Forest Service in Kansas, Colorado, Nebraska and South Dakota. He was with Southwest Seed from 1982 to 1989, and then worked from 1990 to 1997 at the Colorado State University Experiment station at Yellow Jacket. In 1997 he started working for the Southern Ute Indian Tribe in Ignacio in range management and then ran the Tribal Agriculture Division. David retired in November 2007.

David has served on several local boards over the last 35 years: the Mosquito Control; Empire Electric Association; Montezuma Water Company; Summit Reservoir and Irrigation Company; Dolores Soil Conservation District; and the Dolores Schools Accountability Committee. He currently serves on the Montezuma Water Company Board of Directors and he chairs the San Juan Resource and Development Council. He has also been active in the Boy Scouts and the United Methodist Church in Dolores. David's wife Ann is the elementary PE teacher in Dolores and their two sons attended preschool through high school in Dolores.

Candidate's Statement: "In 1989 I was appointed to the Empire Electric Association Board to fill a vacancy. I was elected in 1990 to complete the vacated term, and then defeated in the election of 1991. My time on the Empire Board was a great learning experience and I enjoyed it very much. I have completed several of the courses leading to a Director's Certificate and would very much like to put my experience and training to good use. Generation of clean power in the United States is coming under greater scrutiny each year. New standards being set by government will become increasingly difficult to meet without large increases in cost to the consumer. Electric cooperatives will come under increasing pressure to sell out to for profit utility companies. If elected I pledge to work hard to insure that our Electric Cooperative and the other associated cooperatives continue to provide power at as low a rate as possible, while at the same time planning and providing for future power needs from all sources. I would appreciate your vote."

Mark G. Tuttle

Mark Tuttle and his wife Karen moved from Milwaukee, Wisconsin to Summit Ridge in May of 1996. Mark held a variety of product engineering management and corporate leadership positions over a 25-year period with a successful manufacturing company there. He has worked with both state and federal regulatory agencies, recruited and developed personnel to meet current and future challenges, and led the ongoing product planning process. "Continuous improvement in everything that we do" evolved from a corporate slogan to a way of life. He has been on both sides of Boards of Directors — making project and budgetary presentations for approval by the Board of his company, while also serving in various positions, including Chairman, on the Board of a national not-for-profit C3 corporation, where he remained active for about 3 years after moving here. Mark has also served on the Summit Ridge Water District Board of Directors for the past 10 years and has been active with United Search and Rescue of Montezuma County, a volunteer group within the County Sheriff's Office, for the past 5 years. It should also be noted that after purchasing a summer cabin in this area three years ago that was off the grid, he assembled and continues to operate an 850 watt solar power system as the primary household electrical source.

Candidate's Statement: I grew up in western Nebraska, and my Mother always said that you can take the boy out of the country but you can't take the country out of the boy. Moving back to a rural area with the many good people, public lands and recreational opportunities has been great, but I feel I should use the many things that I have learned in business to give something back. I think it is pretty clear that Empire Electric, and the country as a whole, is facing some significant issues concerning energy production and transmission, how renewable energy will impact future power generation, and the cost of services provided. I do not claim to have all of the answers, right now I may not even understand all of the questions, but I can learn pretty quickly; and I am sure that I can help create positive change in the future. If you will give me this opportunity, I believe that I can make a difference."

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John Porter

John was born in Montezuma County, at Lewis, Colorado, a community named after his maternal grandfather, on November 4, 1933. He received his education at Lewis elementary and Montezuma-Cortez High Schools. He graduated from Colorado A&M College in 1955.

He has been married to Nancy 54 years. They have two daughters, and two grandchildren.

John retired as General Manager of the Dolores Water Conservancy District in September 2002, a position he held for 21 years. During that time he was on the board of directors of the Colorado Water and Power Authority for 17 years.

He was appointed a director of Empire Electric, to fill a vacancy, in 2002. He was elected to a one-year term in 2003 and a four-year term in 2004. John says there are difficult challenges facing the power industry. A prime challenge will be to maintain affordable rates and dependable service while incorporating renewable energy, conservation, and power use efficiency into the system.

Candidate's Statement: Empire Electric's primary mission has always been to provide reliable service at an affordable price. Because of the need to meet growing demand, the hurdles facing building of new power plants, the need to incorporate renewable energy into power supply, and the need to promote conservation, the task is becoming more challenging. If re-elected as a director, I will continue to devote my efforts toward solutions to these issues.

Gary Norton

Gary Norton was born in Cortez, Colorado to John & Mary Norton. He graduated from Cortez High School in 1959 and joined the United States Air Force where he served four years as an aircraft electrician and an electronic and radar technician. He then began his 38-year career in the electric industry. He worked 3 1/2 years for the Sacramento Municipal Utility District as an Apprentice Lineman and moved back to Cortez in 1969, working for Empire Electric as a Journeyman Lineman. His journeys took him to Denver and then to Telluride as a lineman for Western Colorado Power (before San Miguel Power took ownership). He continued on to Meeker where he was employed as a line superintendent, Operations Manager and Assistant General Manager at White River Electric until 1985. He is a certified instructor in bare-handing up to 500,000 volts of energized power lines. In October of 1985, Gary accepted the position of General Manager of San Miguel Power Association, Inc, which is headquartered out of Nucla, Colorado.

During his years at White River Electric and San Miguel Power, Gary became familiar with all the "workings of a cooperative" — from the financing to the field and safety operations of an electric cooperative. He has served on the Tri-State board of directors and was appointed to a special committee during Tri-State's acquisition of Plains Electric in New Mexico. Gary retired from San Miguel Power in 2003, and is now proud to again call Cortez his home.

Candidate's Statement: "I would like to serve on the Empire board of directors and offer my expertise in rural electric cooperatives to keep EEA a going concern. We need to keep reasonable rates and still pay back consumers their earned capital credits, ensure management has everything they need to provide all employees a safe working environment and provide them with the required training and state-of-the-art equipment to maintain the electric system."

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