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J. Manley Garber is longest-serving electric co-op board director in U.S.
MANASSAS, Va. ― The Virginia, Maryland & Delaware Association of Electric Cooperatives (VMDAEC) board of directors recognized J. Manley Garber of Woodbridge, Virginia, for more than five decades of service to the association and its 15 member cooperatives in three states. The board honored him at their July 24 annual meeting in Glen Allen, Virginia.
VMDAEC noted that Garber has served on electric utility boards longer than anyone in the United States. After being elected to the Prince William Electric Cooperative (PWEC) board in 1950, at age 25, he began his long tenure as the co-op’s board chairman in 1974.
During this time, VMDAEC member cooperatives elected Garber to the VMDAEC board of directors. He served as the board’s chairman from 1969 to 1971, and again from 1989 to 1991.
In 1983, Garber oversaw the merger of PWEC with Tri-County Electric Cooperative, which served customers in Fairfax, Loudoun, and Clarke counties. The new company became Northern Virginia Electric Cooperative. The NOVEC board of directors elected Garber as its first chairman.
“Manley has made significant contributions to electric cooperatives for more than half a century,” says Richard G. Johnstone, CEO of VMDAEC. “He has always been a gentleman of lively good humor, a respected colleague, and a valued friend to all his fellow board members and to the staff of this association. His long record of service stands alone among the nation’s more than 900 electric cooperatives.”
About VMDAEC
VMDAEC is the trade association for 15 consumer-owned, not-for-profit, electric-distribution cooperatives in Virginia, Maryland and Delaware. The Glen Allen, Virginia-based association provides member cooperatives with employee, director, and safety education and training, government relations and legislative support, and communications services, including Cooperative Living magazine for consumer-members. For more information, visit www.vmdaec.com.
About NOVEC
