VMDAEC annual meeting offers cooperative members a platform to guide and decide
September 2026
Russell “Rusty” Brown — VMDAEC Leadership Award
by Jeff Caldwell, Staff Writer
One of the defining characteristics of an electric cooperative is that its members have a voice. Through locally elected boards of directors, member-owners help guide the policies and decisions that shape their cooperative and address the challenges facing the energy industry and the communities they serve.
Each of the Virginia, Maryland & Delaware Association of Electric Cooperatives’ 16 member electric cooperatives is governed by a board of directors elected by local members. Together, those cooperatives also govern VMDAEC through a 32-member board composed of each cooperative’s CEO and one elected director from each co-op.
Each year, these leaders and key cooperative staff gather for VMDAEC’s annual meeting to conduct association business, share ideas and best practices, discuss industry issues, and help chart the course for the year ahead. This year’s meeting was held July 26-28 at the Hyatt Regency Chesapeake Bay Resort in Cambridge, Md.
The annual meeting also celebrates the people who strengthen the cooperative community. This year, attendees raised $80,000 for the VMDAEC Education Scholarship Foundation, helping to provide scholarships for students from cooperative communities entering college or trade school.
The association also recognized two outstanding cooperative leaders. James “Jim” Guy of Mecklenburg Electric Cooperative was honored posthumously with the VMDAEC Distinguished Service Award, which was accepted by his family. Russell “Rusty” Brown, former Northern Neck Electric Cooperative board member, received the VMDAEC Leadership Award for his longtime leadership and service to NNEC and the cooperative community.
From electing local directors to shaping association priorities, cooperative governance reflects one of the principles that sets electric cooperatives apart: Member-owners have a voice. The annual meeting is one of the many ways that voice is heard, helping ensure cooperatives remain locally led, member-focused and committed to serving their communities.
