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Annual Meeting & Director Election Notice

A lively crowd enjoyed great food, engaging presentations, and meaningful conversations with neighbors during the annual meeting held last year in Custer County at the Wet Mountain Saddle Club. Don’t miss the next annual meeting on June 19 in Buena Vista for a morning of connection and community!

Sangre de Cristo Electric Association (SDCEA) Board of Directors set June 19, 2025, for the cooperative’s 85th annual meeting, which will be held this year in Buena Vista. Details will follow. Members of the cooperative will act on financial data for the year 2024, hear speakers, and consider any other business that may come before the meeting.

If this year’s director election is contested, it will be held separately from the annual meeting by mail and online vote.

Petitions for director seats were made available beginning January 15, 2025. Nomination petitions and candidate questionnaires must be received at SDCEA’s office in Buena Vista by 5 p.m. Monday, April 7.

Director Seats

2 seats are up for election in June, 1 seat as the Custer County representative, currently held by board chair Sandra Attebery, and 1 seat as the Fremont County representative, currently held by Rob Canterbury. Both representatives have indicated they wish to run again for their respective seats. All director candidates are nominated by petition. Fifteen or more current members of the cooperative must sign each nomination petition. Any member interested in running for a director’s seat in a future election should review the following guidelines.

If you are interested in running for a board seat, please contact us at (844) 395-2412 or email SDCEA. Members must reside within the director’s district to be considered for nomination.

Candidate Guidelines

Directors of rural electric cooperatives establish policy and provide leadership in a complex, technical, and ever-changing industry. They do not deal with daily cooperative operations or work in the cooperative office daily. Directors attend a minimum of 1 day-long board meeting per month and may attend other meetings or training programs held outside SDCEA’s service territory or out of state. In addition, rural electric cooperative directors spend a considerable amount of time reading cooperative and industry material and maintaining current knowledge of industry trends.

Consider the following qualifications and responsibilities when choosing a member for nomination or when deciding to run for a director position.

Qualifications

To qualify for directorship, a person shall:

  • Be a member of the cooperative or an individual authorized by an entity member;
  • Be a resident of the designated director district;
  • Have the capacity to enter legally binding contracts;
  • Disclose all monetary and in-kind contributions and expenditures directly or indirectly to or from his/her campaign for election to the board.

No person shall be eligible to become or remain a director who:

  • At any time during such person’s nomination, election campaign, or term of office, fails or has failed to meet the qualifications provided in Article II, Section 3.A of SDCEA’s Bylaws. The Board of Directors shall establish a policy to execute a vote to expel a Director for failure to meet the qualifications provided in Article II, Section 3.A of SDCEA’s Bylaws.
  • Fails to protect the confidentiality of Personal Identifiable Information and other confidential information provided to SDCEA by members, consumers, employees, directors, vendors, and the public.
  • Has been convicted of, is pleading guilty to, or had pleaded guilty to a felony.
  • Is or has been within the 5 years preceding June 17, 2025:
    • Employed by SDCEA or the spouse of an employee.
    • Employed by or has a significant financial interest in a business that sells or provides commodities, products, or services to the cooperative.
    • Employed by or a full or partial owner of an electric or natural gas utility, a propane company, or a renewable/alternative energy company, or has a significant financial interest in an entity that regularly competes with SDCEA, any entity that the cooperative controls or in which it has a substantial interest.

Directors serve without salary but may be allowed fair remuneration for their time spent in the cooperative’s service as directors, consistent with rural electric cooperative practice. Candidates should agree to serve the entire term of office for which they are elected. The position of director shall not be used to further any political ambition, and directors must be capable of representing the entire membership on an impartial basis.

Responsibilities

A director must be willing to:

  • Promote and safeguard the interests of the cooperative;
  • Expend the effort necessary to understand the cooperative’s problems and provide the needed judgment to reach decisions in constantly changing circumstances;
  • Support all official decisions and actions made or taken by the board;
  • Study information in reports submitted to the board;
  • Contribute to the development of statements onboard functions and responsibilities, and work toward their constant improvement;
  • Objectively evaluate and consider the questions and problems that face the cooperative;
  • Stay informed of the cooperative’s ideals and objectives, and study and analyze the policies, plans, and problems that result from efforts to achieve those ideals and objectives.
  • Keep informed on and aware of the attitudes of members, employees, and the public toward the cooperative’s objectives and policies;
  • Inform all interested persons about the cooperative’s ideals, objectives, programs, and services;
  • Attend classes to attain NRECA director certification within the first full three-year term of office and work toward NRECA board leadership certification within the second or third term.

Personal Qualifications

Board Chair Sandra Attebery of Custer County shares key messages with the community at the 2024 Annual Meeting

A director candidate should display the following personal qualifications:

  • Good business record and possession of sound business judgment;
  • Demonstrated capacity for leadership and reputation for honesty and good judgment;
  • Demonstrated capacity for working with others;
  • Ideals and objectives are compatible with cooperative philosophy and principles.

SDCEA members (named account holders) may vote in the upcoming board of directors election either online or by mail.

Early in May, all cooperative members will receive a ballot in the mail along with instructions for voting online or mailing in their vote. Members and voting delegates with an email address on file will also receive detailed online voting instructions via email.

All ballots must be received by the election company Survey & Ballot Systems, or cast online by 1 p.m., June 13, 2025, to ensure they are counted for the June 17, 2025, election. If you do not receive the ballot mailing or need any assistance in voting, please call our office, at (844) 395-2412 or email SDCEA.

Voters are encouraged to take advantage of voting, as each vote counts towards deciding who will become a part of the board of directors. SDCEA is dedicated to making sure all members have the chance to make their voices heard.

Candidate question and answer columns will also be published and available after April 7, 2025, and featured in the May edition of Colorado Country Life magazine.

Board candidate financial disclosures may be found here when available. Candidate disclosure document due dates are April 30, May 12, and June 11.