Board of Directors

YOUR BOARD OF DIRECTORS

As a not-for-profit electric cooperative, Southwestern Electric Cooperative is owned and governed by the members it serves. Your Board of Directors is responsible for establishing policy, ensuring members’ needs and concerns are given fair and timely consideration, and overseeing the Cooperative’s governance, strategic direction, and financial stability.

The Board of Directors consists of nine member-elected directors, with three directors representing each of the Cooperative’s voting districts. District I includes the Cooperative’s service territory in Macoupin, Madison, and St. Clair counties; District II includes Bond, Clinton, and Montgomery counties; and District III includes Clay, Effingham, Fayette, Marion, and Shelby counties. The Board meets regularly each month, and special meetings may be called as needed. Board meeting minutes, planned agendas, and meeting schedules can be found here.

Director elections are conducted annually as part of the Cooperative’s democratic governance process. Members interested in serving on the Board of Directors must meet the eligibility requirements outlined in Section 5(B) of the Cooperative Bylaws. Board members are expected to attend regular board meetings, committee meetings, special meetings, training opportunities, and community events as needed and are remunerated by a monthly stipend, meeting per diems and reimbursement for miles driven.

Additional information regarding director candidate eligibility requirements, nomination procedures, voting methods, election timelines, annual meeting details, member voting instructions, and Nominating Committee information can be found here.

Sandy Grapperhaus

Board Treasurer

Sandy Grapperhaus has served as vice president of Southwestern’s board of directors since 2018. She chairs the cooperative’s Business Development & Marketing Committee, and serves on the Executive Committee, Policies & Bylaws Committee, and Technology & Cybersecurity Committee. She has earned a Credentialed Cooperative Director designation from the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association. She and her husband, Dan, live on a small farm between Troy and Collinsville.

Marvin Warner

Marvin Warner was elected to the board in 2020. He served as an educator in Highland Community Unit School District 5 (CUSD5) for 33 years. During the last 18 years of his career he was an administrator, serving as superintendent of schools during his final four years at Highland CUSD5. After his retirement from Highland, Warner worked for the Regional Office of Education in Madison County, coordinating professional development for educators. He retired from the Regional Office of Education in December 2017 after 10 years of service. Marvin Warner has been a Southwestern Electric member for 15 years. He lives northwest of Pocahontas with his wife, Teresa.

William Jennings

Bill Jennings was elected to the board in 2018. He was elected treasurer by Southwestern’s board in September 2019, and earned his Credentialed Cooperative Director Certification from the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association soon after. Jennings chairs the cooperative’s Member & Community Engagement Committee and serves on the Executive Committee and Cyber Security Committee. He has been a Southwestern Electric member since 1993. Bill Jennings lives northwest of Alhambra with his wife, Patty.

Jerry Gaffner

President of the Board

Jerry Gaffner has been a member of Southwestern Electric for more than 20 years. He brings a background in agricultural business to Southwestern’s board, and is currently chairman of the board of HSHS Holy Family Hospital in Greenville. Gaffner served as president of the Illinois Milk Producers’ Association from 2002-2008, and as an elder on the Greenville First Christian Church board from 2003 to 2010. He’s also served on strategic planning committees at the University of Illinois and at Bond County Community Unit School District #2. He resides on his farm northwest of Greenville with his wife, Sherri. They have three children, Jonah, Abby and Hannah.

Brad Lurkins

Brad Lurkins’ rural roots run deep. His ties to Bond County agriculture reach back four generations, to 1908, when his family established their farm in Pleasant Mound Township. Lurkins grew up on the farm and resides there still. He’s been a member of Southwestern Electric Cooperative for 35 years. Lurkins was elected to the board in 2023. Prior to his election, he served on the cooperative’s Nominating Committee for eight years. Lurkins serves on the Cyber Security Committee and Scholarship Committee. Brad Lurkins and his wife, Tammy, live on their family farm southeast of Greenville. They have four children and four grandchildren.

Amy Marcoot

For Amy Marcoot, the cooperative model isn’t just a business framework — it’s a reflection of shared values and community commitment. As CEO of Marcoot Jersey Creamery, a seventh-generation Jersey dairy farm specializing in artisan and farmstead cheeses, her connection to Southwestern Electric Cooperative reaches back to 1954, when her grandparents purchased the farm her family runs today. A third-generation cooperative member, Amy Marcoot was elected to Southwestern Electric’s board in 2025.

Annette Hartlieb

Board Secretary

For Annette Hartlieb, being involved in Southwestern Electric Cooperative is a family tradition. She grew up on a farm north of New Douglas and was raised on Southwestern lines. Annette chairs the cooperative's Business & Economic Development Committee and serves on the Executive Committee and Cyber Security Committee. She earned Credentialed Cooperative Director Certification from the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association in 2019. Annette and her husband, Dennis, live southwest of Vandalia with their children, Alexi, Bryce and Mason.

Ann Schwarm

First elected to the board in 1993, Ann Schwarm has dedicated more than three decades to advancing the co-op’s mission and serving its members. Schwarm chairs the co-op’s Emerging Technologies Committee, serves on the Policy & Bylaws Committee, and is Southwestern’s liaison to the Association of Illinois Electric Cooperatives, the co-op’s statewide trade association. Ann Schwarm and her husband Gene live on a farm in rural Loogootee. Married for 44 years, they have two sons — Alex and Andy — and three grandchildren: Augie, Ada and Seb.

Jared Stine

Vice President of the Board

A member since 2009, Jared Stine grew up on Southwestern lines. He has served on the Southern Illinois University Ag Leadership board since 2009, the St. Elmo Community Unit School District 202 board since 2013, and chairs the St. Elmo Christian Church board of directors. He also served on the Illinois Wheat Association board from 2014 to 2018. Jared and his wife, Krista, live with their children, Sydney, Anna, and Wade, south of St. Elmo, where they operate a fifth-generation grain farm.