Three members of Southwestern Electric were elected to the co-op’s board of directors during Southwestern’s 88th Annual Meeting of Members, held Saturday, Sept. 12, at the American Farm Heritage Museum in Greenville. Southwestern Electric members voted to elect one member from each of the cooperative’s three voting districts to serve on the board.
All three candidates were incumbents. From District I, incumbent Marvin Warner of Pocahontas ran unopposed. From District II, incumbent Brad Lurkins of Greenville defeated Clayton “Snipe” Hilderbrand of Sorento, receiving 1,221 votes to Hilderbrand’s 612.
From District III, incumbent Annette Hartlieb of Vandalia won re-election over challengers Vance Moore of Brownstown and Cassie Abendroth of Beecher City. Hartlieb received 1,015 votes, Moore received 451 and Abendroth received 339. Each director will serve a three-year term on the board.
Marvin Warner
Marvin Warner’s familiarity with electric cooperatives and their guiding principles dates back to his childhood. Growing up on a farm in Shelby County, he saw firsthand the benefits of a member-owned cooperative.
“I believe that members of a democratic society need to each offer to do things that benefit their fellow citizens,” he said. “I see serving on the Southwestern Board as a way to help give back to the members of the Southwestern Cooperative.”
Warner chairs Southwestern Electric’s Policy & Bylaws Committee and serves on the Member Engagement Committee, Building Committee and Scholarship Committee. During his first two terms on the board, Warner completed the Credentialed Cooperative Director and Board Leadership Certificate courses and is currently working toward his Director Gold Credential.
Marvin Warner has been a Southwestern Electric member for more than 20 years. He lives northwest of Pocahontas with his wife of 51 years, Teresa. They have two children and six grandchildren.
Brad Lurkins
For Brad Lurkins, a cooperative mindset is one that focuses on “people over profit.”
“Being a director, we need to keep members’ needs in mind in all decisions we make,” Lurkins said.
Lurkins is no stranger to the electric cooperative model. Before becoming a director, he served on Southwestern Electric’s Nominating Committee for eight years. His membership in the cooperative dates back 38 years.
As a member of the board, Lurkins has served on the Scholarship Committee and Member Engagement Committee. During his first three-year term as a director, he earned a Certified Cooperative Director (CCD) certificate from the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA).
Lurkins has been farming since 1980. He has also worked for the Illinois Department of Transportation as a temporary highway maintainer for the past 16 years. Brad Lurkins and his wife, Tammy, live on their family farm southeast of Greenville. They have four children and five grandchildren.
Annette Hartlieb
For Annette Hartlieb, keeping costs low for members while offering reliable service is a “balancing act” that she relishes as a member of the Southwestern Electric Cooperative board of directors.
“We need to ensure reliability in our ever-changing, technology-driven world,” Hartlieb said, “while always keeping our members at the forefront when making decisions on finance.”
A board member since 2017, Hartlieb grew up on Southwestern Electric lines while being raised on a farm north of New Douglas. In her time as a board member, Hartlieb has earned the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association’s (NRECA) Credentialed Cooperative Director certification, and she has also completed the association’s Gettysburg Leadership Experience training. She’s currently completing coursework for NRECA’s Board Leadership Certificate, with a focus on governance, communication and business models.
Annette Hartlieb and her husband, Dennis, live southwest of Vandalia with their children, Alexi, Bryce and Mason.