Seven candidates run for two seats on NOVEC’s board of directors at Sept. 16 annual meeting at BHS

NOVEC encourages all Co-op members to attend and vote at the Sept. 16 annual meeting at Battlefield High school, 15000 Graduation Drive, Haymarket, VA 20169. 6 p.m. for Co-op departments’ exhibition and a complimentary pasta dinner and 7:30 p.m. for the meeting and election.

Election of Two Directors
A competent, dedicated board of directors makes an electric cooperative successful. As members, NOVEC customer-owners have the right and responsibility of electing the most qualified fellow members to the board.

Directors serve four-year staggered terms. In 2015, members will elect a director to represent District 2 - all of NOVEC’s Loudoun County territory except for South Riding - and to represent all of NOVEC’s territory as the At-Large director. All Co-op members are eligible to vote for one candidate in District 2 and one for the At-Large seat no matter where they reside.
 
Each candidate will have the opportunity to speak before balloting begins at the annual meeting.
Co-op members who cannot attend the meeting may sign proxy cards and assign their votes to a current board member or to another member who will be attending. Because of the required vetting process, nominations will not be accepted from the floor.

Candidates are listed in alphabetical order in the candidate profiles that follow . Find additional information at http://www.novec.com/About_NOVEC/annual_meeting.cfm .

District 2 Candidates
Sean Bodkin, Aldie - Bodkin is an associate counsel for the North American Reliability Corporation. NERC is overseen by the U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and Canadian government authorities. NERC’s mission is to ensure the reliability of the North American bulk power system.

As part of his job, Bodkin collaborates with FERC on complex reliability investigations and settlements for electric systems and operations.

When he was deputy county attorney in Santa Cruz, Arizona, Bodkin handled criminal and civil matters, and interpreted regulations. Prior to that, he worked as finance manager for the Salt River Project, one of the largest publicly owned electric systems in the country. Before that he worked with developers and jurisdictional bodies on land-use issues. 

Bodkin is seeking a seat on NOVEC’s board of directors to assist the Co-op with his “extensive utility, legal, and finance background.” He wants to “ensure low rates and dependable service.”

If elected, Bodkin says, “As a practicing attorney with experience in utility regulation and land-use law, I can contribute to the success of NOVEC.”

Bodkin has an MBA from Arizona State University and a law degree for the Phoenix School of Law.
 
Bodkin’s volunteer work includes being a coach for Special Olympics and having served on various commissions and boards.
 
Harry Harris, Ashburn - Harris has served on the board of directors since 2007. He is a retired commercial property manager and a retired Grand Union and Magruder’s grocery store manager. He has served as president of two homeowners’ associations and as a board member of a third.

As a board member, Harris wants to “encourage the efficient use of electricity” and “promote cost-effective energy efficiency and development of clean sources of energy.”

Regarding the knowledge, experience, and skills Harris brings to the board, he says, “With ongoing board commitment to excellence in all business aspects and strong business/financial skills [while being] active in HOA and in community activities gives me an excellent background to analyze problems, communicate with diverse audiences and make thoughtful decisions. My fresh ideas and new perspectives help the Board to enact policies that could potentially keep our community competitive. I have witnessed the growth, both good and not so good.”
 
Harris graduated from Washington and Lee High School in Arlington and attended Northern Virginia Community College. He served in the U.S. Army as a Specialist/5.

Because of his volunteer work on the Arlington County Commission for the Aging, Harris received an award from the Arlington County Guardianship Program.

Anthony “Tony” J. Howard, Leesburg - Howard has been president and CEO of the Loudoun County Chamber of Commerce since 2006. He also is a board member of: the Loudoun Small Business Development Center, Loudoun County First Responders Foundation, Visit Loudoun, Loudoun County Economic Development Advisory Commission, and the Virginia Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives.

Prior to coming to Loudoun, he was a senior vice president for the Fairfax County Chamber of Commerce, and communications director for a congressman on Capitol Hill.

Howard says if elected to the Co-op’s board he would like to apply his “business expertise, political savvy and network of contacts to ensure that NOVEC continues to provide the best possible service.” He says, “I want to make certain that Loudoun County is represented by a knowledgeable director who will serve as an advocate for members.”

Howard would like to see the board of directors “be actively involved in building stronger relationships with political and community leaders.”

As president and CEO of the largest chamber in Northern Virginia, Howard says he is well-prepared for the role of NOVEC director. He says, “I understand the importance of a customer-focused approach.”

Howard has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism from the State University of New York.

Director-at-Large Candidates
Fawn V. Freeman, Clifton - Freeman is a director in the Mission Investment Solutions Division of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

As a project management professional, she has led many initiatives that have streamlined and improved federal-government operations. One initiative was founding the Federal Project Management Community of Practice. With a membership of more than 30 federal government agencies, the practice encourages project managers to collaborate to improve project execution.

Because of her leadership, Freeman was awarded the Association For Federal Information Resource Management (AFFIRM) 2015 Leadership in Cross-Government Collaboration award and the EPA Agency Bronze Medal for Commendable Services
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Freeman has served on the Occoquan Watershed Coalition and has been the Town of Clifton’s town clerk. She has also served as the vice chair of the NOVEC Board Evaluation Committee, which interviews board candidates to ensure that they can support NOVEC’s mission and vision.

Freeman says she would like to bring her skills to NOVEC’s board of directors: “With over 20 years of experience managing portfolio investments, I consistently demonstrate an ability to significantly contribute to organizational growth and sustainability. I am a trusted advisor with exceptional relationship-building, change-management, and decision-making skills.”

Freeman holds a Bachelor of Science degree in business from Capella University, Summa Cum Laude. She volunteers as a Grief Share counselor and with the Honor Flight Network for WWII and Korean War veterans.

Brent “Buddha” George, South Riding - George is president and CEO of Buddha George Consulting, Inc. BGCI provides executive-level consulting services to the Intelligence Community and the Department of Defense.

George says, “NOVEC is innovative and looking to the future as they introduce new products. With my background in systems acquisition and program management with a focus on technology development, I definitely know I can help NOVEC continue to grow.”

Having recently retired as a captain in the United States Navy, George was an aviator and test pilot. He developed and tested intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance systems. He received more than 23 medals and ribbons, including the Defense Meritorious Service Medal.

In recent years, George has served as a director with the National Reconnaissance Office, Space and Naval Warfare System Command Space Field Activity.

George received a Master of Science in Aviation Systems and Flight Research from the University of Tennessee Space Institute in 2000, and an MBA in Aviation with distinction from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Florida in 2005. He earned a Project Management Professional Certification in 2008.

George has been an Assistant Scoutmaster for almost eight years for Boy Scout Troop 1430 in Aldie. He is a volunteer Commissioner with Loudoun County’s Economic Development Advisory Commission. He says he would like to sit on NOVEC’s board as another way of serving the community.

Chris Myers, Haymarket - Myers is the Mid-Atlantic regional director for Electric Power Systems. He oversees five field service offices and is responsible for reaching revenue goals of $10 million annually. EPS serves all types of electric utilities as well as commercial, industrial and government-sector clients.

Myers says, “My experience working with so many different clients gives me a unique perspective that would be critical to my role as a member of the NOVEC Board of Directors. It would also allow me to provide my firsthand knowledge of industry best practices with regards to safety and human-performance initiatives.”

After serving in the U.S. Marine Corps, Myers graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering Technology from Oklahoma State University. He went to work as a technical support engineer for American Electric Power in Tulsa. (American Electric Power is a major investor-owned electric utility that delivers electricity to customers in 11 states, including Virginia.)

Myers says, “I have gained invaluable experience from working in multiple technical, engineering, and management roles in the electric utility industry.”

Myers’s community service includes volunteering with Special Olympics “in multiple capacities” since his high school days. Today, he helps sponsor annual golf tournaments that benefit Special Olympics organizations.
 
Myers lives with his family in the Dominion Valley community.

William R. Zilliott, South Riding - Zilliott, elected to the board in 2007, serves on the Power Supply and Audit committees. If re-elected, Zilliott says he will “continue to work closely with the other board directors and executive management to enable NOVEC to be strongly positioned to meet the challenges of both the near and more distant future.” 

The former U.S. Air Force officer’s career includes working on drafting and negotiating multi-national arms-control treaties and serving as staff officer for the Deputy Undersecretary of the Air Force for International Affairs. Zilliott’s awards include several Meritorious Service Medals.

As a risk-management expert, Zilliott worked with the FBI on the nation’s Critical Infrastructure Protection Program to access risks for the electric-power grid and other vital U.S. systems. He then became a senior vice president for a company before launching NexLevel Solutions LLC, a consulting firm.

Zilliott completed Engineering Management doctoral studies at George Washington University’s Institute of Crisis, Disaster and Risk Management. He holds an MBA from the University of North Dakota, and degrees in finance and economics from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. He attained 32 hours of graduate business law at Tulane Law School. He has taught management as an adjunct professor at the University of Maryland.

Zilliott has served as a Boy Scout scoutmaster and Habitat for Humanity site manager.

For more information about the annual meeting and the board candidates, go to http://www.novec.com selec,t About NOVEC, and then Annual Meeting.

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NOVEC is a not-for-profit electric utility corporation that supplies and distributes electricity and energy-related services to approximately 160,000 customers in Fairfax, Fauquier, Loudoun, Prince William, Stafford, and Clarke counties, the Town of Clifton, and the City of Manassas Park. It is one of the largest electric companies of its kind in the nation. For more information, visit http://www.novec.com or call 703-335-0500 or 1-888-335-0500.