Board of Directors

They live in your neighborhoods, shop in your stores and—like you—receive monthly bills from CoServ. They are your CoServ Electric Board of Directors, democratically elected CoServ Members who oversee the operations of your cooperative and work collectively to represent the best interests of their fellow Members. Directors are not CoServ Electric Employees and are not part of the day-to-day business decisions. Each lives in one of the seven districts that make up CoServ's service territory, and each represents all CoServ Members.

If you have an issue with CoServ that you do not believe has been adequately resolved by CoServ Executives, you can email [email protected].

Bill Ragsdale, District 6 Director

Bill Ragsdale

District 6 Director
Chairman
Current term 2020–2023

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Chris McCraw, District 3 Director

Chris McCraw

District 3 Director
Vice Chairman
Current term 2020–2023

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Trisha Sheffield, District 5 Director

Trisha Sheffield

District 5 Director
Secretary/Treasurer
Current term 2021–2025

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Richard Muir, District 1 Director

Richard Muir

District 1 Director
Current term 2021–2025

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Leon Pelzel, District 2 Director

Leon Pelzel

District 2 Director
Current term 2022–2026

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Mark Rutledge, District 4 Director

Mark Rutledge

District 4 Director
Current term 2020–2023

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Chance Adair, District 7 Director

Chance Adair

District 7 Director
Current term 2022–2026

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Board District Map and Elections

The CoServ Electric service area is divided into seven districts. Each of the seven districts will have one Director to ensure equal geographic representation. However, each Director represents all CoServ Members.

Directors go through extensive training during their time on the Board in order to gain a deeper understanding of the electric industry and electric cooperatives. In 2021, CoServ made the decision to expand terms from three years to four years to better take advantage of the knowledge gained during their tenure. As a result, CoServ will not have a Board of Directors election in 2024. Starting in 2025, there will be two board seats up for election each year and every fourth year there will be one seat up for election.

Every year, CoServ Electric conducts an Annual Meeting for Members. Before the meeting, the cooperative is required under its bylaws to notify each Member (as of the record date) residing in a district where a Director’s term is expiring that a Director for that district is to be elected at the Annual Meeting. Once a candidate is nominated, all Members, no matter which district they reside in, can (and should) cast votes in the election. Read Article IV of CoServ Electric's Bylaws for more details.

Upcoming Meetings

April 20, 2023
May 25, 2023
June 22, 2023
July 20, 2023
August 17, 2023
September 21, 2023
October 19, 2023
November 16, 2023
December 14, 2023

Board Director Elections Board Director FAQ CoServ Member Forum

Board Director Elections

2023 Elections: Districts 3, 4 and 6

Interested in serving? The deadline to schedule an orientation session closed on Wednesday, March 15th at 5 p.m. CST.

Board Candidate Process

Per CoServ Electric's bylaws, eligible CoServ Electric Members can apply to be candidates for election to the Board of Directors, vote in the Board of Directors election and watch the Annual Meeting, where the election results are announced. This year’s Annual Meeting will be broadcast on our website. Ballots are returned to and counted by election firm Survey & Ballot Systems (SBS).

District Notices

Every year, a notice is mailed to all Members that reside within the districts that are up for election. 2023's District Notice for Districts 3, 4 and 6 will mail in the March 2023 edition of Texas Co-op Power magazine and will be posted below.

Upcoming Elections

2023: Districts 3, 4 and 6

2025: Districts 1 and 5

2026: Districts 2 and 7

Board Term Lengths

Districts 3 and 6 will serve 2023–2027 and District 4 will serve 2023–2028.

2023 Election Timeline

January 16: Record date for District Notices. (If you became a CoServ Electric Member after this date, you will not receive a District Notice.)

February 24: District Notices are mailed in the March edition of Texas Co-op Power magazine to all CoServ Electric Members residing in Districts 3, 4 and 6—the Districts from which a Board Director seat is up for election this year.

2023 District Notice

March 3: First day Director petitions are made available.

March 15: Members interested in running must schedule an orientation session by 5 p.m. CST.

March 17: Members interested in running must attend an orientation session and receive a director petition packet by 5 p.m. CST.

March 24: Director nomination petition and other required forms are due to CoServ's corporate office by 5 p.m. CST and by appointment only.

April 3: Last day for Board candidates to withdraw in writing from the election.

April 17: Record date for the Annual Meeting Notice. All CoServ Members as of the official record date can vote.

May 11: Annual Meeting Notice and ballots mails to eligible CoServ Electric Members. Paper ballots will be mailed directly to the homes of Members by the third-party election firm Survey & Ballot Systems, and will
include a link to a secure web portal where Members may choose to cast their votes digitally.

June 1: Ballots must be received by Survey & Ballot Systems by 5 p.m. CST. Members may choose to vote online or mail their completed ballot to SBS using the provided prepaid envelope.

June 6: Annual Meeting | Election results announced.

Board Director FAQ

When are CoServ Electric Board elections conducted?

Elections are held in conjunction with CoServ’s Annual Meeting, which is conducted every summer. Survey & Ballot Systems (SBS) will mail the ballots directly to Members on Thursday, May 11, 2023. The ballot packet will include a link to a secure web portal where Members can choose to cast their votes digitally. Ballots must be returned to SBS by June 1 at 5 p.m. CST. See the Elections FAQ for key dates during the Board of Director election process. A candidate must receive a majority vote to be elected. If needed, runoff elections are held after the Annual Meeting on a date determined by the Board of Directors.

What are the relevant dates for the 2023 elections?

The 2023 Annual Meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, June 6. It will be conducted at CoServ's headquarters in Corinth and will be broadcast on CoServ.com. District Notices mail to CoServ Members residing in Districts 3, 4 and 6 in the March 2023 edition of Texas Co-op Power magazine, which will mail on February 24, 2023. See the Elections FAQ for key dates during the Board of Director election process.

How do I know which Board district seats are up for election?

District Notices are mailed to all Members in those districts where a Director’s term is expiring, 90 to 105 days before CoServ's Annual Meeting. District Notices will appear in the March edition of Texas Co-op Power magazine for CoServ Members residing in Districts 3, 4 and 6. View our district map above.

Upcoming Elections:

2023: Districts 3, 4 and 6

2025: Districts 1 and 5

2026: Districts 2 and 7

How do I become a candidate for the CoServ Electric Board of Directors?

To be a candidate you must be a CoServ Electric Member and meet the other Director qualifications listed in our bylaws. When the Director position from the district you reside in is up for election, you may obtain a Board of Director information packet from CoServ, which includes Director qualifications, requirements and responsibilities. If after reviewing the
information packet you have an interest in becoming a Director candidate, you must participate in a Director candidate orientation session. At the orientation, you will be provided additional information regarding the qualifications, requirements and responsibilities for a CoServ Electric Board Director. The petition process must be completed online and the other required forms must be submitted in-person to CoServ. See the Elections FAQ tab for key dates during the Board of Director election process.

Who can sign the Director nomination petition?

Director nomination petitions require valid signatures from at least 25 qualified CoServ Electric Members residing within the district from which a director is nominated.

What is the due date for nomination petitions?

Petitions must be filed before or by 5 p.m. Friday, March 24, 2023. Refer to the Elections FAQ tab for key dates during the Board of Director election process.

How do I know if I’m qualified to be a Director?

Section 4.6 of CoServ's Bylaws detail the qualifications for a Director, including that you:

are a CoServ Electric Member in good financial standing
have been a Member for at least 24 months prior to the election
reside in your district
hold no other elected position
have never been convicted of a felony
are not a close relative of a current CoServ Employee or Board Director

These are just a few of the qualifications. Read the Bylaws for the complete list to find out if you’re qualified.

Are Directors public officials?

No. Only CoServ Electric Members may vote. The election is not open to non-Members.

Who do Directors represent?

Directors represent all CoServ Electric Members. They must be nominated from the district they live in—to ensure that all geographic regions within CoServ’s service territory are represented—but they are elected at-large, which means that all electric Members vote for them.

How are votes counted and certified?

Ballots cast by CoServ Electric Members are collected and tabulated by election firm Survey & Ballot Systems. The law firm of Richards, Elder & Gibson PLLC serves as the election official that certifies the results.

How long does a Board Director serve per term?

CoServ Board Directors are elected to four-year terms, except District 4 in the 2023 election only, which will serve a five-year term. This one-time adjustment will stagger the elections so that we have two or less districts up for election each year. The terms, which were expanded in 2021, will allow our Board more time to learn about the industry and put their institutional knowledge to work for the benefit of the cooperative.

What time commitment is required to serve on the Board?

Serving on the Board of Directors requires a significant time commitment. Directors are required to attend CoServ’s regular monthly board meeting, which is held during normal business hours and typically lasts most of the day. Directors are expected to spend additional time prior to the monthly meeting preparing for the meeting and staying current on industry issues. Directors will also be required to attend quarterly workshops and special meetings as called by the Chairman of the Board. CoServ management provides Directors with a substantial amount of information and data that require time to review and read. A new Director can expect to be required to spend additional time outside of the Board meetings to become familiar with the operation of the electric cooperative and the energy industry. On average, Directors spend 12 hours per week in Board meetings, preparing for Board meetings or attending training and conferences as part of their duties as Board member.

Do Directors draw a salary?

No. However, Directors are compensated for their time spent preparing for and attending the monthly board meeting, reviewing correspondence from cooperative staff and attending community functions.

CoServ Member Forum

The CoServ Electric Board of Directors meets monthly at CoServ’s offices at 7701 S. Stemmons Freeway, Corinth, Texas. Scheduled meeting dates are listed at the bottom of this page.

CoServ Members who would like to address the Board may do so after they have met with CoServ’s senior management to resolve their concerns or issues. In addition, Members can contact Board Directors via email. If a Member still desires to address the Board after meeting with a CoServ manager and/or receiving a response to his/her email from a Director, he or she must register for the CoServ Member Forum no later than 48 hours in advance of the start time for the forum.

Member Forums begin at 11:30 a.m. on Board meeting dates and are conducted in the first-floor conference room across from the cashier’s office at CoServ’s offices. Upon arriving at the forum, Members will be asked to fill out an information card before speaking. Only Members are allowed to address the Board during the forum.

Each Member has three minutes to address the Board during the forum. If there are more than three Members wishing to address the Board on the same topic, the Board may elect to limit the number of Members who may speak and ask them to select one spokesperson. Member forums are limited to 30 minutes.

The Board will recess from its meeting to conduct the Member forum. If the Board takes action on the forum topics upon resuming its board meeting, either the CEO or Board Chairman will advise the Member of the action taken, if deemed necessary by the Board.

To register for a Member Forum, CoServ must receive from the Member, no later than 48 hours before the start time for the forum, the Member’s name, service location or Customer Number, and the topic(s) the Member desires to address with the Board. This information must be provided by calling 940-321-7800, ext. 7556. The registration information must be received in this timely manner in order for the Member to participate in the Member Forum.

Board of Directors

Bill Ragsdale

Chris McCraw

Trisha Sheffield

Richard Muir

Leon Pelzel

Mark Rutledge

Chance Adair

Board District Map and Elections

Upcoming Meetings

2023 Elections: Districts 3, 4 and 6

CoServ Member Forum

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