The 2026 Annual Meeting of the Members will be held at Brady Township Community Center in Luthersburg, PA on Wednesday, May 20th at 7 P.M.
2025 Annual Meeting of the Members
United Electric’s 2025 Annual Meeting of the Members attracted a large crowd in Luthersburg on Wednesday, May 21st. As a thunderstorm rolled in, Board Chairman Stephen A. Marshall called the meeting to order at 7 p.m. Steve welcomed approximately 300 members, families, and guests, a large increase from last year. Steve introduced and thanked the rest of the board members, as well as special guests Steve Brame, President and CEO of Allegheny Electric Cooperative (our generation and transmission supplier) & PREA (our statewide organization) and Pete Fitzgerald, Vice President of Public Affairs and Member Services for PREA.
Down to Business
Eileen Pisaneschi, our Board Secretary/Treasurer, read the Official Annual Meeting Notice that appeared in the May issue of Penn Lines, which was mailed to all members of United Electric on May 1, 2025. “The Annual Meeting will be held May 21, 2025, at 7:00 p.m. at the Brady Township Community Center in Luthersburg, PA,” read Secretary Pisaneschi. “At the time of the mailing there were 16,280 members of the Cooperative.”
After motions from the floor to approve the 2024 Annual Meeting Minutes and 2024 Financial Reports, Chairman Marshall expressed his and the Board of Director’s gratitude to all the members who continue to support the cooperative and believe in our mission for safe, reliable, affordable power.
New Introduction
New President and CEO Leonard Hawkins took to the stage next for his first member address. “Thank you for taking the time to come out tonight. I grew up in a little town called Houtzdale.” Len continued, “I have worked at United Electric for 25 years. Brady Township is my home, approximately 3 miles from here. I am super excited to announce the birth of my first grandchild. My wife Kandace and I have a lot to be thankful for: my family, my faith and my role at the cooperative.”
Len discussed the role of United in this time of transition in the energy sector: “Wildfire mitigation is a new area of concern. Fires have a strict liability threshold meaning if the utility is involved in any way, that utility will most likely be liable for all damages. United’s right-of-way clearing program is an important tool in the fight to prevent wildfires. United’s largest account, a coal mine, is also shutting down operations. The annual usage for this mine was 2.5 million kilowatt hours (kWh), or about 253 homes. Global supply chains have faced challenges-In the last 4 years our costs have skyrocketed for commonly used items like primary wire (58%), transformers (98%), wood cross-arms (99%), Insulators (70%) and underground cable (114%). These realities required United to prioritize resources and ultimately increase our rates effective January 1st.”
In the spirit of Cooperative Principles, Len also discussed Cooperation Among Cooperatives with our recent storm related outages and assistance from sister cooperatives, including Rappahannock Rural Electric in Virginia. Concern for Community was also displayed with the installment of the Brenda Swartzlander Scholarship. “This scholarship is for members and their children pursuing a degree in business management or electrical engineering. I would like to congratulate Natalie Battaglia for winning the first ever Brenda Swartzlander scholarship.”
Special Guest
Len introduced Steve Brame, President & CEO of the Pennsylvania Rural Electric Association (PREA) United’s statewide service organization, and Allegheny Electric Cooperative, Inc., our statewide generation and transmission supplier.
Steve began by thanking Len and sharing a few personal observations of him, “Len and I started in the cooperative program about 6 months apart and he has the support of United’s board and staff. Len made his dedication for the cooperative clear when he drove back from PREA in Harrisburg to be with his employees during both spring storms that caused major destruction in United’s territory.”
Steve echoed much of Len’s remarks regarding factors impacting the energy industry today. He added, “The supply of electricity keeps going down, while demand for it keeps going up. I have discussed this every year I have been here with you. Data centers and Artificial Intelligence (AI) are becoming more prevalent and one query using AI uses 10 times the power of a standard internet search. The impact of these technologies on Allegheny will not be as significant as it will be on investor-owned utilities because we own 67% of our generation.
I would just like to end with this: mother nature really helped this discussion tonight. She gave the talking point to conclude on. There was a storm while we were sitting here. Mother nature is very unforgiving and when it impacts you and your power is out, it’s frustrating. But the next time your power goes out here in central Pennsylvania, think about the lineman and staff at United Electric. They aren’t staying home with their families; they are going out in the field to try and restore power as quickly and safely as possible. I ask you for not only a little grace when your power goes out, but also a little prayer for all those that are restoring power for you in your time of need.”
Election Results
Board Vice-Chairman Timothy Burkett introduced Judge of Elections Patrick Lavelle reported the results of the director elections in District 4 and 5. Because there were no petitions to run for the board in either district, in accordance with the Cooperative Bylaws, incumbent directors David Walker (4) and Stephen Marshall (5) were re-elected. Tim thanked the board and employees of United for all that we have done and continue to do and asked for a round of applause.
With the cooperative’s business wrapped up, Charmain Marshall called for a motion to adjourn. Before parting, Steve took a moment to express once again his heartfelt thanks to all the members for their unwavering support and dedication to the cooperative's success.