Reese named new CEO of Sussex Rural

SUSSEX BOROUGH — Sussex Rural Electric Cooperative today announced that its Board of Directors has appointed Christopher P. Reese as President and Chief Executive Officer effective Jan. 1, 2017.
Reese joined Sussex Rural Electric Cooperative in 1992 shortly after graduation from Villanova University as Staff Engineer and moved quickly through the cooperative’s ranks from Staff Engineer to Supervisor of Technical Services, Manager of Engineering & Operations, Manager of Information Technology and then Director of Corporate Services.
During this time, Reese also received an MBA from Fairleigh Dickinson University.
Reese has also served as Vice President of SREC Resources since 2007. SREC Resources is a wholly owned subsidiary of Sussex Rural Electric Cooperative offering a full range of electrical contracting services for businesses of all sizes. SREC Resources’ services include standard low voltage contracting work, high voltage primary including solar field interconnects, and standby power generation for homes and businesses.
“Chris is clearly the best choice for the Cooperative, and he has the unanimous support of the Board of Directors,” said Jack Haggerty, Jr, SREC Chairman of the Board of Directors and the lead of the search committee. “We initiated the formal CEO succession process several months ago, searching internally and externally, in conjunction with the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, to find the best leader for our employees, members and partners. With Chris Reese taking the role of President and CEO, the board is very confident Sussex Rural
Electric Cooperative has the leadership to continue its success for the next chapter.”
Sussex Rural Electric Cooperative is a locally owned and managed, tax exempt electric utility which was incorporated in the State of New Jersey in April of 1937. Under those articles of incorporation Sussex Rural Electric is owned by the members it serves.
The Cooperative concept was created in 1937 under FDR’s “New Deal” when the Federal Government encouraged Rural Communities to form Electric Cooperatives for the purpose of creating an affordable electric system to serve their needs. Since the original conception until today, each member of Sussex Rural Electric Cooperative is still granted a membership certificate for a fee of $5.
The primary objective of Sussex Rural Electric Cooperative is to provide reliable electrical service to our members at the lowest possible cost. Sussex Rural Electric Cooperative was recently ranked one of the top Cooperatives in the United States of America with an American Customer Satisfaction Index score of 95. The SREC service territory represents over 11,000 members in the Northwestern portion of Sussex County, New Jersey and a small portion of Orange County in New York State. SREC also has a fifty year service contract with the U.S. Army to provide electric utility service at Picatinny Arsenal.