Girl power

On June 27, 2015, Laurie Forster was elected as the first-ever female president on the Carbon Power and Light (CP&L) Board.

There has only been one other woman on Carbon's Board of Directors besides Forster since the Board has been active beginning in 1941. The first female Board member on Carbon's Board was Jane H. Houston, of Centennial, Wyo. She served on the Board of Directors for 14 years from 1983 to 1997.

Forster describes her emotions upon being elected, "It was very unexpected. I was humbled and surprised, but very honored at the same time that they would believe in me." Board members can become president as soon as they are elected by their fellow members. There is not a certain length of time that a person has to be a Board member before becoming the president.

Forster was first elected to be a Board member in 2008 alongside Clay Thompson. According to information from their website provided by Russell Waldner, General Manager, Forster received her Credentialed Cooperative Director (CCD) Certificate in October of 2010. The CCD curriculum consists of five courses designed to provide the basic knowledge and skills required of cooperative directors. The CCD certificate is earned by attending five required courses and successfully completing a learning assessment of each.

Being the new president, Forster is grateful to have the colleagues that she does, "I'm excited about it; with Russell Waldner being the new manager ... we'll be doing what is best for the co-op and the membership. I think we'll communicate great together."

Bob Johnson, of Elk Mountain, recently decided to step down as president, leaving the Board to elect a new member to fill the spot. According to Waldner, Johnson has been on the Board since 1991. He will remain active on the Board as a member. "I'm very happy that Bob will be available to me, he's called and told me he's available for questions when I have them," Forster said.

Forster said that there are always new things to learn while being a Board member because things are ever-changing. There is not a set term length for the presidency, as the first CP&L Board president resided for 30 years. "The Board is very knowledgeable; there are people that have been on it for many, many years," Forster said. The Carbon Board of Directors is made up of three districts with three Board members in each district.

The Board members have a confidence in Forster that she will lead them well and keep the best interest of the co-op members in mind. "With them electing her as the president, they have the confidence that she is going to do a good job," Waldner said. "If she didn't demonstrate that to the rest of the Board they wouldn't have made her the president."

The CP&L Board meets the fourth Wednesday of every month during the summer hours and fourth Friday during the winter hours.