Clay Electric Cooperative’s Board of Trustees is composed of members who live and work in Clay Electric’s service territory. They are elected to oversee the governance of the cooperative. The Board is elected by the members from the general membership of the cooperative. They are responsible for establishing, reviewing and revising corporate policies to ensure that Clay Electric fulfills its mission to provide members with safe, reliable and affordable electricity with excellent customer service. See the Cooperative’s bylaws for more information regarding trustee roles and responsibilities.
The Board of Trustees will meet in the boardroom at the headquarters building in Keystone Heights at noon Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024; Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024; Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2024; and Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025.
Trustee district boundaries as listed below are effective Feb. 1, 2024.
Cindy Loose of Keystone Heights, District 1
Cindy Loose of Keystone Heights, District 1
elected 2023
Cindy Loose teaches mathematics at Keystone Heights Jr./Sr. High School. She graduated with a master’s degree from the University of Florida. Cindy has served as Mathematics Department Chairperson, Math Honor Society Sponsor, member of the National Honor Society Academic Faculty Council, member of the KHHS Safety Committee, and a Curriculum Council Committee member.
She also participated in the rigorous program of becoming a Nationally Board-Certified Teacher. Cindy also spearheads the Cambridge AICE/Pre-AICE program, serving as the Cambridge AICE Coordinator.
Kelley Smith (President) of Palatka, District 2
Kelley Smith of Palatka, District 2
1987-present
Kelley Smith, a former Florida House Representative, has held all of the board officer positions on the co-op’s board of trustees: president, vice president, secretary and treasurer.
Kelley holds the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association’s Director Gold credential certification, the highest level of achievement in NRECA’s Director Certificate Programs.
Susan Reeves of Hawthorne, District 3
Susan Reeves of Hawthorne, District 3
1981-present
Susan Reeves has held all positions on Clay’s Board of Trustees, and is currently the president of the Board of Trustees at Seminole Electric, Clay’s wholesale power supplier. She holds the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association’s Director Gold credential certification, the highest level of achievement in NRECA’s Director Certificate Programs.
Carl Malphurs of Alachua, District 4
Carl Malphurs of Alachua, District 4
2010-present
Carl Malphurs, a farmer and lifelong resident of Alachua County, has held all of the board officer positions.
Carl holds the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association’s Director Gold credential certification, the highest level of achievement in NRECA’s Director Certificate Programs.
Dewitt Hersey (Vice President) of Starke, District 5
Dewitt Hersey of Starke, District 5
2012-present
Dewitt Hersey has held all of the board officer positions and holds the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association’s Director Gold credential certification, the highest level of achievement in NRECA’s Director Certificate Programs.
Dewitt retired from Clay Electric in 1996 after a 36-year career in engineering.
Jimmy Wilson of Middleburg, District 6
Jimmy Wilson of Middleburg, District 6
2014-present
Jimmy Wilson, a lifelong resident of Clay County, is retired from the Clay County Sheriff’s Office.
He has held all of the board officer positions on the co-op’s board of trustees and holds the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association’s Director Gold credential certification, the highest level of achievement in NRECA’s Director Certificate Programs.
John Henry Whitehead (Treasurer) of Lake Butler, District 7
John Henry Whitehead of Lake Butler, District 7
2007-present
John Henry Whitehead retired as a colonel in the Florida Department of Corrections, where he served 35 years.
He has held all of the board officer positions and holds the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association’s Director Gold credential certification, the highest level of achievement in NRECA’s Director Certificate Programs.
Jo Ann Smith (Secretary) of Wacahoota, District 8
Jo Ann Smith of Wacahoota, District 8
2012-present
Jo Ann Smith has held all of the board officer positions and holds NRECA’s Director Gold credential certification, the highest level of achievement in NRECA’s Director Certificate Programs.
She is a lifelong Clay Electric member and served as assistant secretary for Marketing and Inspection Services of the U.S. Department of Agriculture from 1989 to 1993.
Karen Hastings of Citra, District 9
Karen Hastings of Citra, District 9
2015-present
Karen Hastings has held all of the board officer positions and holds NRECA’s Director Gold credential certification, the highest level of achievement in NRECA’s Director Certificate Programs.
Hastings has been a member of Clay Electric since 1995 and is a retired realtor.