Southern Maryland Electric Cooperative (SMECO) president and CEO Austin J. Slater, Jr., submitted his retirement letter to the Board of Directors at the monthly board meeting held Tuesday, October 15, 2019.
In his letter, Slater recounted his tenure as CEO for the past 17 years as rewarding. “I have proudly worked for our cooperative for more than 33 years,” Slater said. “It is impossible for me to imagine my life without the time devoted, relationships made, and rewarding accomplishments I’ve experienced and shared with so many people here at SMECO and in the Southern Maryland community.”
Scott White, Chairman of the SMECO Board of Directors, said, “Joe’s leadership of the co-op has been transformational. His impact on SMECO, our employees, our members and the Southern Maryland community has been truly noteworthy. We completed the Southern Maryland Reliability Project, installed smart meters throughout our service area, built a new engineering and operations facility, and invested in technological upgrades that benefit all of SMECO’s members. It takes great leadership skills to run an organization like SMECO, and Joe has displayed courage, vision, confidence, inspiration, and dedication in his role as CEO.”
To allow time for the board to select a replacement and to ensure a smooth transition, Slater said that he would continue in his role as long as necessary, but that the process should be completed and a new CEO should be in place in about six months.
