Fredericksburg, Va. – Richard C. Oliver of Orange County has received the 2017 Electric Cooperative Leadership Award from the Virginia, Maryland & Delaware Association of Electric Cooperatives (VMDAEC). Presented during an awards luncheon at the Association’s July 24 annual meeting in Norfolk. VMDAEC’s highest honor, this award recognizes outstanding leaders whose efforts have been instrumental in the development of rural electrification within the three-state region.
After joining the Rappahannock Electric Cooperative (REC) board of directors in 1996, Oliver served as its Vice Chairman from 2006-2009 and as Chairman from 2009-2012.
“Richard has been an integral part of his cooperative’s success for 21 years,” said VMDAEC President and CEO Richard Johnstone, who added that Oliver also served on the VMDAEC board of directors. “His leadership guided REC through a 2010 expansion that added more than 52,000 accounts from the former Virginia service of Allegheny Power (Potomac Edison) in northwestern and north central Virginia, with the cooperative growing by more than 50 percent.”
REC President & CEO Kent Farmer added, “Richard’s knowledge and vast network of contacts helped us gain support from members in our newly acquired area, who quickly came to appreciate the benefits of the cooperative form of business. He has been an active committee member and strong supporter of the Association’s scholarship program, with both his character and wisdom contributing to his success as a quiet and thoughtful leader.”
The 2017 Leadership Award resolution also cites Oliver’s years of contributions to his community. He worked as a teacher and administrator for the Fairfax County Schools for 18 years, becoming Assistant
Principal at George C. Marshall High School. In 1980, he took early retirement to fulfill his dream of farming again, establishing Five Oaks Dairy Farm in Orange County. Active in his community, he served on the Orange County School Board, Planning Commission and Tax Equalization Board, was a member of the Orange County Farm Bureau and was on the board at Loudoun Mutual Insurance Company.
Oliver’s agricultural stewardship twice earned Five Oaks Dairy the U.S.D.A.’s Chesapeake Bay Clean Water Farm Award, the Virginia Soil and Water Conservation Award for the Culpeper District and the Grand Champion Conservation Award for the York River Basin.
A military veteran who served in the Army National Guard and Army Reserve from 1958-1964, Oliver is a Paul Harris fellow of Rotary International and member of Orange Baptist Church. He and his wife Susan each have three children and together have 12 grandchildren.
About REC: REC provides electric service to over 164,000 connections in parts of 22 Virginia counties. With its general office in Fredericksburg, Va., the Cooperative operates and maintains more than 16,000 miles of power lines through its service area, which ranges from the Blue Ridge Mountains to the tidal waters of the Chesapeake Bay. For more information about REC, please visit www.myrec.coop. Follow REC on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.
About VMDAEC: Founded in 1944, VMDAEC is the trade association for 15 customer-owned, not-for-profit electric distribution cooperatives that serve Delaware, Maryland and Virginia. The Glen Allen, Va.-based Association provides its member cooperatives with employee and director education, safety training, government relations, and communications services, including publishing Cooperative Living magazine. For more information, visit www.vmdaec.com or www.co-opliving.com.
Richard Oliver, who served on the boards of both Rappahannock Electric Cooperative (REC) and the Virginia, Maryland and Delaware Association of Electric Cooperatives (VMDAEC), received the Electric Cooperatives’ Leadership Award at VMDAEC’s July 24, 2017 Annual Meeting in Norfolk. From left: VMDAEC President and CEO Richard Johnstone, Richard’s wife Sue, Richard Oliver, REC board Chairman Darlene Carpenter, VMDAEC Board Chairman James Huffman and REC President and CEO Kent Farmer
