Glen Allen, VA – The Board of Directors of Old Dominion Electric Cooperative (ODEC) has selected John C. Lee, Jr., as the cooperative’s next President and Chief Executive Officer.
“After a nationwide search, the Board unanimously selected John to be the cooperative’s next CEO and we are delighted he has accepted the position,” said Steven A. Harmon, chairman of the ODEC Board of Directors. “As we face numerous and rapidly changing challenges, we are confident in John’s ability to guide ODEC both strategically and operationally. John’s experience working at ODEC, coupled with his service as CEO of Mecklenburg Electric Cooperative for the past 16 years, will provide ODEC with the best possible leadership going forward.”
Lee has served as ODEC’s Interim President and CEO since September 8, 2023, and is also currently President and CEO of Mecklenburg Electric Cooperative and EMPOWER Broadband. He has stepped down from ODEC’s Board of Directors and will be retiring as the CEO of Mecklenburg Electric Cooperative and EMPOWER Broadband to focus his full-time attention leading ODEC.
“I am honored to be selected as the CEO of one of the nation’s premier generation and transmission cooperatives and will work diligently to maintain ODEC’s powerful legacy of outstanding service to its members,” said Lee. “ODEC and its dedicated Board of Directors are focused squarely on the needs of those we serve, and it will be a privilege to work alongside the outstanding team of employees at ODEC as we tackle imposing issues that face our industry, while keeping the electrons reliably flowing to our 11 member electric cooperatives.”
Lee brings more than 30 years’ worth of cooperative leadership experience to ODEC. He became CEO of Mecklenburg Electric Cooperative in January 2008, and has been a member of ODEC’s Board during that same time period. He served as Chairman of ODEC’s Board from 2020-2023. He also provided the vision and leadership to launch EMPOWER Broadband, which has successfully been bringing high-speed internet to southside Virginia since its founding in 2018. Prior to his time at Mecklenburg, Lee held a variety of roles at ODEC beginning in 1992 focusing on community and external relations, economic development, and member relations.
Lee also serves on or has served on numerous electric cooperative boards including the Virginia, Maryland, and Delaware Association of Electric Cooperatives, National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, National Cooperative Services Corporation, ACES Power Marketing, and National Renewables Cooperative Organization. He has been a civic leader in his community, serving on the boards of the Southern Virginia Higher Education Foundation and Virginia Commonwealth.
University Community Memorial Hospital Regional Healthcare Center. He holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business from Mississippi State University.
“John has served as ODEC’s Interim CEO extremely well over the past five months, and the Board is completely confident that this continued transition to his full-time service will proceed without the cooperative missing a beat,” said Harmon. “We are extremely optimistic about the future of the organization due to John’s leadership and ODEC’s talented staff.”
ODEC utilized the expertise of CarterBaldwin Executive Search in its recruitment and selection process. The firm provided significant assistance to ODEC’s Board, including coordination of a far-reaching, national search and extensive analysis and assessment of dozens of qualified candidates.
About ODEC:
Headquartered in Glen Allen, Virginia, ODEC is a not-for-profit, member-owned, power supply cooperative. It supplies the wholesale power requirements of its 11-member electric distribution cooperatives, which provide reliable, affordable electricity to 1.5 million people in 70 counties in Virginia, Maryland and Delaware. Learn more at odec.com.
