Three board of director positions are up for election at the 2011 annual meeting
Join Wasco Electric Co-op at our annual meeting held November 19th at the Civic Auditorium in The Dalles.
District 1
LISSA BIEHN grew up in Maple Valley, Washington. She graduated in 1993 from Tahoma High School, where she was very active in FFA, National Honor Society and the varsity swim team.
As a high school student, Lissa was fortunate to attend the Idaho Cooperative Utilities Associa-tion annual Youth Rally in Twin Falls through Clearwater Power Co. At the youth rally, Lissa learned the magnitude of rural electrification and the important role that cooperatives play.
After spending a year as state secretary for Washington FFA, Lissa headed to Washington State University, studying agriculture education and soil science. While at WSU, Lissa used her leadership skills in student clubs, such as the College of Agriculture and Home Economics Student Senate, Alpha Zeta, Ag Ed Club and the Block & Bridle Club. She graduated with honors in 1998 with a bachelor’s degree in agriculture, with a minor in soil science and a teaching degree.
Lissa taught agriscience, horticulture and natural resources for two years at Eastmont High School in East Wenatchee, Washington.
In 2000, Lissa married Steven Biehn, moving to Mosier in 2001. Lissa and Steve have two children, both attending St. Mary’s Academy in The Dalles.
Lissa is in her 10th year working as a program technician for the Wasco/Hood River County Farm Service Agency.
Lissa looks forward to helping keep the lights on in our rural areas through her participation with Wasco Electric Cooperative.
NEAL HARTH, incumbent, has lived in the Columbia District southwest of The Dalles for about 62 years. He and his wife, Bonnie, farm about 4,700 acres, including 200 acres of irrigated land and a 150-acre cherry orchard. His mother, Opal Harth, has farmed in the same area for many years.
Neal graduated from The Dalles High School in 1962. He attended Oregon State University for a year and Clark College in Vancouver, Washington, for a year, where he studied agriculture and economics.
Neal has served on the Petersburg School District board and as a member of the budget committee. He is past president of the Wheat Growers League, a past chairman of the ASCS Committee, a past chairman of the Mid-Columbia fire protection board and a former member of the Soil and Water Conservation District board. He now serves as co-chair of the Lower Deschutes and Hood Basin water task force for the state of Oregon.
Neal has served as a member of the Wasco Electric Cooperative Board of Directors for 25 years. In addition to serving as president of the board for 16 years, he served as secretary for the previous five years and now is board vice president. Neal was a board member of Oregon Rural Electric Cooperative Association for four years, serving as president in his last year. He now serves on the executive board of directors of Northwest Public Power Association as the immediate past president. NWPPA is the educational association of public power, as well as the lobbying arm for national power issues serving utilities in eight Western states and Canada.
Neal’s 25 years of service on the Wasco Electric board have taken him beyond the term limits of the cooperative. However, the cooperative bylaws provide that if a director is concurrently serving as a director of a state, regional or national electric board, which he is with NWPPA, co-op members can waive the term limit provision. Therefore, with your vote for Neal you expressly waive the term limit provision as provided for in the bylaws.
DAVID ORTEGA was born and raised in The Dalles. He graduated in 1996 from The Dalles High School, where he played for the football and baseball teams, and served as senior class president.
Following graduation, David attended Oregon State University. While at OSU, he served as president of the Alpha Gamma Rho fraternity and was a member of the Food Science Club. He graduated in 2000 with a bachelor’s degree in food science and technology.
After graduation from OSU, David moved to Moses Lake, Washington, where he worked for the JR Simplot Co. in its potato division. At Simplot, he worked in production management and process improvement.
In 2006, David moved back to The Dalles. He is production manager for Orchard View Farms.
David and his wife, Katie, married in 2001 and have two young boys, ages 3 and 1.
District 2
RONALD HOLMES, incumbent, lives east of Kent with his wife, Linnea, and youngest daughter, Shayne. Two older daughters have graduated and live outside the area.
The Holmeses grow wheat, barley and run cattle with Linnea’s parents, Art and Shirley Decker. Ron also farms on leased land near Wasco and custom farms in Sherman County.
Ron grew up in Sherman County. He attended Kent Elementary School and Sherman High School. After high school, he attended Oregon State University and Blue Mountain Community College.
Ron worked on farms in Moro and The Dalles area before returning to the Kent area to farm on his own.
Ron serves as a director on the Mid-Columbia Producers Board of Directors. He also serves on the budget committee for Sherman County School District and is treasurer for Kent Baptist Church.
Ron has completed the Credentialed Cooperative Director program and now is taking the board leadership training course through the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association.
After serving one term on the Wasco Electric Cooperative board and receiving additional training, Ron understands the issues concerning the co-op and would like your vote.
District 3
DeORA PATTON, incumbent, and her husband, Don, are lifelong residents of Maupin. They have three children who now live in Washington, California and Maupin.
DeOra graduated from Northwestern College of Business as an accounting and legal administrative assistant, and has pursued a career in public administration.
She is going into her 26th year as city recorder for the city of Maupin, and serves as liaison, director of budget and finance and administrator of zoning ordinance. She also serves as municipal judge, primarily marrying people who choose the Deschutes River as the landmark to bond their lives. Prior to working for the city of Maupin, DeOra worked in administration at Wasco County Columbia Basin nursing home.
DeOra has been director and secretary of the Wasco Electric Cooperative board for six years. She completed the Credentialed Cooperative Director program in 2009.
“I enjoy and care about people and our quality of living. Electricity is a highly important aspect, which has and continues to face change and complexity. I appreciate the opportunity you have given me to support and represent the interests of our cooperative in providing competitively priced, reliable energy and related services, and I look forward to continuing to serve the membership.”
