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July‘25

2025 Sports Camp Attendees

EnergyUnited has sponsored two local students for all-expenses-paid Touchstone Energy Sports Camp scholarships to attend summer basketball camps at two of the state’s largest college campuses.

Congratulations to Nyaria Day who will attend the Wolfpack Women’s Basketball Camp at N.C. State University, and Nixon Montgomery who will attend the Carolina Basketball School at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, both on full scholarships from EnergyUnited.

NYARIA DAY – AGGIE ACADEMY

NIXON MONTGOMERY – NORTH ACADEMY OF WORLD LANGUAGES

Empowering the Future Scholarship Recipients

EnergyUnited is pleased to announce the 2025 Empowering the Future scholarship winners: Grant Hughes (attending UNC Chapel Hill) and Julia Vecchiarello (attending UNC Chapel Hill). Both received $5,000 scholarships to cover qualifying educational expenses as they begin college classes this fall.

GRANT HUGHES – LAKE NORMAN CHARTER HIGH SCHOOL

JULIA VECCHIARELLO – COMMUNITY SCHOOL OF DAVIDSON

OUR EXECUTIVE LEADERSHIP TEAM

The EnergyUnited leadership team consists of seven executives and over 20 managers from across the cooperative. These individuals have a variety of responsibilities related to the departments they manage and are ultimately responsible for the daily operations and success of the cooperative. Together with the support of over 260 employees, they work to keep our communities empowered day in and day out.

Thomas Golden
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

BRETT ALKINS
CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER

PAM BRITT
CHIEF HUMAN RESOURCES OFFICER

ALEC NATT
CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER

STEVEN McCACHERN
VICE PRESIDENT, ENERGY DELIVERY

LAQUISHA PARKS
VICE PRESIDENT, ENERGY SERVICES & CORPORATE COMMUNICATIONS

RYAN GARDNER
VICE PRESIDENT, INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

Executive leaders, they’re just like us!

• Two individuals were former military… any guesses who and what branches?
• One is originally from Jacksonville, Florida. Can you guess who?
• One is a proud Clemson alum!
• Three hold Bachelor of Science degrees in Engineering!
• One is a big fan of Charlotte FC!

Safety is our number one priority in all that we do. Recently, we launched a community outreach program to educate members about electrical safety. The Be Alert, Be Alive campaign is focused on enhancing community outreach efforts and increasing public awareness of electrical safety hazards. To support our campaign, we have launched a special “spot the danger” exercise that depicts potential hazards. Think you have what it takes to “spot the danger”? Click the link below to take the quiz or download some family-friendly assets too!

Let’s go!

EnergyUnited and Rutherford EMC officials met with Congressman Pat Harrigan (sixth from left) in Washington, D.C. during the 2025 NRECA Legislative Conference.

EnergyUnited Advocates for Co-op Members in Washington, D.C.

EnergyUnited recently joined hundreds of electric cooperatives nationwide in Washington, D.C., for the 2025 National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) Legislative Conference. During the conference, EnergyUnited leaders met with members of North Carolina’s congressional delegation and key staff to discuss energy issues important to co-op members. These meetings also provided an opportunity to strengthen relationships with federal lawmakers as part of the cooperative’s efforts to deliver safe, affordable, reliable and sustainable power.

Storm Response and Grid Improvements

During the meetings, EnergyUnited leaders spoke about the cooperative’s continued support for critical federal programs. Historically, electric cooperatives have mitigated rural investment challenges and navigated severe weather impacts in partnership with the United States Department of Agriculture and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

FEMA offers critical resources to support our ability to restore power quickly and efficiently after severe weather events. Last year, EnergyUnited experienced more than $3 million in damage to our energy grid from Tropical Storm Helene. During our meetings, we urged lawmakers to protect this essential resource, which allows electric cooperatives access to federal disaster funding to repair and rebuild damaged infrastructure.

In addition to sharing our support for FEMA, EnergyUnited also highlighted the important role of the Rural Utilities Service (RUS) Electric Loan Program. RUS remains a cornerstone of cooperative infrastructure development. Because co-ops reliably repay these loans with interest, the RUS Electric Loan program makes money for the federal government.

Tax Credits for Clean Energy

During our meetings, EnergyUnited leaders discussed the importance of maintaining tax credits that help lower the costs for cooperatives that are investing in carbon-free energy resources like solar and nuclear. EnergyUnited stands to receive nuclear tax credits that help offset our members’ costs.

During the NRECA Legislative Conference, EnergyUnited and Rutherford EMC leaders spoke with Congressman Tim Moore (third from left) about the cooperative’s continued support for critical federal programs.

Federal Permitting Reform

Finally, EnergyUnited highlighted the need for common sense federal permitting reform to streamline the approval processes for energy projects. Delays in permitting can slow down progress on transmission upgrades and power generation initiatives, especially gas. We shared with lawmakers how improved permitting can lead to faster, more cost-effective deployment of critical grid improvements.

EnergyUnited appreciates the opportunity to represent our members in Washington and share the electric cooperative story. We remain committed to working with legislators in Washington and Raleigh to advance policies that empower our communities and ensure a brighter energy future for all.

EnergyUnited and Blue Ridge Energy met with Congresswoman Virginia Foxx (left) to discuss issues important to electric cooperative members.

EnergyUnited is now offering a new option for you to keep your information even more secure in My EnergyHub. Today members log in using their username and password. Going forward, you can select the option to enable two-factor authentication by requiring a second step—like a text message or email—to ensure it’s really you, and not someone else trying to access your information.

Learn more by clicking the link below and enable this new security feature in your My EnergyHub account today! It’s optional, easy to set up and gives you extra peace of mind.

Delivering safe, reliable energy across 19 counties and 12,000 miles of energized line takes teamwork—and our Technical Services team plays a big part in that success. This group of skilled professionals works behind the scenes every day to help build, operate and maintain our substations and other important parts of the energy grid.

PHIL, TECHNICAL SERVICES

Technical Services

Our Technical Services team makes sure electricity is distributed to members safely, reliably and efficiently. Technical Services supports EnergyUnited in many ways, including:

• Building and maintaining substations
• Installing and repairing two-way radio systems
• Maintaining voltage regulators across the system
• Testing meters for large business and industrial customers
• Helping regions solve power quality issues for members

EnergyUnited uses operational technology to quickly resolve service issues that impact our members.

What is operational technology and how does it benefit members?

Operational technology (OT) refers to the digital tools and devices used in the field to monitor and control power equipment. OT helps EnergyUnited respond to problems quickly and make informed decisions about managing the energy grid.

• Diagnostics: We can see how efficiently our equipment is working at any moment.
• Faster response: If equipment starts to fail, alerts are sent right away, helping prevent outages.
• Safety and security: OT helps protect both employees and the public, while also supporting security systems that help detect substation intruders.

The Technical Services team uses OT each day to help EnergyUnited keep your lights on and to continue delivering energy safely, reliably and efficiently.