(Lawrenceville, Ga., Nov. 11, 2009)  Jackson Electric Membership Corporation (EMC) Gwinnett District Manager Roger Willis will retire at the end of 2009 following 31 years of service with the cooperative.  Randy Dellinger, Senior Commercial and Industrial Marketing Representative in the Gwinnett District, has been selected to succeed Willis.

 “Roger has played a singular role in our cooperative, having led our Gwinnett operations as the county moved through a period of incredible growth and change,” noted Jackson EMC President and CEO Randall Pugh.  “Over the years, he has played a vital role in the Gwinnett community, increasing the cooperative’s visibility and contributing to the county’s quality of life through the many organizations he has been involved with.  We believe Randy brings to the Gwinnett District Manager’s position the same level of community involvement and commitment to Jackson EMC’s mission of providing reliable, affordable power with high quality customer service.”

 A native of Columbus, Ga., Willis was graduated from Georgia State University with a B.S. in Urban Administration.  Prior to joining the cooperative, he served with Georgia Power in Marketing, giving him a combined 43 years of electric utility industry experience.  When he joined Jackson EMC in the Gwinnett District Manager’s position in 1978, the district served 10,000 electric meters.  Today, the District serves nearly 103,000 meters.

 Among his many civic and service affiliations, Willis has served as a member of the board of the Georgia Department of Industry, Trade and Tourism; Chairman of the board of the Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce; a member of the board and past President of the Council for Quality Growth; Charter President of the Gwinnett Utilities Association; member of the Gwinnett Vision 2010 Steering Committee; a member of the board of Gwinnett Clean & Beautiful; a member of the Gwinnett Tech Advisory Board; a member of the Gwinnett Hospital System Foundation Council Advisory Board; a member of the board of the Gwinnett Coalition for Health and Human Services; a member of the board and past President of the Gwinnett Children’s Shelter; and member of the board and past President of the Gwinnett Rotary Club.

 “I’m grateful for the privilege of working for this great organization,” Willis said.  “I’ve seen many changes, hired a lot of good people and worked hard to make improvements that would make this a better and more successful company and community.”

Dellinger has been employed by Jackson EMC for 21 years, working in residential marketing as well as commercial and industrial marketing. 

 He was graduated from the University of Georgia with a B.S. in Agriculture and received his MBA from Brenau University.  Additionally, he has completed the University of Georgia’s Management Development Program, the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association’s Management Internship Program and Georgia Tech’s Basic Economic Development program.

Dellinger serves as on the Executive Committee of the Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce board of directors as Vice Chair of Economic Development, is a member of the Georgia Economic Developers Association and a member and past President of the Rotary Club of Lawrenceville, as well as various other community and service organizations.  Earlier this year Randy achieved a Jackson EMC milestone by signing his 100th “customer choice” electric load at Jackson EMC.

“Jackson employees made my job easier in securing these loads because of their strong commitment to customer service,” Dellinger said.  “The cooperative’s reputation in the community is a direct result of Roger’s leadership and all our departments working together to meet the needs of Jackson EMC customers.  That will continue to be my focus as District Manager.”

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(Note: To download photos of Willis and Dellinger, click here.)