After 36 years of service, Paul Burroughs is retiring from Jackson EMC's board of directors.

A member of Jackson EMC for over 60 years, Burroughs first joined the board in 1968. At that time, the cooperative had just added a record 205 new members to Jackson EMC's lines during the month of June.

Jackson EMC is now one of the largest electric cooperatives in the United States. Bill Carpenter, board chairman, says the cooperative's growth and success is grounded in service from board members like Burroughs. "Paul has been instrumental in making the cooperative the success it is today. His commitment to Jackson EMC and its members has been deep and unwavering, and he has represented us well. We are truly grateful to him."

Rodney Chandler, a CPA and Danielsville resident, has been appointed to fill Burroughs' unexpired term. A graduate of Madison County High School and Berry College, Chandler served on the staff of the CPA firm Morehouse, Gilbert, Carpenter, Watkins & Calhoun in Dalton for eight years before being named manager of the Athens office of Smith Adcock and Company in 1999.

Chandler is a member, past president and treasurer of the Madison County Rotary Club; a member of the Madison County Chamber of Commerce; member of the Athens Sertoma Club; and a 2000 graduate of Leadership Madison County. Chandler also serves as Den Leader of Cub Scout Pack 377, parent rep on the Danielsville School Council and a soccer coach for the Madison County Recreation Department. "We are delighted that a businessman with his credentials and ties to the community would make time in his schedule to serve our members on the cooperative's board of directors," says Carpenter.