SEC General Manager steps down

A week after Socorro Electric Co-operative announced it planned to file a claim pursuant to the New Mexico Civil Rights Act, its general manager has stepped down.

Joseph Herrera announced on Monday he will be leaving the electric co-operative after holding its prime leadership position for 13 years. The press release noted he had provided the rural electric co-op with dedicated service and is pursuing other business interests.

Board President Leroy Anaya complimented in the announcement. “Joseph has served SEC in an exemplary manner since taking the helm as general manager in 2011. He took over at a difficult time in SEC’s history, and he has positioned us well for the future. The board wishes him all the best in his future endeavors, but his leadership at SEC will be missed.”

Taking his place during his departure period and before onboarding a new manager will be Donna Wilkins. Wilkins was appointed by the board to serve as interim manager. She has been with the co-op for the past 17 years, serving in a variety of positions.

A national search will be conducted by the local co-op to hire its next general manager.

Anaya said, “a national search does not imply that we do not have qualified candidates within the current ranks of SEC. A national search just assures us that we have the best pool of candidates to select from. Our members deserve this level of effort, anything less and we would not be doing our duty as board members.”

Although the SEC Board of Trustees determines strategic direction of SEC, the general manager implements that strategy and oversees the day-to-day activity at SEC.

To aid with the national search, SEC has contracted with the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) Executive Search group. NRECA provides a variety of services to its members which include 832 electric distribution cooperatives, including SEC, and 64 generation and transmission cooperatives operating in America.

The NRECA Executive Search group has facilitated the placement of over 750 general managers/chief executive officers at electric cooperatives nationwide.

The Executive Search group will work with the co-op board to define the characteristics and leadership style needed to build on SEC’s reputation and enhance its future performance for the SEC membership.

Input from SEC staff will be included. The executive search group will lead efforts to recruit candidates and screen candidates and will assist the board in interviewing and selecting its general manager.

The cooperative has about 8,600 members and 13,083 meters. During its recent annual meeting in April less than three percent of the co-op’s members (133) were in attendance.

In June 2024, the New Mexico Supreme Court ruled the state Public Regulation Commission (PRC) has the power to set rates different from those proposed by a rural electric cooperative.

In a unanimous opinion, the Court upheld the Commission’s decision to reject a $1.25 million rate increase proposed by Socorro Electric Cooperative (SEC) in 2018 and instead adopt a different rate structure for classes of customers without an overall increase in revenue for the utility.

Because SEC didn’t follow the PRC’s recommendation, it fined the co-op $1,000 a day resulting in a fine of more than $800,000.

According to SEC’s latest audit, the co-operative has $43,929,445 long-term debt.