The retired head of a northwest Georgia cooperative has been tapped to serve as interim CEO of Habersham EMC. Ron Hutchins will fill the vacancy left when HEMC CEO Jonathan Cantrell resigned last month.
HEMC Board of Directors Chairman Rick Wood made the announcement this morning. He says, “We are fortunate to have Ron as interim. He has such a passion for cooperatives.”
Hutchins has an extensive background with electric cooperatives, according to Wood. He served as the CEO of North Georgia EMC in Dalton for 25 years until his retirement in 2014. Prior to leading NGEMC, Hutchins worked at Walton EMC in Monroe and Gibson EMC in Trenton, Tennessee. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering from Southern Polytech.
“I am honored to serve as interim CEO at HEMC and look forward to getting to know everyone,” says Hutchins. “My role is to bridge the transition while the search for a permanent CEO is underway.”
Hutchins and his wife, Karen, have two adult children and live in Whitfield County.
The search for a permanent CEO is expected to take several months.
“The board of directors has selected a firm to conduct the CEO search,” says Chairman Wood. “The search process normally takes four to six months.”
Cantrell was named HEMC CEO in October 2014 after the sudden resignation of Todd Peacock. He served six months as interim then two years full-time as CEO. He resigned after 15 years with the company on April 11, 2017.
