Board Elections
Director elections take place at the Annual Meeting in September. In accordance with Cobb EMC’s bylaws, candidates may petition for election to the board.
Cobb EMC is regulated by a board of nine directors, elected from, and by, the membership to oversee operations and work collectively to represent the best interests of fellow Cobb EMC members.
Directors are Cobb EMC members who live in Cobb EMC's service area. The nine positions are elected on a rotating basis for three-year terms. In accordance with Cobb EMC's bylaws candidates may petition for election to the board.
Members interested in running for the board must meet certain requirements and accept all director obligations and responsibilities.
Voting
Voting for director elections take place via mail, email or at the Annual Meeting in September. Members have three options for voting in director elections:
- Online ballot
- By mail-in ballot
- In-person at the meeting
Director Election in 2023
SECTION 3.08. Notice of Nominees. The Secretary shall be responsible for posting at the Cooperative’s headquarters and on its website the nominees for the election, and if received on or before the fourth Friday in May, shall include same in the notice to the Members for the meeting at which the election is to be held.
| District 1 | Ed Crowell (Incumbent) |
| District 6 |
David Tennant (Incumbent) Barbara Collier |
| District 7 |
Malcolm Swanson (Incumbent) |
Director Elections Process
- Nominate. To be eligible to be a nominee for a director or to become or remain a director, a member must adhere to the guidelines listed in SECTION 3.04 of Cobb EMC's bylaws.
- Petition. Members (including those serving as incumbent directors) seeking to be nominated for election to the board must submit a written petition of at least thirty-five (35) or more members of Cobb EMC whose service address is in the same district as the petitioner’s service address. The 2023 nomination petition is due May 26.
- Vote. Voting for election of directors shall be by secret ballot; PROVIDED, however, that when a nominee has no opposition, secret ballots shall be dispensed with in respect to that particular election, and voting may be conducted at the Annual Meeting by voice vote or in any other proper manner.
Full details of the director elections process can be found in Cobb EMC's bylaws. Members are encouraged to review Cobb EMC's bylaws and to contact Kris Delaney if they have any questions about any requirements related to director elections. Learn more about Cobb EMC.
Board member since 2011. Edward Crowell worked for 24 years as CEO of Cobb-based Georgia Motor Trucking Association Inc. Crowell has more than 15 years experience serving as a board member for several national member-based organizations and 25 years of government affairs work. His early career included training in finance and accounting, public policy research and some work with financial due-diligence teams. Crowell holds degrees from Liberty University and Georgia State University. He is an active volunteer in the community, including at church and in other charitable projects around the area. Crowell was also appointed to the Cobb Neighborhood Safety Commission by KSU President Sam Olens, who was Cobb County Commissioner at the time. Ed and his wife, Cynthia, reside in Powder Springs and have two children.
Rudy Underwood has more than 30 years experience managing public affairs, public policy and public relations issues with membership-based organizations. He is Vice President of Government Affairs for the American Chemistry Council. In addition, he has served on boards of directors of several local, state and national organizations and the past chair of the Southern States Energy Board. Rudy received both a bachelor’s and master’s degree in public and organizational communications from the University of Georgia. He grew up on a small farm in Middle Georgia and has depended on power from an electric membership cooperative his entire life. He is an active member of Burnt Hickory Baptist Church. Underwood and his wife, Carol, have two adult daughters.
Kelly Bodner is a Title 1 District Science Coach for Cobb County Schools. She holds a specialist degree from Kennesaw State University in Education Leadership. Bodner has been recognized as Georgia's Elementary Science Teacher of the Year, Cobb County's Russell Elementary School Teacher of the Year, and MDJ/Superior Plumbing Teacher of the Week. In addition to her teaching activities, Bodner volunteers with youth programs at Cumberland Community Church and Boy Scout Troop 61. Bodner is also part of the football and lacrosse booster clubs at Campbell High School, where she serves as treasurer of football and president of lacrosse. Bodner and her husband live in Smyrna with their son.
David McClellan has been a Cobb EMC member for more than 30 years. He is a Certified Public Accountant and a Certified Cash Manager with more than 35 years of managerial and executive experience. He has experience in public accounting, Fortune 500 companies as well as privately held organizations; which includes 12 years of experience with a public utility. McClellan holds a bachelor's degree in accounting and a MBA in finance from Georgia State University. He is currently CFO for an Atlanta based non-profit. McClellan has been active in the community through youth softball coaching, the Y-Guides parent/child program and involvement with children’s programs at area churches. He and his wife, Carmen, live in East Cobb’s Chimney Springs subdivision and have two children and two grandchildren.Area 5
Tripper Sharp
William C. Sharp, III (Tripper) has served on the Cobb EMC Board of Directors since 2012. Currently he is Chairman of the Cobb EMC Board, Chairman of the Fiber South management committee and serves on the management committee for Gas South. He is President and CEO of Sharp Home Care which provides in-home senior care services throughout metro Atlanta. Previously he spent 20 years in the financial services industry holding multiple leadership roles including executive management. He is a graduate of Kennesaw State University, and resides in Acworth with his wife Marlo and their four children.
Board member since 2011. His background includes significant turnaround experience and a career in the energy industry spanning more than 30 years. He received the "Project of the Year" award in 2012 for a $200 million alternative energy project, and has directed engagements totaling over $3.5 billion. David has also been active in the development of jet and diesel fuels from biomass. He lived for two years in the Caribbean directing the successful turnaround of a major utility, saving over $140 million in yearly operating costs. He helped a French chemical company implement Sarbanes-Oxley financial reporting requirements, and developed a $90-million German manufacturing facility in the southeastern U.S. Tennant has degrees in business and engineering and lives in Kennesaw with his wife, Jan. He has two adult children.
Malcolm “Cooter” Swanson has been a board member since 2011 and currently chairs the Budget and Finance committee. He is a life-long resident of Cobb County. Swanson is a graduate of Troy University with a degree in mathematics. Swanson has owned a screen-printing and embroidery business in Cobb for over 30 years. He served on the Cobb County Parks and Recreation Commission for more than 15 years serving as chairman for two terms. Swanson also serves on the board of directors of the North Georgia State Fair and has served as president. Swanson attends Marietta First Baptist Church and has served as Chair of the Trustees and as a Deacon. Swanson is married to Nancy Dansby Swanson and has three children; Chase, an attorney in Marietta, Lindsey, Doctor of Psychology in Atlanta and Dansby, an Atlanta Braves baseball player.
Bryan Boyd has served on the Board of Directors since 2012. Currently Boyd serves as the chairman of the board at Gas South, a wholly owned subsidiary of Cobb EMC, and former chairman of the Cobb EMC board. Boyd is President and CEO at Archer Restoration Services which provides 24-hour emergency service for fire, water, and mold remediation. Previously, Boyd spent 25 years with Pacesetter Graphics manufacturing organization as vice president. Boyd studied at Kennesaw State University with a focus on business management. Boyd resides in Hickory Spring Subdivision with his wife and is a father of three daughters.
Board member since 2012. He has a diverse background in the fields of aerospace engineering, technology consulting and nonprofit management. Broadwell has consulted for the boards of some of the nation’s largest financial companies and for a local utility to implement a GIS support system for smart meters. He has designed aircraft for large corporations including Lockheed, Boeing and McDonnell Douglas, where his designs are still in use. His career in information technology led him to join IBM to manage the successful launches of some of the first online banking websites. Broadwell’s hobbies include flying, building cabins, hunting, cycling and golf. He has three children and has been a Cobb EMC member since 2001.