January 1st, 2006
NEWBERRY TAKES CEO SEAT AT FKEC

Following the retirement of FKEC CEO Tim Planer, Scott Newberry was promoted to the position effective January 1.

"The Board is pleased to be able to give Scott this opportunity, and we are confident that we will have a smooth transition in leadership," said FKEC Board President David Ritz.

Newberry joined FKEC in 1990 as Planning, Rate and Budget Analyst and was promoted in 1996 Chief Financial Officer. As CFO, he oversaw all of the financial, accounting, billing and information system functions of the cooperative for the previous nine years. Scott is also an active member of our community and is a past president, current director and president-elect of the Rotary Club of Key Largo, is a director for the Key Largo Chamber of Commerce and is co-founder and president of the Upper Keys Golf Association.

Newberry graduated from Arkansas State University with a degree in Agriculture Business and Economics in 1986. In 1988, he began his career in the electricity industry when he joined the Rural Electrification Administration (REA) in Washington, D.C. With the REA, he worked first as a Commercial Loan Specialist, evaluating the financial practices of electric cooperative borrowers. He was later promoted to Power Requirements Officer before moving to the Florida Keys to join FKEC in 1990. In 1994, he completed the three-year national electrical course for apprentice linemen to further his education in cooperative operations. He is a graduate of Leadership Monroe County Class XI and completed the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association's Management Internship Program in 2005.

"I am grateful to the Board for this opportunity, although I will miss working with Tim after all these years," Newberry said. "We have made a lot of positive changes, and I look forward to working with the Board and employees as we strive to continue delivering reliable, high-quality electric service to our members."