Director Profiles & Information

Karoline Overby

President

karolineoverby@syemc.com
336-407-8864

Karoline has been a member of Surry-Yadkin EMC since 1988, and has served on the board of directors since 1997. She serves in the role of board president, and previously served as board secretary.

Her awards and certificates include Credentialed Cooperative Director (CCD), Board Leadership Certificate (BLC), and Director Gold Credential (DGC).

She also has served on the Westfield Medical Center board and as president of the N.C. Baptist Secretaries Association. She retired after 20 years as secretary at Westfield Baptist Church and now works part-time at Mill Creek General Store in Mount Airy.

"It has been a great honor to serve the membership of Surry-Yadkin Electric, and I hope to continue doing so for as long as the Lord allows, and the members entrust me to represent District 1 and the membership," Karoline said. "I have learned so much about the industry over the years and believe, as a woman and a member myself, I have much to contribute.

"I am very proud to know I am a member-owner of a local cooperative, not just a customer of a power company. And, as one privileged to see behind the scenes, I know firsthand what a truly caring, member-driven organization this is."

She said, "My top priority is attempting to do what is most beneficial to the member. I take the immense responsibility of the position of director very seriously, praying for wisdom and the ability to make the best decision possible, no matter how difficult. I am very thankful and humbled for this opportunity to serve."

Stephen Hutson

Board Director

stephenhutson@syemc.com
336-374-3108

Stephen has been a member of Surry-Yadkin EMC since 1979, and has served on the board of directors since 2014. He serves on the board's Bylaws & Policies Committee and the Economic Development Committee.

His awards and certificates include Credentialed Cooperative Director (CCD) and Board Leadership Certificate (BLC).

He also holds a N.C Electrical Contractors License, is an Accredited Small Business Consultant and completed National Tax Training School — Individual Taxes. He is a Notary Public. He operated Hutson Electric Inc. for 36 and has owned and operated TransACTions, LLC Accounting, Consulting, Taxes since 2014.

"Many people serve as firemen, first responders, civic organizations, etc. Serving at SYEMC is an opportunity to serve in an industry I have some familiarity with," Stephen said. "The electric power grid is THE most essential component of life as we know it today in the United States. Bringing, safe, reliable power to our rural homes, farms and businesses is a daunting task and we face a lot of challenges at Surry-Yadkin EMC. I hope to continue serving my friends and neighbors by being someone who will work to stay abreast of those challenges.

"Finding solutions with the best interest of our members in mind is always the primary goal and brings a great deal of satisfaction to me, personally. I enjoy fielding questions from our members, relaying information and generally helping folks get the help they need in any way I can.

"When I first came on the board, I remember hearing the comment that it is an honor to serve. That is absolutely a true statement and one I've tried to keep in mind as we consider the decisions required of us. This is a very complicated industry and many of our decisions are not easy ones. The bottom line, though, always comes down to this: 'What is best for all of our members?'"

Stephen is married to Mary (Cindy) Tucker Hutson and lives in the Eldora community near Ararat. He is a member of Salem Baptist Church, Dobson, and enjoys training pointing dogs.

Willard Swift

Board Director

willardswift@syemc.com
336-244-2092 or 336-366-2120

Willard has been a member of Surry-Yadkin EMC since 1965, and has served on the board of directors since 1997. He is a member of the board's Finance & Accounting Committee and the Economic Development Committee and is a past vice president of the board. He also is on the statewide executive committee for REAP (Rural Electric Action Program) and ACRE (Action Committee for Rural Electrification).

His awards and certificates include the Credentialed Cooperative Director (CCD) and Board Leadership Certificate (BLC).

He graduated from Appalachian State University. During his time at college, he became a Christian and a member of the Men's A Club, an athletic fraternity, for which he served as chaplain until his graduation. He was a teacher and coach at East Wilkes High School for six years, worked four years as assistant director for YVEDDI (Yadkin Valley Economic Development District Inc.), and worked 27 years as human resources manager for Abitibi-Price (Louisiana Pacific). In addition, he serves on the Surry County Natural Resources Committee and the Surry County Exension Advisory. He previously was on the American Red Cross - Surry County Chapter Board of Directors, the Stone's Throw Christian Ministries Board of Directors and was previous director for the Surry County Beekeepers Association and the Surry County, Wilkes and Yadkin County Cattlemen's Association. He also has taught Sunday school at his church, Grassy Creek United Methodist Church, for more than 50 years.

"I always loved serving others and being involved in community growth and development. I think Surry-Yadkin is wonderful in that it initially provided power to rural communities that wouldn't otherwise have been given this service from for-profit companies," said Willard. "President Roosevelt passed the Rural Electrification Act, which allowed the cooperative electric business to form and meet the needs of the rural population.

"I like being a member of Surry-Yadkin EMC because you can communicate directly with them. They provide outstanding service, second to none," he said.

Willard is married and has three children - a daughter who lives in Murfreesboro, TN and owns a company called Simple Pleasures; a son who is a counselor at Mallard Creek High School in Concord; and a son who is health director in Forsyth County. He also has five grandchildren and two great-grandchildren on the way. He raises beagles for rabbit hunting and enjoys hunting as well. He has been an heirloom gardener and a beekeeper, and also raised bantam chickens at one point. He loves nature and the outdoors.

As a student at Mountain Park High School, Willard was an athlete, playing both basketball and baseball. He was selected as a member of the all-Northwest basketball team. His senior year, he was pitcher for the baseball team, and the team enjoyed a 7-0 record. He had college scholarship offers in both sports. He chose Appalachian State University, where he played for four years. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree. After he began teaching and coaching at East Wilkes High School, Willard established a summer recreation program for children, which included a Little League program, swimming and gym activities. After six years in education and recreation, he spent four years with the Head Start Neighborhood Youth Corps, and manpower development activity programs. He also was inducted into the Surry County Sports Hall of Fame.

Brenda Hardy

Secretary

brendahardy@syemc.com
336-244-7477

Brenda has been a member of Surry-Yadkin EMC since 1965, and has served on the board of directors since 2014. She serves on the board's Ethics Committee. She serves as board secretary.

Her awards and certificates include Credentialed Cooperative Director (CCD) and has completed 9 out of 10 credits toward the Board Leadership Certificate (BLC).

She retired from First Union Bank and Yadkin Valley Bank.

"When I retired, I wanted to be able to help and serve the community in some way. SYEMC not only provides safe, reliable power to our members, but also provides numerous other community services," Brenda said "It is an honor to serve the members and to help reach decisions for SYEMC's constantly changing circumstances.

"I get to play a small role in benefitting those around me. The decisions we make not only impact the members of SYEMC but can also play a vital role in impacting the lives of those surrounding us. SYEMC provides safe, reliable services to my home and community. I truly enjoy and appreciate being on the board of a great co-op," she said.

"Growing up I heard my parents and their good friends talking about the 'REA.' In those days the electric co-op was called the 'REA.' The friends lived way out in the country when the power line came to their area in the '40s. They were so happy when they saw the lights on at their neighbor's house, but were saddened when they learned the power line would stop at that house. The line would continue months later. The friends were thankful when they received power many months later. 'Lights On' brought so much change to the area. Power brought lights, refrigerators, running water, electric stoves, bathrooms, and the list goes on.

"Serving on the board of SYEMC is much more than being affiliated with a co-op. It is being a part of a family who truly wants the best for our community and members."

Alvin Reid, Jr. 

Board Director

alvinreid@syemc.com
336-325-0033

Alvin has been a member of Surry-Yadkin EMC since 1969, and has served on the board of directors since 2015. He serves on the board's Bylaws, Policies and Service Rules Committee.

His awards and certificates include the Credentialed Cooperative Director (CCD) and has taken several courses toward the Board Leadership Certificate (BLC).

He retired from Surry County Schools, where he served in school administration. He also taught school in Forsyth County for 27 years previously. Growing up, some of his fondest memories are working alongside his family on the farm where he learned a strong work ethic and personal responsibility.

"It is an honor privilege and pleasure serving as a director on the board at SYEMC," said Alvin. "I like knowing that we have a very reliable source of electricity that is also a great value."

Alvin is a long-time member of the Christian faith and attends First United Methodist Church of Pilot Mountain. He and his wife, Ann, have been blessed with a wonderful family — two children and their spouses and five grandchildren. The couple really enjoys spending time with family and attending the grandchildren's athletic events as well as watching them grow academically. Alvin earned a Bachelor of Science from Appalachian State University and a Master of Arts from Gardner-Webb University. He enjoys working in the yard, gardening and woodworking.

Stephen Joyce

Board Director

stephenjoyce@syemc.com
336-327-1686

Stephen has been a member of Surry-Yadkin EMC since 2002, and has served on the board of directors since 2015. He serves on the board's Ethics Committee, and has previously served on the co-op building committee as well as the North Carolina Electric Membership Corporation's Nominations Committee.

His awards and certificates include Credentialed Cooperative Director (CCD), Board Leadership Certificate (BLC) and Director Gold Credential (DGC).

He is a full-time employee with Jewel Machinery Inc. in forestry and construction equipment sales. He previously has worked with equipment dealers representing John Deere and other equipment brands. He farms, raising beef cattle, and owns a landscaping mulch sales yard.

"Serving on this board has been a privilege, in representing my district and to be a part of a member-owned cooperative," Stephen said. "Serving in this capacity has been a great experience. I have been able to continue my education in this field, gaining knowledge of the rural electric industry.

"As we travel the roads of growing technology, with solar options, battery storage, and upgrading our system to meet the needs of our communities, it requires that a director keep up with the trends and knowledge of the latest technology that may be offered. I am fascinated with how far we have come in the rural electric industry in my 32 years as a member.

"Decisions made by our board for the benefit of our members never comes lightly. We have experienced some tough concerns along the way, with rates, system upgrades, and other factors that can affect our determination to provide quality electric service. Through it all, our co-op directors have always kept our members' safety first in mind, along with cost to the membership, both now and as we look into the future of the co-op," he said.

"Meeting and listening to our members' concerns for our cooperative is very important to me. Also, being a part of making decisions that impact all of us is a huge responsibility that I take very seriously as the cooperative grows and as we move into the future."

Stephen is married and has two children and a granddaughter, Harper. He enjoys traveling with his family on vacation when he can. For enjoyment, he looks forward to time out on his tractor, doing the work that is required around the house and on the farm. He attends Volunteer Primitive Baptist Church, where is he actively involved.

Sandy Welborn

Board Director

sandywelborn@syemc.com
336-957-1598

Sandy has been a member-owner of Surry-Yadkin EMC since 1992. She has always lived in District 7 and benefitted from the advantages of the co-op, she said. She joined the SYEMC board of directors in January 2024.

She received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Appalachian State University and has been in education for 30 years. She has taught at Mountain View Elementary School for five years, Jonesville Elementary for 17 years, Elkin Elementary for three years and is now teaching at Elkin High School. “My goal has been to create learning environments where all students feel safe and can be successful,” Sandy said.

“I decided to serve on the SYEMC board because I’ve seen first-hand the importance of a rural electric co-op,” she said. “When the co-ops were first formed, the goal was to deliver power to underserved rural areas that the big power companies refused to invest in, a program that first brought power to my family’s rural farm in the 1940s. This allowed for growth and more efficiency for all farmers.

“From my perspective the biggest opportunities our co-op faces today is the need to improve our aging infrastructure as cost-efficiently as possible. I would love to be part of helping to guide our co-op to become more self-reliant, cost-effective and a producer of clean energy,” said Sandy. “This will help in passing a portion of savings onto our members while also investing in the improvement of our aging infrastructure.”

She said she feels listening to the member-owners and reporting their needs back to the board is essential for the role of director. “I want to be the listener and reporter for my district,” Sandy said.

“I am thankful to be a member-owner of SYEMC because as a co-op, we are a local community-focused business that is owned by the members we serve, as opposed to a for-profit/shareholder corporation,” she said. “Additionally, SYEMC has a strong commitment to our local community, whether it be through commercial economic development efforts or by direct donations/grants made to local nonprofits such as the Bright Ideas Education Grants. The co-op is always looking for ways to improve while meeting the needs of the members.”

Sandy is married with two adult sons, a teenage daughter and a teenage niece. She enjoys spending time with her family, as well as outdoors and playing pickleball. She attends Poplar Springs Baptist Church in State Road, where she is actively involved.

David Miller

Treasurer

davidmiller@syemc.com
336-957-8038

David has been a member of Surry-Yadkin EMC since 1968, and has served on the board of directors since 2013. He serves in the role of board treasurer and is on the board's Finance & Accounting Committee and the Ethics Committee.

His awards and certificates include Credentialed Cooperative Director (CCD) and is enrolled in the Board Leadership Certificate (BLC) program.

He serves on the board of directors for Traphill Fire Department. He has operated a poultry farm for 49 years, and also has raised cattle. Prior to farming, he worked in the mirror industry for 10 years.

"I had been a member for many years, but I wanted to know more about Surry-Yadkin Electric and wanted the opportunity to work to better the members' experience with Surry-Yadkin," David said.

"My power is always on. The co-op looks after its members. They keep the lines updated and the incidence of power outages is very low," he said. "I couldn't ask for any better electric provider than Surry-Yadkin EMC."

David has three children, five grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. He attends Round Mountain Baptist Church. He enjoys spending time with family and work.

David Pendry

Board Director

davidpendry@syemc.com
336-416-7105

David has been a member of Surry-Yadkin EMC since 1982, and has served on the board of directors since 2004. He serves on the board's Ethics Committee.

His awards and certificates include Credentialed Cooperative Director (CCD), Board Leadership Certificate (BLC), and Director Gold Credential (DGC). 

After farming full-time for 20 years, he now works part-time driving trucks for a construction company. He also assists his son in the concrete business. He attends Northwood Baptist Church in Yadkinville.

"It has been a privilege to represent the members in District 9 over the past 20 years," said David. "As a member myself, I appreciate how much the co-op does for us. When there are power outages, I know the workers at Surry-Yadkin will be doing their best to get the power on as quickly and safely as possible. The members are truly Surry-Yadkin EMC employees' number one concern.

"As long as I can remember, my family has been a member of SYEMC. My father was grateful way back when power was offered to our rural area. I have seen this cooperative grow over the years and serve its members well."

David is married with four children and three grandchildren. In his spare time, he enjoys horseback riding, and taking care of his cattle and farmland. Most of his evenings are spent on his tractor, giving him the opportunity to enjoy fresh air and to admire the Lord's creations.

Eddie Campbell

Vice President

eddiecampbell@syemc.com
336-469-6558

Eddie has been a member of Surry-Yadkin EMC since 1994, and has served on the board of directors since 2015. He serves as vice president of the board, and is on the board's Bylaws Committee and Energy Services Committee.

His awards and certificates include Credentialed Cooperative Director (CCD), and he is pursuing the Board Leadership Certificate (BLC).

He also serves on the board of Tri-County Christian Crisis Ministries, as vice president of the Arlington/Jonesville Fire Department Board of Directors. He previously served on the Surry-Yadkin EMC Round Up Board for 12 years prior to serving as a director, and he served on the Pastor-Parish Relations Board at Union Grove Methodist Church. Eddie holds bachelor's and master's degrees from Appalachian State University and Principals' Executive Program certification from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He worked as a teacher in Montgomery County and a teacher and assistant principal in Wilkes County Schools. He then was an assistant principal and principal in Yadkin County Schools. He also was a counselor for Surry Community College's Upward Bound program.

"I wanted to learn more about a co-op, and I also wanted the opportunity to serve the community," Eddie said of why he pursued a position on the board of directors.

"The peace of mind that I feel when I turn on the lights in the morning is what I like about being a member of SYEMC," he said. "Also, that I can depend on a safe and economically sound electricity source; the fact that outages are promptly dealt with; and I am proud that the co-op has such a desire to serve its members well."

Eddie is married with three grown children, two of which live in Yadkin County and are Surry-Yadkin EMC members, and one who lives in Cary. He has nine grandchildren. He is a member of Union Grove United Methodist Church. He enjoys traveling, playing golf and fishing as well as walking. As a leisure activity, he has always enjoyed coaching. He coached his son's AAU basketball team, assisted coaching basketball at Starmount High School following retirement for three years, and coached girls' AAU basketball around two years prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Raymond Parker

General Counsel

raymondparker@syemc.com
336-366-0100

Ray, a resident of Elkin, began as general counsel for Surry-Yadkin EMC in 2001. He also serves as general counsel for Surry Telephone Membership Corporation, SkyLine Telephone Membership Corporation, Carolina West Wireless, Hugh Chatham Memorial Hospital and the Town of Elkin.

He is a past president of the North Carolina Electric Membership Counsel Association. He received his B.A. degree from North Carolina State University and his J.D. degree from Wake Forest University.

Greg Puckett

Executive VP & General Manager

gregpuckett@syemc.com
336-356-5249

Greg started his career with Surry-Yadkin EMC in 1987. He began as a lineman and also has held the positions of service representative, engineering technician, line superintendent and assistant manager, prior to being hired by the member-elected board of directors as executive vice president and general manager in 2011.

Since Greg's direction began in 2011, SYEMC has reached thousands of students through programs such as the Bright Ideas Educational Grants, school field trips to our office and the Fairview solar farm, N.C. Youth Tour trip and scholarship program, Touchstone Energy Sports Camps and by being the first cooperative in North Carolina to partner with the Kenan Fellowship program at N.C. State University to host a local teacher and Kenan Fellow.

In 2018, a written lineman apprenticeship program was created, developed to communicate a clear message of expectations of safety not only to the apprentice lineman but also the men working with the apprentice.

A number of infrastructure improvements have taken place during Greg's tenure including construction of the Double Creek transmission line and construction now underway on the Double Creek substation; building a base for portable substations by additions to the Lomax, Westfield and Yadkin substations; implementing the TWACS metering system; moving forward with CVR and SCADA programs to help reduce power line loss; changing out more than 5,000 bad poles; converting the Westfield substation from 44kV to 100kV; implementing a 6-year system maintenance program; implementing a 3-year breaker maintenance program;; installation of electric vehicle chargers to grow the EV charging network; adding rate designs such as Time-of-Day, EZ Power (prepay) and EV rates; and improving communication with the Board of Directors through implementation of "Call to Order" to access monthly reports. In 2017, a formal strategic plan was developed.

Greg was appointed by Gov. Pat McCrory and then re-appointed by Gov. Roy Cooper and serves on the state's Underground Damage Prevention Board. At the statewide cooperative level, he serves on the Tarheel Electric Membership Association Board of Directors, as president of the North Carolina Electric Membership Corporation Board of Directors, on the North Carolina Association of Electric Cooperatives Board of Directors, on the statewide Competitive Issue Committee and on the Board of Directors for Diversified Energy.

Greg has two children and two grandchildren.