East Central Energy names Gwen Thomas senior vice president

BRAHAM, Minn. - East Central Energy has promoted Gwen Thomas to senior vice president.

In addition to overseeing customer service and administration, Thomas will now serve as second-in-command to President and CEO Garry Bye.

"In today's dynamic business environment, it's important to be able to act and react quickly," says Bye. "Gwen's leadership qualities and extensive cooperative business experience make her a perfect choice to step in if I'm unavailable for any reason."

Gwen joined the cooperative in 1981 and earned her Certified Cooperative Communicator designation in 1989. She was recognized by the Minnesota Rural Electric Association as Cooperator of the Year in 1994 and graduated from the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association Management Internship Program in 1997.

"As a member-owned cooperative, East Central Energy has a special obligation to put consumer interests first," says Thomas. "I'm passionate about keeping the ECE promise of great service-guaranteed and I look forward to doing so at this new level of responsibility."

East Central Energy, www.eastcentralenergy.com , is a member-owned electric cooperative serving more than 52,000 homes, farms and businesses in east central Minnesota and northwestern Wisconsin. In addition to electric service, ECE provides long distance and Internet access services.