Associated Electric plans leadership transitions

The planned retirement of a 12-year employee at Springfield-based Associated Electric Cooperative Inc. has kicked into gear a succession plan for two C-level promotions.

Chief Operations Officer and Senior Vice President Ken Wilmot plans to retire at the end of the year, and SVP Scott Thompson will step in as COO, according to a news release. In the move, Thompson is passing his chief risk officer duties to SVP Brian Prestwood, the co-op's general counsel. Thompson also is charged with leading Associated Electric’s power production division.

“I want to personally thank Ken for his trust and support,” co-op CEO and General Manager David Tudor said in the release. “Following Ken’s retirement decision, we were able to move forward with minimal changes to our day-to-day operations thanks to succession planning, promotions and organizational changes recently put in place. Scott Thompson and Brian Prestwood bring exceptional passion for helping Associated provide reliable and affordable electric service for our members.”

Thompson is a 35-year energy industry veteran, according to the release, and has experience in commodity trading, business development and customer service. When he joined Associated Electric in 2017, officials say he built an energy risk-management function, allowing the co-op to expand commercial operations. Thompson came to Associated Electric from nationwide energy management firm ACES in Indiana, where he served as VP of business development and customer services, and the release said he also had stints at Williams Energy Marketing and Trading, PG&E Trading and Energy Services, Gasco Inc. and Halliburton. He holds a bachelor’s degree in petroleum and natural gas engineering from Penn State University and an MBA from West Virginia Wesleyan College.

Prestwood, now in the lead role for Associated Electric’s energy risk management services, will maintain his responsibilities in legal, compliance and audit services, according to the release. He joined the co-op in 2013 and has 18 years of experience as an energy attorney, including work for the state of Texas and in private practice. He earned his Juris Doctor from Texas Tech University.

Before Wilmot’s retirement, he plans to transition to a role as special adviser to the CEO, effective Oct. 2, the release said.

Associated Electric, part of the Touchstone Energy Cooperative, is owned by and provides wholesale power to six regional transmission cooperatives and their 51 local distribution cooperatives, according to the release. Some 2.1 million member-consumers and 935,000 meters are served throughout the system’s footprint in Missouri, northeast Oklahoma and southeast Iowa.