HATTIESBURG, Miss. – Jeff Bowman officially assumed his duties as Cooperative Energy president and CEO today.
Cooperative Energy’s Board of Directors in May named Bowman as president, and the successor to long-time president and CEO Jim Compton, who is now President Emeritus.
Bowman,48, becomes only the fourth CEO in the company’s history. Cooperative Energy is a not-for-profit, Member-owned generation and transmission cooperative that provides electricity to 55 counties throughout western and southern Mississippi.
Bowman previously served the company as senior vice president and chief administrative officer. He has also served as Cooperative Energy’s special counsel and board attorney.
“I’m grateful for the opportunity to lead this great company,” Bowman said. “Our goal at Cooperative Energy has always been to continue to evolve as a company while providing affordable, reliable and safe energy to our Members in an environmentally-responsible manner. I look forward to working with our employees to do just that.”
Known as the Power of 12, Cooperative Energy generates and transmits electricity to 11 Member-owned electric distribution cooperatives. Cooperative Energy and its Member cooperatives provide power from the Mississippi Delta to the Coast. The 11 electric cooperatives own and maintain more than 57,000 miles of distribution lines and provide service to approximately 432,000 homes and businesses throughout 55 counties.
“Cooperative Energy will remain Member-focused, while working diligently to improve the communities we serve and provide our employees a place where they can be proud to work,” Bowman said.
Cooperative Energy Vice Chairman and acting Board Chairman Louis Thompson expressed confidence in Bowman and the Cooperative Energy management staff.
“Serving as the president and CEO of a large, complex organization like Cooperative Energy is a challenging job,” Thompson said. “Jeff Bowman possesses the leadership, problem-solving, and communication skills necessary to succeed in this role, and the strong management team will provide him with a great foundation upon which to grow.”
In his most recent roles as Cooperative Energy’s senior vice president and chief administrative officer, Bowman was responsible for all of Cooperative Energy’s legal matters, land management, contract administration, facilities maintenance and projects, business information systems, human resources, supply chain, economic development, and legislative affairs.
Bowman, a Hattiesburg native, graduated from the University of Southern Mississippi with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration with a major in accounting. He earned a Juris Doctor from the University of Mississippi School of Law and a Master of Laws in Taxation from the University of Florida.
Bowman served as a captain on active duty in the United States Army and practiced law for 10 years in Hattiesburg, including eight years as the Cooperative Board’s outside counsel.