Old Dominion Electric Cooperative (ODEC) announced today that Marcus Harris, President and CEO of ODEC, will resign his position at the cooperative to return to South Carolina to pursue new opportunities serving the people of his home state.
“Serving as ODEC’s CEO has been a tremendous privilege for me, and I will miss the hard-working team of professionals at the organization,” said Harris. “I also have an immense level of respect for ODEC’s members and appreciate the commitment of ODEC’s directors to overcome the challenges the organization consistently faces.”
“Marcus has been an exceptional leader during his tenure as ODEC’s CEO and has effectively guided the co-op through significant challenges with grace over the past five years,” said Steven A. Harmon, chairman of the ODEC Board of Directors. “While we will miss Marcus’s leadership at ODEC, he has developed an incredibly strong team who will ensure that the organization continues to meet its members’ needs without missing a beat.”
The Board has appointed John C. Lee, Jr. as the organization’s Interim President and CEO. Mr. Lee will begin as Interim CEO on Friday, September 8. Mr. Harris will continue as an ODEC employee and serve as advisor to the Interim CEO through October 31. Mr. Lee currently serves as President and CEO of Mecklenburg Electric Cooperative (MEC), one of ODEC’s 11 member cooperatives, and is the immediate past chairman of ODEC’s Board. Prior to becoming CEO of MEC, he served in a variety of leadership roles at ODEC.
The ODEC Board has formed a Search Committee and will commence a nationwide search for the organization’s next CEO in the coming weeks.
“ODEC is as strong as I’ve ever seen the organization thanks to Marcus’s leadership and the Board’s dedication and unity,” said Lee. “Selecting a new CEO is the most important decision a board makes, and I am committed to keeping ODEC strong and united until a new CEO is chosen.”
Read more in our full Press Release (PDF).