New Leadership at Choctaw Electric Cooperative in SE Oklahoma

The merry go-round in leadership at Choctaw Electric Cooperative in Hugo continues with the recent naming of a new CEO and General Manager just a year after the board had hired a new leader.

Kooney C. Duncan of Blanchard was named this month to be the new CEO/General Manager. He had been the Commercial and Industrial Marketing Manager for Western Farmers Electric Cooperative in Anadarko. Duncan started work for WFEC in 2004 at the power plant in Hugo. He was raised in Fort Towson.

He replaces Kenneth Gates who was hired a year ago from Dakota Energy in South Dakota where he had been the CEO. Gates took over after William Stewart withdrew from the job just two days after he accepted the position.

Choctaw Electric’s had a stormy past with its leadership. Just three years ago, eight of the nine members on the cooperative’s board resigned as cooperative members angrily questioned the actions of then CEO and General Manager Terry Matlock. He had been with Choctaw Electric since 2002 and eventually was fired for misuse of co-op equipment.