OEC Board of Directors

Elected to the board in August 2006, Mike Argo represents co-op members who reside in District 1, which covers Norman and its immediate surrounding area.

No stranger to OEC members, Mike has lived in Norman for the past 46 years and has worked for the U.S. Postal Service since 1969. Mike chose to be a trustee as a way to stay involved in his community.

Mike and his wife Glenda have a daughter, Liana, a student at Oklahoma State University.

Many co-op members in the district know Jim Middaugh of Noble from his 42-year career in public education. He is the trustee for District 2.

Jim joined the board in August 2005. He is eager to serve in a capacity where he is an asset to the co-op as a whole, and particularly to the members he represents.

Jim lives on the east-Cleveland County property he bought more than 30 years ago. He has three grown children, all of whom live in Texas, and seven grandchildren.

Cleveland County native Rusty Grissom was elected to OEC's board of trustees in 2001. He represents District 3 in the southeast part of the Co-op's service area.

Rusty is OEC's representative on the board of Western Farmers Electric Cooperative, OEC's power supplier. He also serves on the board of the Cleveland County Cattlemen's Association.

Rusty owns and operates Grissom's Landscape Nursery in Noble, where he lives with his wife Tammy. The couple has a daughter, Whitney, a student at Southern Nazarene University, and a son, Taylor.

Those who know Rusty know he likes to joke and have fun, but the job of an OEC trustee is something he takes seriously. "At times we have to make tough decisions. The board works hard to look out for the members," he says.

Ronnie Grover, the trustee for District 4, joined the OEC board in 1999. He currently serves as the Board's Assistant Secretary-Treasurer.

A Newcastle, Oklahoma farmer, Ronnie served on the McClain County Soil Conservation Board for 12 years. Currently he is secretary-treasurer for the Newcastle Fair Board and is a director on the McClain County Farmers Union Board.

Avid interest in the Cooperative is not new to Ronnie and his family. Ronnie stepped forward eight years ago to fill the vacancy left when his father-in-law, Roy Dunning, retired.

Ronnie and his wife, Carol, have two children and 4 grandchildren.

District 5 trustee is Frank Wilson, one of the most-seasoned members of the board, having joined in January 1978. Frank just completed a year as president, and currently serves on the operations/engineering budget committee and the policy and bylaws committee. Frank is OEC's longtime representative on the Oklahoma Association of Electric Cooperatives board.

Frank was a self-employed businessman before retiring in 1999. These days, in addition to his work for OEC, Frank spends his time fishing, gardening and working on woodworking projects. He lives in Noble and has two children.

John Jensen, now in his fourth term, joined OEC's board of trustees in the fall of 1997. John represents the members in District 6, which covers a large portion of McClain County, including Goldsby, Blanchard, Dibble and Purcell. He currently serves as the Board's Secretary-Treasurer.

The Jensen family lives in the Washington area. John operates a crop/livestock business and also deals in real estate. Along with his wife Maggie, a registered nurse, John owns and manages Harvest Home, an assisted-living center on State Highway 9 West. The couple has two children, Tommy, and Amanda.

Verle Barnes moved to Tuttle, Oklahoma in 1936. He has represented co-op members in the area as District 7 trustee more than a quarter of a century.

Verle is now semi-retired from farming. He and his wife Betty have been married for more than 50 years and have two daughters, five grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. Verle also is a deacon at the First Baptist Church in Tuttle.

Norman native Bob Usry, a self-employed businessman and a philanthropic role model, has spent more than 11 years volunteering on the OEC Foundation board, helping to oversee distributing cooperative members' Operation Round Up® contributions. In April 2004 he was appointed District 8 representative on OEC's board of trustees. He currently serves as the Board's Vice President.

In addition to managing Bob Usry and Sons, Inc., his plumbing company that has offices in Norman and Purcell, Bob is chairman of his church's board of directors and is an adult Sunday school teacher. He is a charter member of the Sooner Rotary Club, and is past-president of the United Way of Norman.

Bob and his wife Ellen have been married for 40 years and have two boys, both of whom work at the family's business, two grandsons and a granddaughter. Bob enjoys singing, riding his bicycle and is working toward obtaining a thrid black belt in Tae Kwon Do.

Jim Martin, a native of Grady County, joined the board in the fall of 1997. Currently President of the Board, Jim represents the members in District 9.

Jim served on the Amber-Pocasset School Board for 11 years, and was an active FFA parent while daughters Amy and Jamie were growing up. He is past-president of the Grady County Cattlemen's Association.

Jim and his wife Melinda, who works for the Grady County assessor's office, live on the Martin family farm east of Amber. He enjoys golfing and fishing.