United Cooperative Services Executive Staff
General Manager/CEO
Ray Beavers
Ray Beavers, who began his career with United in 1999, provides leadership and direction throughout the organization. Prior to 1999, Mr. Beavers had 22 years of experience in the electric cooperative industry and is the former CEO of Southwest Rural Electric Cooperative in Tipton, Oklahoma. He also worked in positions with Cotton Electric Cooperative in Walters, Oklahoma and the Oklahoma Association of Electric Cooperatives.
The wonderful success of the cooperative philosophy for distribution utilities has stimulated the organization of cooperatives for generation & transmission utilities, statewide organizations dealing with utility supplies and safety/construction training and national organizations using the economies of scale to provide employee benefits and necessary industry education to the public. United reaps many benefits as members of these types of organizations and one of Mr. Beaver's major roles is maintaining United's voice in industry affairs. As CEO of United, a day in the life of Mr. Beavers may take him from an early morning visit with a customer to an employee meeting, from a civic luncheon to the Board Room and then to the airport to travel as the chairperson on a committee for the statewide or national association. Throughout these endeavors, Mr. Beavers' top priorities are safety for the members and the employees, service value, honesty, integrity and communication.
Mr. Beavers has a Bachelor of Arts Degree in economics and business administration from Cameron University in Lawton, Oklahoma.
Chief Financial Officer
Lynn Godfrey
Lynn Godfrey joined the management staff of United Cooperative Services in 1989 with seven years of previous electric cooperative industry experience. Mr. Godfrey's responsibilities include oversight of accounting, billing, work order processing and related computer applications. By nature, electric cooperatives are "capital intensive," i.e. major expenditures are made to construct distribution plant and it takes many years to recover the initial cost of the investment. Therefore, Mr. Godfrey must perform the long-term planning for cost controls, rate analysis and financing to ensure consistent funding of operations and construction.
Mr. Godfrey grew up in Baird, Texas and earned a B.B.A. from Abilene Christian University with an accounting major. He and his family are members of the Burleson Church of Christ and Mr. Godfrey serves as an officer for both the Burleson Rotary Club and CASA of Johnson County (a non-profit organization that trains and supports volunteers that work with displaced children).
Chief Operating Officer
Barry McWilliams
Barry McWilliams began working at United in 1993 after 20 years with international manufacturing companies working as an upper level manager in sales, warehouse/shipping, manufacturing, engineering, labor administration and production scheduling.
Mr. McWilliams and his employees provide a wide range of necessary resources from employee safety and daily employee motivation/training to inter-departmental operational transitions and career planning. He also monitors employee benefit security, asset protection and employee production measurement and achievement. Along with all of the employees of United, Mr. McWilliams is motivated in implementing benchmarking and best practices techniques to provide unsurpassed efficient and safe operations of the members' cooperative.
Mr. McWilliams is a native of Cleburne, Texas and has a Bachelor of Science degree from University of North Texas. He and his family are members of the Cleburne Bible Church and he is a past director for the Members Credit Union.
Senior Vice President - Cooperative Planning
Cameron Smallwood
In 1998, Cameron Smallwood began his already distinguished career with United. His responsibilities include the oversight of planning for distribution plant requirements (four year and longer range work plans), coordination of substation and transmission requirements with Brazos Electric Power Cooperative, testing and grading of electric plant facilities and the implementation of new technologies for distribution plant, telecommunications and computer applications. Mr. Smallwood has the responsibility of making long-range decisions while dealing with moving targets and changing technologies.
The future of the transmission and distribution grids for the electric industry has many challenges and opportunities but Mr. Smallwood will use his expertise to coordinate, plan and investigate the many options presented to the co-op. He is aware of the balance between technology and the personal attention United members have grown to expect.
Mr. Smallwood earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Bioengineering from Texas A&M University with Electrical Engineering emphasis, a Master of Science degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Georgia Tech University and is licensed to practice as a Professional Engineer in the State of Texas. He also is a Senior Member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE), a past chairman of the IEEE Rural Electric Power Committee and past president of the Texas Engineers Cooperative Association. Mr. Smallwood has published numerous papers on utility technologies and has served on several national technology committees. He and his family are members of Bethel Temple Assembly of God in Cleburne and he serves on several civic boards in the community.
Senior Vice President - System Engineering
Quentin Howard
Quentin began his career with United in 1992. Mr. Howard oversees and directs the field engineering and operations department at the Cooperative. His primary responsibilities at United include the oversight of the Cooperative’s field staking and design, delinquent collections, construction contract administration, and electric distribution construction. These duties require a great deal of scheduling and coordination to insure that the many diverse projects that are undertaken by the Cooperative are constructed with a high quality of workmanship and completed in a timely manner.
Mr. Howard grew up in the Houston area and graduated from Texas A&M University with a Bachelor of Science degree in electrical engineering. He is a member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers and past president of the Texas Electric Cooperatives Engineering Association. Quentin and his family currently reside in Stephenville, Texas where Quentin has been involved in various civic organizations and activities during his 19 years in Stephenville, including the Stephenville Optimist Club (past president).Senior Vice President - Member Services & Marketing
Landy Bennett
Landy Bennett began working for United in April 1989. Before coming to the cooperative, he was an assistant vice president and lending officer at the First National Bank in Cleburne.
Mr. Bennett's many years of experience with customer service provides him with the expertise and methods to help United members with their electric service needs. Marketing for the co-op not only means the overall communication of United's service offerings and philosophies, but also involves the implementation of specific services for specific customers. As the supervisor of customer service, member programs, and industrial client contracts, Mr. Bennett's goal is to add a personal touch and knowledge base that assists, rather than frustrates. He also leads his staff in coordinating United's Operation RoundUp program with non-profit organizations such as Texas Neighborhood Services, which provide financial assistance to United customers, as well as meeting other needs of the members.
One of the main concepts that separate electric cooperatives from other electric utilities is the belief that we each have the responsibility and privilege of giving back to the communities in which we serve. This has been evident in Mr. Bennett's personal involvement with leadership roles in various civic groups, United Way, Cleburne Jaycees (past president), Cleburne's Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors (treasurer and chairman), Tuesday Forum, Johnson County Junior Livestock Show committee, as well as, basketball, baseball and soccer programs for area youth. His accomplishments and involvement was recognized by the Cleburne community when he was honored as a past recipient of the Cleburne Citizen of the Year award. Mr. Bennett earned a bachelor's degree in agri-business from Tarleton State University. A resident of Cleburne for the past 37 years, he and his family are members of the First Baptist Church in Cleburne.
Senior Vice President - Communications & Public Relations
Marty Haught
For more than a decade Marty Haught has worked for various sectors of the electric utility industry. Having spent time with municipal, investor-owned, and finally electric cooperative utilities, Mr. Haught discovered his principles aligned perfectly with those of member-owned electric co-ops. Mr. Haught joined United Cooperative Services in December 2006 after spending the previous four years directing communications, member education and media/public relations efforts for the Touchstone Energy Cooperatives national headquarters in Arlington, Va.
Communications is an essential component of the electric cooperative business model. As a transparent organization, owned by the members it serves, Mr. Haught and all United employees adhere to cooperative principle #5 - Education, Training and Information - which obligates them to:
Provide education and training for their members, elected representatives, managers and employees so they can contribute effectively to the development of their cooperatives.
The ability to have an open dialogue with a utility has diminished over the years. Unlike their for-profit counterparts, however, electric cooperatives demonstrate how they're different every day by seeking out ways to connect with, and better serve, their members. That type of communications effort truly demonstrates the advantage of being a member of United Cooperative Services.
Mr. Haught is a native Virginian where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Virginia Tech University.
Vice President - Community and Media Relations
Mauri Montgomery
Mauri Montgomery joined United in 2006 after accumulating more than 20 years of experience in a newspaper career that included appointments as a writer, photographer, advertising director and publisher. He is responsible for the design, development and production of United’s internal and external print media communications, regional print advertising and for the continuing development of community and media relations within the cooperative’s service territory, specifically in the Granbury/Hood County area.
Central to his role in United’s overall communications program is promoting the cooperative’s credibility, transparency and innovation in all its operational initiatives, in addition to reporting and engaging cooperative members and the general public in present and future industry issues that are relevant to all electric consumers. He produces the cooperative’s award-winning local member newsletter PowerTalk, which is inserted and published monthly inside Texas Co-op Power magazine.
Montgomery earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism from Texas Tech University. He served as a writer for both the school’s student newspaper, The University Daily, and at the Lubbock-Avalanche Journal before pursuing his passion to practice community journalism at his small hometown daily newspaper, The Hereford Brand, where he later became President and Publisher. He and his wife attend Acton Baptist Church in Granbury, Texas.
