Hays, Kan.—May 5, 2023—Sunflower Electric Power Corporation seated Sandra Benoit as one of its 12 directors on April 21, 2023. Benoit succeeds Jerry Gallagher as a Sunflower board representative for Prairie Land Electric Cooperative, headquartered in Norton, Kan.
Each of Sunflower’s six member cooperatives—Lane-Scott Electric Cooperative, Pioneer Electric Cooperative, Victory Electric Cooperative, Western Cooperative Electric, Wheatland Electric Cooperative, and Prairie Land—has two representatives elected by local distribution cooperative members. Sunflower’s board meets monthly to strategize on the current and future operation of Sunflower and the best approaches to continue providing its members with reliable wholesale energy at the lowest possible cost.
In April 2017, Benoit was appointed to finish the term of a previous director on the Prairie Land Board of Directors and subsequently selected by fellow board members to succeed Gallagher upon his retirement.
“It is an honor to be appointed to serve on Sunflower’s Board of Directors,” said Benoit. “I look forward to supporting Sunflower’s mission and serving western Kansas in this role.
A graduate of Fort Hays State University, Benoit is currently employed as office manager of Rooks County Road Water District #3 and accounts receivable clerk for Pfeifer Dozer & Well Service.
Benoit lives in Damar, Kan., where she served on the Damar City Council for more than 30 years. She is also a member of the Damar Community Foundation, St. Joseph Catholic St. Anne Sodality, and St. Joseph Cemetery Committee.
Benoit and her husband, Don, have four married children and six grandchildren.
About Sunflower—Sunflower Electric Power Corporation is a regional wholesale power supplier that operates a system of solar, wind, natural gas, and coal-based generating plants and a transmission system of approximately 2,400 miles for the needs of its seven members, who serve customers living in central and western Kansas. The focus of Sunflower’s 400+ workforce is to deliver its members with reliable energy at the lowest possible cost. Visit Sunflower’s website at http://www.sunflower.net
Sunflower’s member cooperatives include Lane-Scott Electric Cooperative, Dighton; Pioneer Electric Cooperative, Ulysses; Prairie Land Electric Cooperative, Norton; The Victory Electric Cooperative Association, Dodge City; Western Cooperative Electric Association, WaKeeney; and Wheatland Electric Cooperative, Scott City, Kansas. Southern Pioneer Electric Company is also a Member of Sunflower.