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Board of Trustees and District Map

A board of eight elected Trustees is responsible for the overall direction of the business and affairs of Benton REA through the adoption of policies, budgets and providing direction to the general manager. Trustees are elected by the members of their respective district within the Benton REA service area and serve for a term of three years. The Benton REA service area has been divided into eight districts to allow for equal representation of its members.

Trustees must be a member of Benton REA and reside for at least one year within their district. A trustee may not hold any financial interest in selling electric energy or supplies to Benton REA. In addition, a trustee may not be an incumbent or candidate for any elected public office where salaries are paid.

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Board Meetings, Agendas and Minutes

The Benton REA Board of Trustees meets on the last Wednesday of the month at 6 p.m. in the Prosser Office unless otherwise scheduled. 2019 Board Meetings will occur on the following dates:

January 30, February 27, March 27, April 10, April 24, May 8, May 29, June 26, July 31, August 28, September 18, October 30, November 20 and December 18.

The board agenda for upcoming meetings are available to members upon request six days prior to the board meeting. Minutes of prior board meetings are available to members upon request. To request board agendas or minutes visit a Benton REA office, email priorityrequests@bentonrea.org or call 509-786-2913.

Buddy Treadway Photo

Buddy Treadway

West Richland
District #1

Buddy Treadway

Buddy was elected in 2007 to represent the membership of District 1. During his time serving the membership, he has attended numerous National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) training classes and has obtained his Certified Credentialed Director certification as well as his Board Leadership Certification. Additionally, he represents Benton REA on the Northwest Public Power Administration (NWPPA) Governmental Relations Committee and serves as a board member for the Washington Rural Electric Cooperative Association (WRECA). Buddy states, “I am proud to serve on the Benton REA Board of Trustees and I am determined to help keep the electrical service reliable, and the cost as low as possible for the membership.”

Buddy actively served in the US Army from 1957-1960 and served in the US Army Reserve for several years after active duty. In 1978, he moved his family to Washington state to work for an engineering firm performing work with the Hanford Reservation (DOE). In 20 plus years he has performed duties as project estimator, project coordinator, environmental specialist, and maintenance manager at the N-Reactor and D-Area. In 2005, he semi-retired in order to get more involved with community activities. In addition to serving as a Benton REA trustee, he has volunteered with the Red Cross in Kennewick, Wash., the Tri-Cities Cancer Center and has served on the West Richland, Wash., Planning Commission.

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Mike Freepons photo

Mike Freepons
President

Prosser Area
District #2

Mike Freepons

Mike is a third generation farmer who lives on the Roza north of Prosser where he grows concord grapes, wine grapes and apples. He bought the 160-acre farm in 1979, which is less than one mile from the farm he grew up on. Remaining local throughout his youth, Mike went to Whitstran School and graduated from Prosser High School. Mike then attended Washington State University and graduated in 1975 with a degree in Education. Mike and his wife Teresa have two sons who have completed military service and now live in the Tri-Cities. Mike also serves on the Benton County Weed District 1. In his spare time, Mike enjoys hunting and fishing and has even been to Africa and Alaska on hunting trips. Helping teach the younger generation about hunting, Mike is a hunter education instructor for Washington Department of State Fish and Wildlife. Mike has served on the Benton REA Board of Trustees since 2006.

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Bob Evans Photo

Bob Evans

Horse Heaven and East Rosa
District #3

Bob Evans

Bob brings a strong background in agriculture, engineering, administration and public service to the Benton REA board. He previously served on the Prosser School Board with three years’ experience as president. He was appointed to local planning boards in Colorado, Montana and Washington and active in several Lions Clubs and church activities.

Evans was raised on a ranch in western Colorado before getting his doctorate in agricultural engineering. He spent his career investigating means to improve profitability of various irrigated and dryland agricultural enterprises. Evans served as the Colorado State irrigation extension specialist for five years, worked for Washington State University for 20 years as a researcher at its Prosser center and then joined the USDA-Agricultural Research Service in Sidney, Montana as an administrator and researcher for 12 years.

Evans retired in October 2012 and lives with his wife, Carrell, on a farm west of Benton City. Their three children all graduated from Prosser High School. He remains professionally active.

Bob was appointed to the Benton REA Board of Trustees to fill an unexpired term in May, 2015.

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Ron Johnson

Ron Johnson

West Richland and Surrounding Rural Areas District #4

Ron Johnson

Ron is Benton REA’s newest trustee and is very excited to be of service to Benton REA and the community. Ron is originally from Portland, Oregon, but spent many of his growing up years in and around Yakima, attending A.C. Davis High School.

He spent two tours of duty with the U.S. Army. His passion for community service was discovered after the military when he became a volunteer firefighter and reserve police officer. Ron spent 31 years as a career firefighter in Kent, retiring in 2012 as a Station Captain. During that time, he also served eight years as a Fire Commissioner with South Pierce Fire and Rescue.

Ron and Karen, his wife of 32 years, enjoy family activities with their two adult daughters and two grandchildren, as well as traveling, fishing, shooting sports and an old motorcycle.

Ron was appointed to the Benton REA Board of Trustees to fill an unexpired term in October 2018.

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Tim Grow photo

Tim Grow

Sunnyside Area
District #5

Tim Grow

Tim is a fourth generation grape farmer who lives just north of Grandview. He and his wife, Gina, farm 295 acres of Concord grapes and 20 acres of Niagara grapes. Tim was educated in Grandview and also attended Seattle Pacific University graduating in 1981 with a bachelor’s degree in History. Tim served on the Grandview School Board of Directors and retired in 2016 after 20 years of service.

Tim has been a member of the National Grape Cooperative for the past 42 years and follows his grandfather and father in serving on the National Grape Cooperative Board of Directors for the past 15 years. He has also served on the Welch Foods, Inc. Board of Directors, serving on the governance and compensation committees of the board.

Tim has been a Benton REA member since 1989 and a board member since 2014. Tim is a firm believer in the cooperative way: members joining together to create value and protect their interests through commitment to their business.

Tim and Gina have three married daughters and two grandchildren.

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Scott Fisher

Scott Fisher

Mabton and Rimrock Areas
District #6

Scott Fisher

Scott Fisher is a longtime resident of the Yakima Valley. He was raised in Grandview and continues to help his father on the family cherry farm. He currently lives with his wife, Mary, on a small merlot grape farm southwest of Prosser. They have two adult children living in the Tri-Cities area.

Fisher has earned degrees from the University of Washington, Western Washington University and Central Washington University. Scott is a career educator and has worked nearly 25 years for the Mabton School District. Most of his career has been spent as a special education director and school psychologist. For the past four years, Fisher has served in special education and as the state and federal programs director for the Mabton School District.

Fisher enjoys camping in their old Westfalia van, rescuing old cars, woodworking and making wine. He was elected to the Benton REA Board of Trustees in 2017.

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Connie Krull

Connie Krull
Vice President

West Richland, Bird Hill and Paradise South
District #7

Connie Krull

Connie Krull has been a Benton REA member since 1996 and a member of the Benton REA board since 2012. She and her husband have five children and two grandchildren. They spend their free time participating in family activities and enjoying the vast opportunities that the community and this area of the country have to offer.

Connie has a Bachelor of Science in Business, with a focus on Project Management, and a master’s degree in Business Administration. She has more than 25 years of experience supporting and managing infrastructure, and operations and maintenance activities. During her career she has worked closely with the Hanford Site Electrical Utilities organization, Energy Northwest, and the Bonneville Power Administration on numerous projects and activities that include expanding services in support of new requirements, upgrading existing services and terminating/removal of unneeded or obsolete systems.

She is employed as a project manager involved with strategic planning initiatives associated with the cleanup of the Hanford Nuclear Reservation.

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Catherine Russell

Catherine Russell
Secretary/Treasurer

West Richland, West Latin Area
District #8

Catherine Russell

Catherine Russell prides herself on being active in the community and feels privileged to represent the Benton REA members as a trustee.

“I believe in doing volunteer work within the communities I live. I am willing and able to continue dedicating the time needed to represent the members’ interest at Benton REA,” she says.

Catherine feels it is important to study and keep current with regards to the electric utility industry to better serve her district and to this end has earned the Credentialed Cooperative Director certification and Board Leadership Certification. She has a Bachelor of Arts in Social Science from Washington State University Tri-Cities. Before retirement, she worked as a payroll supervisor. 

Catherine and her husband, Kevin, moved to the Tri-Cities in 1982 and to West Richland in 1994. In her spare time, Catherine enjoys traveling, sewing and gardening. Catherine was elected to the Benton REA Board of Trustees in 2007.

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