The OPALCO Board of Directors accepted Roger Crosby’s resignation from the board on April 15 with great appreciation and gratitude for his 22 years of service. Winnie Adams was appointed by the Board to finish out Crosby’s term, which expires in 2012. Adams will be at the annual meeting on Saturday, May 1 to meet and greet members on the ferry.

“Roger’s keen mind and extensive legal background made him an extremely valuable member of the board for more than two decades,” said past board president Bob Myhr said. “His dedication and commitment to OPALCO served the Co-op well in keeping us on course. Roger will surely be missed for his expertise – and his friendship.”

Adams was a candidate in the 2009 OPALCO election. She graduated from Stanford School of Education with a Masters degree. After several years of classroom teaching, and two summers working as a white water raft guide, she joined the environmental education staff of the Yosemite Institute. In 1977, she moved to Waldron where she built a small house powered by solar energy. In 1990, Winnie and her husband Bob Gamble moved to Orcas and began living part time on the grid. She has now lived on two islands and worked on three. Winnie has kayaked and sailed the area and knows this county: the topography, the micro-climates and the disparate human community and the need for community process.

“I have a sense of OPALCO’s history, a deep commitment to the co-op model, a unique experience informed by the dual perspective of living on and off a power grid, and decades of informing myself about power generation and conservation,” Adams said. “OPALCO is a shining star among the small rural electrical cooperatives providing us a long history of excellent management, service and low rates. Because we are small we are more agile than many co-ops are in these times of change. As a board member I intend to build on the legacy of strong financial footing and excellent service while considering a wide horizon of conservation and power sources.”