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BRANHAM RECEIVES RISING STAR HONOR through the ranks, first becoming an energy services and business development representative and finally her current director job, where she oversees a staff of nine.
Cortney Branham, story from cooperative.com
Central Rural Electric Cooperative’s Director of Energy Services, Cortney Branham, was recently honored as a Co-op Rising Star in Rural Electric Magazine for her work in making better-informed decisions with the use of dashboards, data and analytics. Since coming to Central in 2013 as a facilities laborer, Branham has risen
“In that role, Branham has led the coop in our transition to the utilization of dashboards, data and analytics, which has helped us improve processes and make better-informed decisions,” writes Central’s CEO Hunter Robinson. For Branham, using data to justify business decisions is a “cool process.” “Data adds so much value to the co-op, for us to be able to have a gut feeling about something and then go look at the data and be able to verify,
‘Yes, that’s what the data’s telling us.’” Branham taught herself Tableau, an interactive data visualization soft ware, and is skilled enough to teach others. That fluency has been invaluable in diagnosing potential staking and line designs. Soft ware proficiency also has resulted in quicker installations of new orders and more balanced workloads for staking technicians and other crews. “I’m here to provide a service or improve the quality of life for coworkers and members and empower them to do whatever they want to do… build a house or start a business. I just love to be able to help.”
CONCERN PRESTON TO RETIRE FROM BOARD COMMUN Central district two trustee Stu Preston announced his retirement from the board of trustees at the end of his term in October. Preston has served the cooperative and its members as a trustee for nine years.
Stu Preston
Preston, who joined the board in 2012, represents members in parts of Lincoln,
Logan, Oklahoma and Payne counties.
Preston achieved the Credentialed Cooperative Director, Board Leadership and Director Gold certifications from the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association. Preston is currently serving as vice president of the Central board.
“Mr. Preston has been a leader in helping to advance and prepare the cooperative for the future,” said Central CEO, Hunter Robinson. “He has always focused on finding ways to increase member engagement and support the cooperative model.”
Visit MyCentral.coop to learn more.