Email: syncon@hillsboro.net

• Ronald R. Roberts of Whitney was appointed to the HILCO Electric Cooperative, Inc. Board of Directors in September, 2007. He replaces K. W. McPherson of Blum who retired from the board after 12 years of loyal service to the members of the cooperative. Since Ron has become a director; he has completed the Credentialed Cooperative Director Program and the Board Leadership Program.
• Ron has been in the residential construction industry most of his adult life. He is a self-employed home builder who has built and remodeled homes in and around Hill County since 1992. He is a member of the local Chamber of Commerce, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB).
• Ron devotes an extensive amount of time serving on a number of boards and committees throughout the local area to include the City Planning and Zoning board, a local Water COOP board, a local POA board and the White Bluff Chapel board among others.
• He served in the U.S. Marine Corps in the early 80's and has since stayed connected by becoming a member of the local American Legion and the Wounded Warrior Program.
• He and his wife, Carla, have three children and six grandchildren.
• Ron prides himself in being honest and sincere. He says, “The most important rule of life is simply ‘The Golden Rule.’ I feel that character and having a good attitude are the foundation on which to build ones life.” He added, “‘Character is doing the right thing when nobody is looking’.”

Email: mhill@hilco.coop

• Ms. Hill has represented District 2 on the HILCO Board of Directors since 1995. Born in Waxahachie, she has been a resident of Ellis County for over 55 years and a HILCO member since 1973. She retired after 29.5 years serving the public in the Customer Service Department of a large communications company.She earned her National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) Credentialed Director Certification in 1998, Board Leadership Certification in 1999, and the Director Gold Certification in 2022. Ms. Hill spends several hours every month in workshops on behalf of the cooperative. She formally represented HILCO on the board of directors at San Miguel Electric Cooperative, the generation and transmission (G&T) power plant that generates and provides power to G&Ts in the state. She served as the Area 3 Representative for five years on the Board of Directors for Rural Friends/ACRE, a nonpartisan political action committee representing the interests of 65 electric Cooperatives and G&Ts.
• Active in her community, Ms. Hill has served on the Midlothian Industrial Development and Midlothian Historical Advisory Boards. She was a member of the Ellis County Republican Women, and the Blue Star Mothers, Ellis Co. Chapter.
• Midlothian citizens academy class of 2006.
• Ms. Hill also received the 2005 Eagle Award in appreciation for her service to HILCO Electric Cooperative.

Email: jsmith@hilco.coop

• Jan Smith has served the HILCO members of District 7 since 2009 and currently serves as the Secretary/Treasurer of the HILCO Board of Directors. She has been a HILCO member since 2003.
• Since coming to the board in 2009, Ms. Smith has earned her National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) Credentialed Director Certification in 2010, the Board Leadership Certification in 2015, and the NRECA Director Gold Achievement in 2016.
• Jan received a nursing degree from the Bethesda Hospital School of Nursing in Cincinnati, Ohio. She spent her professional life as a Registered Nurse in her chosen field of surgical nursing. Though she has retired from nursing, she continues an active career in the medical field by producing medical transcription from her home.
• Ms. Smith loves gardening, music, cooking, and spending time with her family and friends.

• Jan’s objective as District 7 Board Director is to always serve the members of the Cooperative with honesty and integrity.

Email: eharrison@hilco.coop

• Edward (Ed) Harrison was recently selected to represent HILCO members in District 1.
• Ed served in the United States Navy Seabees as a Construction Electrician. Later he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in History from Dallas Baptist University (DBU) in 1980 and Master’s degree from Dallas Theological Seminary in 1992. From 1992 to 2007 Ed was an adjunct professor at DBU.
• In 1983 Ed founded Harrison Homes, a custom home building, and Triumph Development, a land development company, both of which did business in the DFW area. He recently retired from his homebuilding business.
• Ed has served in numerous directors’ positions for Dallas Builders Association, Texas Association of Builders, and National Association of Builders, and is a past President of the Dallas Builders Association.
• He was appointed by Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison to the White House Conference on Small Business. He also was appointed by Governor George W. Bush to the Texas Task Force on Affordable Housing, where he was elected Chairman.
• He is also a long-serving member of the Charlton Methodist Hospital Advisory Board.
• Ed and his wife, Trish, have lived near Ovilla for over 20 years. They have 3 grown children and 10 grandchildren. Additionally, he is a private, instrument-rated, pilot but his real love is his faith and his family. He has been a Sunday School teacher for over 40 years.

Email: jtedesco@hilco.coop

Early Life and Education

Joseph D. Tedesco, affectionately known as Joe, was born with an innate curiosity and an eagerness to understand the world around him. Hailing from a close-knit family that emphasized the value of education and community service, Joe’s formative years laid a strong foundation for his future endeavors. He pursued higher education with vigor, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from Cedar Crest College. This achievement was pivotal, as it not only equipped him with a deep understanding of human behavior but also nurtured his commitment to helping others.

Furthering his ambition for educational excellence, Joe ascended to earn a Master’s degree in Educational Leadership from Texas A&M Commerce. This advanced qualification sharpened his leadership skills and set the stage for a career devoted to empowering others through collaborative initiatives and community-driven projects.

Career and Community Engagement

In 2002, Joe’s journey as a member of the HILCO began, marking the inception of a long and fruitful affiliation with the cooperative. His passion for grassroots advocacy soon led him to a role on the HILCO Board of Directors. Since 2008, he has served as the representative for District 4, where he is deeply committed to addressing the needs of his constituents and advocating for cooperative employees.

• Email: rwhite@hilco.coop

• A resident of Hill County for 27 years, R.D. "Rick" White has served his community for many years. His contributions include working through Central Baptist Church on several volunteer mission projects including coordinating with the North Texas Food Bank to provide food to persons needing food assistance and the St. Vincent de Paul House in a Box Program servicing as National Director of Logistics and traveling across the country providing uninsured and underinsured people with furniture, utensils and personal items to recover after large disasters in their community.

• White graduated from Grand Prairie High School and attended the University of Texas at Arlington. Rick began law enforcement career in 1979 in Grand Prairie. He came to Hillsboro in 1996 to serve as Chief of Police. While employed with the City of Hillsboro, Rick served in capacities of Chief of Police, Director of Public Safety and City Manager. Rick also taught criminal justice at Hill College to criminal justice students and served as Director of the Navarro College Police Academy. In 2019 Rick retired from the Hill County Sheriff's Office as Chief Deputy completing a law enforcement career spanning 40 years.

Email: wla@windstream.net

• Bill has been the District 5 HILCO representative since June 2004, serving as both President and Vice-President of the HILCO Board for over 15 years. He has previously served as HILCO’s representative on the San Miguel Electric Cooperative Board and currently serves on the Brazos Electric Cooperative Board as chair of the Operating Budget, Rates and Tariff Committee.
• He has also served in various positions in and around his local community, having been a school board trustee for the Whitney ISD, a past member of several White Bluff Property Owners committees, and a volunteer for the White Bluff Volunteer Fire Department.
• He is a graduate from The University of Texas in Austin , having received a Bachelor of Business Administration. He is licensed as a Certified Flight Instructor and has both owned and operated small business and ranching concerns.
• In his position as a HILCO director, he has continued his education, having completed the course requirements for the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association's Credentialed Director Certificate (CCD). The courses included:
• Directors Duties and Liabilities
• Understanding the Electric Business
• Board Roles and Relationships
• Strategic Planning
• Understanding Financial Planning
• Credentialed Cooperative Director Certification
• In addition to the above certification courses, leadership courses completed to earn the NRECA Leadership Certification included:
• The Role of the Board Chair in Conducting Effective Meetings
• Cooperative Communications and Public Opinion - The Directors Perspective
• Creating a Political Action Plan: The Board's Role
• When Disaster Strikes - Continuity Management and Emergency Response Planning for Directors
• Appraising and Compensating the CEO
• Understanding the New World of Power Supply
• Effective Boards - Why Some Succeed and Some Fail
• The Role of Renewables in Power Supply
• Energy Efficiency, Conservation & Demand Response in Today's Cooperatives
• Capital Credits: Legal and Financial Issues
• Board Leadership Certification from NRECA