District 1 : Pawnee
Clayton Bloome, Vice Chairman
Clayton Bloome was raised on a family farm near Morrisonville. After graduating from Southern Illinois University in Carbondale with a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering, Clayton returned home to farm. He worked at the Illinois EPA as an environmental engineer for 18 years, and now owns and operates Bloome Environmental Consulting LLC in Pawnee, helping owners with completing remediation of soil and groundwater at hazardous waste sites and leaking under-ground storage tank sites. He is a licensed professional engineer in Illinois and Missouri. Clayton is a member of the National Society of Professional Engineers, American Society of Professional Engineers, Christian County Farm Bureau, and the United Methodist Church. He currently resides in rural Pawnee with his wife, Christy, and two children.
District 2 : Waverly
Chris Wilcox, Chairman of the Board
Chris Wilcox is a life-long resident of rural Waverly. He graduated from Waverly High School and attended Lincoln Land Community College and Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. Chris and his wife Gail have two grown daughters, three grandsons, and a granddaughter. They are also active members of the First United Methodist Church of Waverly.
Chris serves as a director on the RECC board and has represented District 2 since November 2005. He is proudly self-employed as a grain farmer and currently serves on the Cass-Morgan Farm Bureau Foundation. Throughout his career, Chris has been the president of the Cass-Morgan Farm Bureau and the Morgan County Soil and Water Conservation Board.
District 3 : Rochester
Jimmy Ayers, Secretary/Treasurer
Jimmy was elected to the Board of Directors in 1989 and served as Board Chairman from 1993- 2016. He has represented RECC regarding cooperative affairs with the Association of Illinois Electric Cooperatives (AIEC) and is a past chairman of the AIEC board. He is currently vice-chairman of the E.J. Water CooperativeBoard in addition to serving on the RECC board. Jimmy is a native of the New City area and a graduate of Glenwood High School. He is engaged in grain farming and is the joint owner of Ag Production Specialists Inc. and Ayers Trucking, LLC. Jimmy and his wife, Cydney, have two children and are members of the Sugar Creek United Methodist Church.
District 4 : Virden
Scott Landrey
Scott Landrey is a corn and soybean farmer who operates a Centennial Family Farm outside of Virden. He is a 1997 graduate of Illinois State University with a bachelor’s degree in production agriculture. Scott and his wife Brenna have three daughters, two of whom are studying agronomy in college. The Landreys are also members of Our Saviors Lutheran Church.
Scott has served on the CHS Lowder Board and the Lutheran High School building and grounds committee. He is a Virden Township Trustee and is a member of the RECC Cooperative Communicator Committee. Scott is a certified director for the Illinois Farm Bureau and served on the Sangamon County Farm Bureau, where he is currently President.CC.
District 5 : Auburn
Garry Niemeyer, Assistant Secretary/Treasurer
Garry Niemeyer has lived and farmed in the Auburn area his whole life. Garry and his wife Cheryl have three children and seven grandchildren. He graduated from Auburn High School and went on to receive his bachelor’s degree in Agricultural Economics from the University of Illinois. In addition to farming, Garry has served on several agricultural related Boards. Garry served on the Sangamon County Farm Bureau Board for 9 years and was President in 1995. He served as Interlocking Director of Lincoln Land Farm Supply for 5 of those years. Garry was elected to the Illinois Corn Growers Association and served for 9 years, where he was President in 2002. Garry was also on the National Corn Growers Board of Directors in 2005 and was elected President of the National Corn Growers Association 2011-2012. He was appointed to the Waterways Council Board of Directors and served from 2013-2018 and is currently a member of the Farm Foundation. Garry has also been a member of the Chatham Presbyterian Church since 1972 having served as Elder in the 1990s.
District 6 : Taylorville
Mel Repscher
Mel Repscher, and his wife Rita, live on their Centennial Family Farm located 3 miles southwest of Taylorville. They have four grown children, all living in the Taylorville area. Mel and Rita, along with their son Matt, operate their family farm businesses. They do business as Big M Berry Patch, Big M Pumpkin Patch, Big M Custom Baling, and Big M Manufacturing LLC. The Repschers raise grain and specialty crops which include strawberries, vegetables, pumpkins, and fall ornamentals. As Big M Manufacturing, they build and market their A-MaizeIng Heat® line of Biomass fueled heating systems. Mel and his family are also active members of the Taylorville United Methodist Church.
District 7 : Divernon
Andy Goleman
Andy Goleman has spent most of his adult life in service to the public. Andy has been a member of the Divernon School Board and president of the Sangamon County Farm Bureau Board. He served on the Illinois Farm Bureau Board, Country Financial Board and the Illinois Corn Growers Board as a Director. For more than two decades, Andy served on the Sangamon County Board, including 13 years as the Chairman of the Finance Committee where he oversaw a $100 million annual budget. Andy was appointed Sangamon County Auditor in June of 2015, elected to a full term in 2016, and re-elected in 2020. He currently serves as the County Auditor and continues to be actively involved on the family farm in the Divernon/Pawnee area. Andy graduated from Divernon High School before receiving an A.A degree at Lincoln Land Community College. He then earned a B.A. in Mass Communications and a double minor in History/ Political Science at Western Illinois University. Andy is a member of the Divernon United Methodist Church and a former Chairman of the Church’s Board.
District 8 : Litchfield
Neil Bryan
Neil Bryan grew up in central Illinois living in several rural areas, before moving to Centralia, IL and graduating from high school. Upon graduation, he served in the United States Marine Corps from 1986 – 1992, where he was deployed several times and is a proud veteran of the Gulf War. From his time in the USMC, he developed a great passion for service and serving people. He has continued to serve in other roles, such as, a Moultrie County Board member, precinct committeeman, and chamber & economic development committee member. Currently he serves as director of District 8 on the RECC board, where he in excited to serve the member of the co-op. Neil is the Director of Education Networks with Vero Private Fiber, and has 28 years of technology/ networking experience in small business and K12 markets. In his experience, he has designed & implemented numerous school and business computer systems and networks thought-out Illinois and Missouri. Neil, his wife Christy, and their son Tyler live in the Honey Bend area just north of Litchfield, IL. They are members of Pleasant Hill Christian Church, where they attend church and he enjoys serving and volunteering.
District 9 : Modesto
Cassie Eigenmann
Cassie has served on the RECC Board since 1998. She has a B.S. degree from Eureka College and has taken multiple graduate courses in the elds of Business Management, Agricultural Spectroscopy and Computer Science. She has also achieved Credentialed Director, Board Leadership, and Director Gold status for the co-op, having taken more than 40 courses and seminars related to the electric industry. She retired from the DICKEY-john Corporation in 2014 after 40 years of service in various capacities of manufacturing, marketing, and engineering. Post retirement, she was awarded a lifetime membership in the National Conference on Weights and Measures in order to continue her governmental regulatory work in agriculture. Cassie is also an active member of the Koke Mill Christian Church and serves as Usher and Prayer Intercessor.
RECC is member-owned and locally controlled
Your board of directors is chosen through elections at the annual meeting. Each of the nine
directors is elected by majority vote for a three-year term. Terms are staggered; three directors
are elected one year, three directors the next year, and three the third year.
Before each annual meeting of the members, a nine-member nominating committee is appointed. The
committee consists of three members from each district where a vacancy on the board of directors is
to be filled. This committee meets and prepares a list of nominees to run for election. Nominations
for a district candidate may also be made by petition, signed by 15 or more members in that
district. Petition forms are available from the co-op office and must be returned 45 days before
the Annual Meeting. All eligible names will be placed on the official ballot, and the winning
candidate will be elected by RECC members voting in person or by proxy at the time and place of the
scheduled meeting.
Directors are required to meet minimum requirements:
▪ Directors must receive electric service from RECC at their primary residence, pay the same rates
for electric service, and follow each policy like all other members.
▪ They are not eligible to serve on the board if they have any conflicting business
interests.
▪ The board meets at the Auburn Headquarters on the fourth Tuesday of each month at 6:30 p.m., and
all directors are expected to attend these monthly board meetings.
▪ Directors attend all special board meetings, committee meetings, and the annual membership
meeting. Directors should also attempt to attend one National Rural Electric Cooperative
Association (NRECA) meeting or director’s conference every year.
▪ Other meetings directors attend include one and two-day educational seminars. Directors are
encouraged to complete their NRECA Credentialed Cooperative Director’s Certificate during their
first term (3 years).
▪ Directors receive a per diem, IRS mileage allowances for co-op travel, and expenses to attend
cooperative meetings.
▪ Directors spend 23-35 days each year representing Rural Electric Convenience Co-op.
▪ A director represents all members, not a geographic region.
▪ This board establishes basic business policies, like that of a board for a corporation. The
board of directors employs a President/CEO, who is responsible for all the operational details.
Want to learn more about your co-op?
Visit the Bylaw pages for procedural details and see how your cooperative works for you. Article III, entitled, Meeting of the Members, describes notification methods, meeting requirements, and the voting process. Article IV focuses on the Board Members, defining their geographical districts, eligibility requirements, nomination process, and election procedures. Bylaws (link)