“Southwest Oklahoma has always been home,” said Jennifer Kuykendall Meason, chief executive officer for Cotton Electric Cooperative and Cotton Electric Services Inc.
After graduating from Lawton MacArthur High School, Meason earned a Bachelor’s in Business Administration from Cameron University and then a Master’s in Communication from the University of Oklahoma.
During her senior year at Cameron she accepted an internship at Cotton Electric Cooperative in Walters.
“I was visiting with one of my mentors, Dr. Donna Evers, one day while I was getting ad sales for The Cameron University Collegian,” said Meason. “When I mentioned that I was looking for another job, Dr. Evers said, ‘A gentleman from Cotton Electric called me the other day and they were looking for someone to help with their news- paper, so you might give them a call.’”
In mid-October 1999, Meason was interviewed by Kim Hooper and accepted the part-time marketing internship. When she graduated from Cameron the following May, she was offered a full-time position as the co- op’s marketing assistant.
Since then her education and skill set has led her to become the member relations manager for CEC, and she began working with the CEO directly as a staff assistant “developing policies, legislative work and working on special projects,” she said. She eventually returned to direct the marketing department where she oversaw marketing, human resources and strategic planning.
Within a short time she was promoted to vice president of marketing and chief operating officer of Cotton Electric Services Inc., a subsidiary of CEC, where she supervised the staff “testing rubber goods that line crews use in the field: the gloves they wear, the sleeves to protect their upper arm and line hose for approximately 300 customers, other co-ops, municipalities and subcontractors,” she said. CESI generates over $1 million in annual sales, the co- op’s website states.
In 2016, Meason was named CEO of Cotton Electric Cooperative and its subsidiary company, Cotton Electric Services Inc.
CEC provides service to 22,000 meters across eight counties in southwest Oklahoma. For 2019, the co-op boasts a 99.97% overall service reliability record. Cooperatives are owned by members represented by elected trustees who oversee operations.
“We make our system as reliable as possible,” she said, “We know that any time our members are without power, it really affects them and their families, so we’ve put a lot of effort and resources into improving our system.”
Meason stated that CEC thrives to maintain or surpass the A+ degree of reliability. The co-op continuously improves its system and has incorporated a stringent preventative maintenance measures that include routine utility pole inspection and replacement as well as vegetation management. Tree limbs and other vegetation may become problematic to the power grid, she added.
CEC proudly sponsors Spirit of Survival, local rodeos and “a little bit of everything that’s going on in our eight counties,” said Meason. “We will continue to promote and support our communities in their efforts.
“We try to be involved with local schools and fairs, we do safety demonstrations as well as informative demonstrations on energy efficiency or renewables.
“Most of our employees live in the communities we serve, so we encourage community activism with the Rotary Clubs, the Lions Clubs, local schools, coaching Little League teams and things like that. We feel that it is our role to improve the quality of life in southwest Oklahoma.”
Meason is also proud of CECF’s Operation Round Up program that allows members to round up their monthly utility payments to the nearest dollar. Those proceeds can be applied for by local organizations and individuals. Currently, Operation Round Up raises about $6,000 a month, said Meason. Since its inception, the initiative has raised over $1 million, and those funds have gone to support local volunteer fire departments, senior citizens centers, schools and more, she added.
Meason is a graduate of Leadership Lawton Class of XVIII and Leadership Oklahoma Class XXVIII. She is a past president and current member of the Rotary Club of Walters and is the president of the Walters Public Educational Foundation. She serves on the boards of directors for Cameron University Foundation and the Oklahoma School of Science and Mathematics Foundation. She has also served on the Leadership Oklahoma board of directors.
“My personal philosophy is that education is key to the success of southwest Oklahoma,” she said. “In order for us to succeed, we need a well-trained workforce.”
Meason, her husband Clint, a Walters Middle School math teacher and girls basketball coach, have been married for 17 years. Their daughters, Kendall and Kayla attend school in Walters.
“I want my children to be able to build a great life here and continue to stay in southwest Oklahoma instead of relocating. I want them to stay here. So, I’d love to see our area continue to grow.”