LPEA is less than three months away from ending its membership in the Tri-State nonprofit cooperative, yet the organization faces serious management turmoil. In the past two months alone, both the Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer – two critical leadership positions – have left, and remain vacant.
Filling these roles with qualified candidates will be difficult. Prospective employees would report directly to CEO Chris Hansen, whose background is primarily political rather than managerial. More than a year after accepting the CEO position, he remains a renter, giving the impression of limited commitment to the community. Publicly, his strengths appear to lie in political messaging and salesmanship, rather than providing candid, comprehensive information to cooperative members. It seems reasonable to conclude that this position may serve more as a résumé enhancement for future high-level regulatory ambitions.
Would you relocate your home and family to work for an organization whose management seems politically driven? Would you accept a position reporting to a CEO who may already be looking toward their next opportunity? The board’s decision to hire Mr. Hansen from the Colorado Senate, rather than selecting someone with experience managing electric cooperatives, represents another lapse in fiduciary responsibility.
As members of LPEA, it is we who will ultimately bear the cost of these decisions.
John Purser
Durango
