DeFuniak Springs (Nov. 17, 2020) – CHELCO Board Trustee James “Jim” Bishop passed away unexpectedly Nov. 11. He served as the District 3 Trustee on the CHELCO Board since 1990 and served a portion of that time as the Board’s Vice President.

 “Jim was dedicated to CHELCO and had a heart for electric cooperatives,” CEO Steve Rhodes said. “His contributions to this organization over the years were plentiful and he will most certainly be missed.”

Bishop earned his certification as a Credentialed Cooperative Director, received his Board Leadership Certificate and also received the highest certification the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association awards: The Gold Certification.

In addition to serving on CHELCO’s Board of Trustees, Bishop also served CHELCO’s interest as past chairman of Southland Utility Services, a subsidiary of CHELCO. Bishop was a retired teacher and coach with the Walton County School District, a member of Seagrove Baptist Church and a United States Army Veteran.

“Those who knew Jim well at CHELCO knew he truly cared about his role as a Board member,” said Gerald Edmondson, President of the Board. “His knowledge and perspectives were a great asset to the board. He was admired for sticking to his values and will be greatly missed.”

CHELCO is a not-for-profit electric distribution cooperative serving more than 56,000 accounts in Walton, Okaloosa, Holmes and Santa Rosa counties.

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