Bill Carpenter is retiring from the Jackson EMC Board of Directors after 60 years of service. He is succeeded by Sarah McKinney, who is well known in Jackson County for her community service and business leadership. 

A longtime member of Jackson EMC, Carpenter served as a director for 52 years. In addition to his service on the board, he was also a former employee having spent eight years in the roles of editor of JEMCO News and Manager of Member Services. He also briefly held the position of Acting General Manager before being called to serve as a full-time pastor of a rapidly growing church in Northeast Georgia. 

“Bill’s love of people and his connections throughout Jackson County and across our service area made him a tremendous asset to the cooperative. The 60 years Bill spent serving our cooperative were years of great growth and success. His dedication to our members is a hallmark of his personal character and his service to our cooperative,” said Jackson EMC Board Chairman Otis Jones. Jackson EMC had less than 26,000 meters when Carpenter was named to the board in 1970. Jackson EMC’s membership has grown nearly 10 times that size in his time on the board. Today, the cooperative serves more than 248,000 meters on 14,726 miles of wire. 

Incoming board member Sarah McKinney is the President of the Athens Area Community Foundation, a position she’s held since 2017. Prior to this, she served the region for many years in her roles as the Director of Development for the Georgia 4-H Foundation at the University of Georgia and the Athens Community Council on Aging. She is a graduate of the University of Georgia with a bachelor’s degree in social work. 

“Sarah has all the attributes that will make her a very effective Jackson EMC board member. She is well connected to our members in Jackson County and is highly qualified with her experience as a leader in our community. She’s passionate about our mission to exceed members’ expectations with reliable, courteous and personalized service and I am confident she is an excellent choice for our cooperative,” said Jones. 

McKinney is the immediate past president of the Rotary Club of Athens, a member of the Leadership Georgia Class of 2019, and served on the partnership committee for the Empower College and Career Center. She is active in the Jackson-Empower FFA Alumni Association where both of her children have shown sheep and competed in livestock, poultry, and speaking events. She and her husband, John, live in the southern area of Jackson County and are active volunteers in the Jackson County school system where their daughter, Anna, attends school, plays softball and is active in FFA. Their son, Nathan, served as the 2021-2022 state FFA President and attends Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College. 

Jackson Electric Membership Corporation, the largest electric cooperative in Georgia and one of the largest in the nation, is headquartered 50 miles northeast of Atlanta in Jefferson, Ga. The cooperative serves more than 249,000 meters on 14,000 miles of energized wire. For more information, visit jacksonemc.com.

Follow the links for photos of Sarah McKinney and Bill Carpenter.