Valley Electric announces new board officers, president

A new leader, along with other officers, has been elected to the board of directors at Valley Electric Association Inc.

Valley announced that Kenneth Derschan, who represents District 5 for the co-op, Sandy Valley, was elected as president of VEA’s board of directors by the board in June, according to a news release from the cooperative.

Derschan was serving as the board’s vice president prior to the election and replaces John Maurer, who has led the board for the past six years. The newly elected president said he’s been called to assist Maurer “with his leadership duties throughout the year,” he stated in a news release.

Derschan was appointed to the board of directors in August 2015 and was later elected by members in the Sandy Valley community in 2017 for a three-year term.

“I have been studying all year on the leadership role,” Derschan said in a news release from Valley. “I have the utmost respect for every board member and will strive to do my best and lead the co-op into the future.”

In accordance with Valley’s bylaws, officers for the co-op’s board are elected following the cooperative’s annual meeting. The 2018 meeting was held at the end of April at Pahrump Valley High School.

Several new officers for Valley’s board were announced in June: Richard Johnson, District 3 in Beatty was named vice president; Dave Hall, District 2 in Amargosa Valley was named secretary; Peter Gazsy, District 1 or South Pahrump was named assistant secretary; and David Dawson, District 6 or North Pahrump was named treasurer, a news release from Valley stated.

Maurer, who represents District 4 or Fish Lake Valley, said he wanted to focus more on his business and family, according to a news release from Valley.

“This year, at our annual board reorganization, I asked my fellow board members to not consider me again for the position of president,” Maurer said in the release. “The position requires a lot of time. The reality is that my family and my business need more of my time now, so it was only logical to step aside and let someone else take the reins. It’s been my honor and privilege to serve as board president for the last six years.”

Maurer was re-elected for his fourth three-year term in 2016.

Next steps

“As president, Ken said the immediate priority of the board will be hiring a permanent CEO,” according to a June 8 release from Valley.

Angela Evans, interim CEO of Valley Electric, is handling the day-to-day operations of the cooperative while the board focuses on searching for a CEO, Derschan said in a news release.

“The energy business is a changing industry. We must stay ahead of the change and continue to lead the way,” Derschan said.

Evans was named interim CEO by the board following the swift retirement of Thomas Husted in early May.

Derschan

Derschan has a long history in Southern Nevada; he has been a Clark County resident for more than 52 years. He was born in Orange, California and raised in Las Vegas.

The newly named board president, along with his wife, Debbie, have owned and operated Trails End General Store in Sandy Valley for the past 14 years.

Derschan has been a licensed Realtor, school bus driver, commercial driver and worked in the mining industry.

The new board president has also had several educational accomplishments. Derschan has earned an emergency medical technician certification (EMT) and EMT-ID from the Clark County Fire Department. According to a release from Valley, Derschan has also received “extensive training in High Angel Rescue, Confined Space Rescue and Hazmat Rescue from Molycorp Minerals.”

Derschan sits on several other boards of directors: “Citizen Development Advisory Committee for Clark County, the Keystone Enrichment Foundation, Sandy Mesquite Valley Development Association, Sandy Valley Schools Booster Club and the School Organizational Team (SOT) for the Clark County School District,” a release from Valley stated.

Contact reporter Jeffrey Meehan at jmeehan@pvtimes.com