When a letter arrived from Midwest Energy Cooperative seeking a member to represent district 8 on its board of directors, Arell Chapman (pictured above with his wife Kellie and children) knew he’d found a great way to use his background and commitment to volunteering in his Lenawee County community.
“The board agreed!” says Midwest communications director, Patty Nowlin. “At their September 2015 meeting, they selected Arell to fill the district 8 seat left vacant after Ken Swope’s resignation.” Swope served the district for 25 years, and retired in August. He was re-elected to a three-year term in 2015, and Arell will fulfill that term.
“As a new member of Midwest, I was pleased with the online platforms and the customer service experience I received when I called to set up our new account,” Chapman shares. “When this opportunity to serve presented itself, I reviewed the website and saw how Midwest lives and breathes its community value and actively engages to make a difference beyond the provision of service. I was really excited by the opportunity to get involved with everything this organization is doing.”
Chapman brings a wealth of professional experience to the table. He is currently vice president of information technology (IT) at Gleaner Life Insurance Society in Adrian, and has worked in similar operations roles in the banking industry. He also has a bachelor’s degree in IT and an MBA from the University of Phoenix, and is certified in risk and information systems control. “There is an ever-increasing importance for board members to understand the financial, regulator and information security risks within the organizations they serve,” he says. “I bring a unique understanding of and experience with the deep waters of corporate security, especially as it relates to the increasing threats to physical and information security.”
He and his wife also volunteer with local Boy Scout and Cub Scout programs, and he is involved as a clergy assistant at their church.