Maryland Gov. Martin J. O'Malley has appointed Austin Joseph Slater Jr. of California to the College of Southern Maryland Board of Trustees, effective July 1, 2008. Slater is the president and chief executive officer of Southern Maryland Electric Co-op (SMECO), one of the largest co-ops in the nation with $500 million in assets and approximately 150,000 members. SMECO has 500 employees and a 15-member board.
“I am deeply indebted to the college, it facilitated a life-improving change-in-course for me. I hope to repay in some small way for this initial step to my college education, Slater said, adding, “CSM is similar to SMECO in that we serve the same region and both offer critical services to a growing and vibrant community. I am humbled to join the board of trustees.”
Slater has extensive leadership experience in the electric cooperative industry. Previously vice president with the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, he was also CEO of Tideland Electric Membership Corporation in North Carolina.
Currently serving on the boards of the Maryland Chamber of Commerce and Community Bank of Tri-County, Slater is also active in many civic and community organizations. He previously served as a board member of the Consumer Federation of America, National Cooperative Business Association and the Cooperative Development Foundation.
Slater holds an MBA in finance from George Washington University, a bachelor degree from Shepherd College in accounting, and an associate degree from the College of Southern Maryland.
CSM's Board of Trustees is the governing body providing leadership and oversight of the colleges mission and policies. Members are appointed by the governor for five-year terms; the board consists of nine members, with Calvert, Charles and St. Marys counties equally represented. With Slaters appointment, the CSM Boards membership is now equally distributed among the three counties it serves.
Other CSM trustees are Chair James K. Raley Jr. of St. Mary's County; Vice Chair MacArthur Jones, Charles R. Bailey Jr. and Mary Maddox Krug of Calvert County; Michael Middleton, Joseph F. Shannon Jr. and Dorothea Holt Smith of Charles County; and Janice T. Walthour of St. Marys County. Serving as secretary/treasurer to the board is CSM President Dr. Brad Gottfried. For information on CSM, visit www.csmd.edu.