Governance

DEC Board Chair Patricia “Pat” Dorey has served on the board since her first election in 2004. She previously served as the Board’s Assistant Secretary-Treasurer and was elected chair in 2021. Having graduated from the Millsboro Public School, Pat later attended college as an adult student and is an alumnus of both the University of Delaware and Salisbury State College, now Salisbury University. She taught in the Indian River School District for a few years before accepting an opportunity to return to the University of Delaware’s Parallel Program in Georgetown, where she served students and faculty in the administrative role of Assistant Dean for 18 years. Following her retirement from this position, she returned to the Delaware Tech campus in Georgetown and worked several more years as an educational counselor/advisor to prospective and current students.

During her time on the DEC Board, Pat has represented DEC at the statewide trade association known as the Virginia, Maryland & Delaware Association of Electric Cooperatives. She serves on the RHI Board as well as the Educational Services Committee and Foundation Board of the VMDAEC and is a past Chair of the VMDAEC Board. To keep abreast of a rapidly growing and changing industry, Pat has earned CCD, BLD and Director Gold credentials during her tenure through attending conferences and other training opportunities as well as taking online courses offered through the NRECA.

Pat is married to husband Terry Dorey, and they have two children, Denise Bateman and Darren Dorey, and are additionally blessed to have five wonderful grandchildren. Pat and Terry are active members of Zoar UM Church in Millsboro, and she also enjoys service to the Delaware District and the Peninsula-Delaware Conference of the UMC.

Michael K. Brown is a resident of Hartly and a veteran of state service, working for both the Delaware Department of Agriculture and the Division of Soil and Water Conservation, serving in management positions at both agencies. Mr. Brown has a master’s degree in organizational leadership from Wilmington University and a bachelor’s degree from West Virginia University. He currently serves as the Executive Director of the National Association of State Conservation Agencies, a national nonprofit that works to develop national soil and water conservation policy. He also represents DEC on the Board of Directors of the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association. 

Laura T. Phillips represents District 6. She is a native Delawarean and has a bachelor’s degree in human resource management from Wilmington University.  She is a Vice President with WSFS Bank and is active in several local organizations.  Mrs. Phillips has attained her Board Leadership, Credentialed Cooperative Director and Director Gold Certifications. She Phillips resides near Seaford with her husband, Ben, and their son Cole.

William Haughey, Jr. retired after 15 years as the Executive Director & Community Manager with Tunnell Companies, L.P. in Long Neck, DE.  He previously had a 28-year banking career with an extensive background in banking and finance in the Kent and Sussex County areas.  Mr. Haughey  previously served on the Sussex County Advisory Board of WSFS Bank, as Vice President & Southern Regional Executive with the Bank of Delaware and PNC Bank and as a Vice President with Delaware Trust Company.  He is a native Delawarean and graduate of Milford High School.  Mr. Haughey has a Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Delaware and a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from Wilmington University.  He has served on several civic and charitable organization boards.  Mr. Haughey has attained the Credentialed Cooperative Director Certification, the Board Leadership Certificate and three Director Gold Certificates.  Most recently, he completed a course on Electric Vehicles and Charging Stations.  

Charles Towles, Jr. is retired with over 40 years in the electrical industry. Charles has been a Board Member since 2006. He has attained the Director Certification and Gold Leader status level. Charles, and his wife Carol, reside in Smyrna.  They attend Asbury United Methodist Church in Smyrna and enjoy motorcycle riding with Christian motorcycle groups and driving their RV across the country. He is a member of the American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars, Moose Lodge and Masonic Lodge. Charles is a committed, experienced and dedicated team player, who believes in “putting members first.”

Bruce R. Walton retired as a Brigadier General with the Delaware National Guard after 36 years of service. He is a past member of the Caesar Rodney School Board, was the Deputy Principal Assistant to the Delaware Secretary of Agriculture from 1998 to 2005 and has a broad background in agricultural and community service. Memberships include the Delaware and Kent County Farm Bureaus, Delaware Fruit Growers Association and Gideon’s International. Mr. Walton has completed the Credentialed Cooperative Director program and the Director Gold program.

District 3 representative and former Board Chairman, William J. Wells, is a native Delawarean and owner of White Oak Farm, a dairy operation west of Felton. He belongs to several statewide organizations including the Delaware Dairy Herd Improvement Association and the Delaware Farm Bureau. A graduate of Milton High School, Mr. Wells is also the recipient of the Governor’s 2012 Agricultural Award. Bill and his wife Janet attend the Manship Chapel Church.

Former Nanticoke Healthcare executive Tom Brown joined Delaware Electric Cooperative’s Board of Directors in January of 2021. A former educator and community leader, Mr. Brown holds a Master’s in Education from St. Mary’s and a Master’s in Finance from the University of Baltimore. He worked as a Senior Vice President at Nanticoke Memorial Hospital where he was also President of the Nanticoke Physician’s Network. He retired from that post in June of 2020. As a DEC Board member, Mr. Brown has earned his Certification as a Cooperative Director from the NRECA.  Mr. Brown has an extensive history of volunteering, including Delaware Hospice, where he currently serves on the Board.

A resident of Greenwood, our former Board Vice-Chairman has served on the Board since August 1978. He is a graduate of Greenwood High School and attended Delaware Technical and Community College. He is a building contractor and is a past president of the Woodbridge Little League. Mr. Henry represented Delaware Electric Cooperative on the Board of Old Dominion Electric Cooperative from 1995 to 2021. Mr. Henry has attained the Credentialed Cooperative Director and Board Leadership Certification.

Hunter Emory joined DEC’s Board in March of 2021. Since joining the board, Mr. Emory has been appointed to both the DEC audit committee and the legislative committee. In addition, Mr. Emory has completed the Credentialed Cooperative Director Certification in 2022 consisting of course work that focuses on the basics of governance knowledge and skill work for cooperative directors to succeed.

In 2022, Mr. Emory was selected by the DEC board to represent Delaware on the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) Board. This trade association represents over 900 electric coops across the United States and one representative is elected from each state. Within the NRECA organization, Mr. Emory was nominated to the Insurance and Financial Service board and was recently named Vice Chair. This board oversees $23 Billion in assets that are allocated to Co-op employees retirement pensions, 401k plans, and group healthcare.

Outside of the Co-op community, Mr. Emory owns and operates The Emory Agency State Farm Insurance and Financial Services practice located in Milford and Georgetown, DE. He served on the Milford School Board for five years and is the current Delaware State Farm Agent PAC President. Mr. Emory also sits on the board of Club Capital which is a for profit company that offers bookkeeping and accounting services to insurance and financial professionals across the United States. Mr. Emory is an active volunteer in his community, supporting organizations such as the Georgetown Boys and Girls Club, local school district sports, and numerous non-profits. He resides in Lincoln, DE with his wife, Jamie, and their two boys, Jake and Reece.

Blaine M. Daisey has served on the Board for the past 4 years, after retiring as a Master Corporal with the Delaware State Police in 2018. Born and raised in Sussex County, he served his fellow Delawareans for over 30 years as a state trooper. During his years of service, Mr. Daisey worked on the Delaware State Police conflict management team, as well as the intelligence and special investigations unit. He resides in Lewes, Delaware with his wife, Rosalyn Daisey. Mr. and Mrs. Daisey have four children, B.J., Mariko, Aya and Amaya. In addition to his duties as a board member for DEC, he also sits on the board of the Delaware State Police Federal Credit Union. He is an active member of the Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc and has volunteered as a swim and basketball coach for youth in the local community.