Board of Directors

CORE Electric Cooperative is owned by our members, who also elect our board of directors. The board makes decisions regarding CORE’s general policies and directs the chief executive officer to implement those policies.

Information about director elections is available here.

The bylaws by which CORE operates are available here.

Use our interactive director district map to determine your district and director.

Official CORE notices – including board meeting agendas and minutes – are available on the Notices and Documents page.

Director of District 1, Board Secretary/Treasurer
Michael Kempe

Director of District 2, Board Assistant Secretary/Treasurer
Ron Kilgore

Director of District 4, Board President
Timothy White

Director of District 7, Board Vice President
James Anest

Director of District 1, Board Secretary/Treasurer

Michael Kempe

Dr. Mike Kempe was elected to CORE’s Board of Directors in May 2007 and serves as its Secretary/Treasurer. He earned a Doctor of Philosophy in Chemical Engineering from the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) studying polymer physics and has worked as a scientist at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) since 2003. Here he has published over 200 scientific articles primarily related to durability and safety concerns with solar photovoltaic energy systems. Dr. Kempe completed the National Rural Electric Coop Association’s (NRECA) Director Certificate Programs – the Board Leadership Certificate (BLC), the Credentialed Cooperative Director (CCD) Certificate, and the Director Gold Credential – designed to help electric cooperative directors understand their roles and responsibilities, stay up to date on the key issues and trends in the industry, and prepare them to meet the challenges facing electric cooperatives now and in the future.

Email:mkempe@core.coop

Director of District 2, Board Assistant Secretary/Treasurer

Ron Kilgore

Ron Kilgore was appointed to CORE’s Board of Directors in July 2020. He holds a Master of Science in Electrical Engineering (MSEE) from the University of Colorado at Denver, and a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering Technology (BSEET) from Southern College of Technology in Marietta, Georgia. He completed continuing education courses in fire investigation, coordination of overcurrent protective devices, fault-current calculation, harmonic analysis, grounding-system design, and National Electrical Code. Mr. Kilgore has served as the President of Kilgore Engineering since 1995, and previously served as an Investigative Engineer and Laboratory Test Technician for Forensic Engineering. He is a Registered Professional Engineer in 11 states and member of the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying. In addition to his role on CORE’s board, Mr. Kilgore serves on the Board of Elders at Aspen Ridge Church in Evergreen.

Email:rkilgore@core.coop

Director of District 3

Mike Sperry

Mike Sperry was elected to CORE’s Board of Directors in April 2021. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in Biology from the University of Colorado Colorado Springs, and has enjoyed a rewarding career as a Real Estate Appraiser, serving as Owner/Partner at Appraisal Associates of Teller County, and a Realtor for Keller Williams Clients Choice and Michael Harper Real Estate. Mr. Sperry is a Certified Real Estate Appraiser, Real Estate Broker and Employing Broker. He is a Credentialed Cooperative Director through the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA), and completed Wildland Fire Basic Firefighting Training. Mr. Sperry is a recipient of the Rotarian of the Year award and serves on the Pikes Peak Rotary and Teller County Water and Sanitation District Board.

Email:msperry@core.coop

Director of District 4, Board President

Timothy White

Timothy White was elected to the Board of Directors in July 1984, and has served as Board President since 1987. He holds a Bachelor of Science from Colorado State University and is President of White Development. Throughout his development career, Mr. White has introduced multiple award-winning designs and been involved in various innovative building projects in Denver. In addition to his role as CORE’s Board President, Mr. White serves on the boards of the Cherokee Ranch & Castle Foundation and Parker Adventist Hospital. He is the former Mayor of Castle Rock, past President of the Douglas County School Board, and former board member of the Women’s Crisis Center.

Email:twhite@core.coop

Director of District 5

Stacey Stegman

Stacey Stegman was elected to CORE’s Board of Directors in April 2025. She is the Senior Vice President of Communications, Marketing and Customer Experience for Denver International Airport (DEN), the third-busiest airport in North America and sixth-busiest airport in the world. Ms. Stegman guides the airport’s customer experience efforts focused on building strong relationships with stakeholders, customers and the community through open and transparent communications and outreach. She joined DEN in December 2012 after serving nearly 17 years with the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT), where she became the agency’s Communications and Outreach Director in late 2001. Ms. Stegman has lived in Colorado for more than 50 years and has spent her career working to improve transparency and public services for the state. She currently serves on the advisory board for the United Service Organization, which provides support for military families. Ms. Stegman is a graduate of the University of Colorado Denver.

Email:sstegman@core.coop

Director of District 6

Robert Graf

Robert W. “Bob” Graf was elected to CORE’s Board of Directors in April 2011. He earned a Bachelor of Science from Southern Illinois University with double majors in accounting and economics. He spent five years with Price Waterhouse (Price Waterhouse Coopers); more than 50 years in commercial and investment banking in various executive positions, including CFO, COO and CEO; and held several bank director positions, including audit committee chairman. Mr. Graf is a Certified Public Accountant.

Email:rgraf@core.coop

Director of District 7, Board Vice President

James Anest

James Anest was appointed to CORE’s Board of Directors in March 2011. Mr. Anest was recently re-elected to the board. He currently serves as Vice President of the Board of Directors. Previously he served as the Board’s Secretary/Treasurer. Mr. Anest is on the audit committee for CORE. He earned both a bachelor’s degree in economics and Juris Doctor (JD) from the University of Wyoming. Mr. Anest is a member of the Colorado and Wyoming Bar Associations, and has practiced law for more than 40 years. His law practice focuses on entity, transactional and real estate. He served six years as a Municipal Judge for the Town of Elizabeth. He has earned the distinction of the “Best of Denver Attorneys” and the “Best of Parker Attorneys.” He is a recipient of the Parker Cornerstone Award and earned an “AV” designation (highest professional excellence) from Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review Ratings. Mr. Anest has served as a board member for multiple Colorado banks and is a certified Colorado high school baseball coach. Mr. Anest has lived in the Parker area since 1987.

Email:janest@core.coop

Board members can also be contacted via mail. Address your letter to the board member and send it in care of CORE Electric Cooperative, 5496 N. U.S. Highway 85, Sedalia, CO 80135.

Executive Management

Chief Administrative Officer
Kathleen Solano

Chief Member Experience Officer
Mandi Lesher

Chief Executive Officer

Pam Feuerstein

Pam Feuerstein, P.E., is CORE’s Chief Executive Officer. Ms. Feuerstein has more than 25 years of experience in the energy industry as an executive and engineer. She joined CORE in 2010 and most recently served as Chief Operating Officer for nine years at the cooperative. Before CORE, she held leadership positions at a global engineering consulting firm for more than 15 years, focusing on electric infrastructure design. She is a registered Professional Engineer and has a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from Montana State University.

Email:ceo@core.coop

Chief Administrative Officer

Kathleen Solano

Chief Administrative Officer Kathleen Solano oversees CORE’s People Operations, Communications and Strategy, Information Technology, and Fleet and Facilities departments, and plays a key role in driving and executing cooperative-wide strategy. Ms. Solano joined CORE in May 2021 and has over 30 years of experience, including more than 20 within the utility industry. Ms. Solano holds a Bachelor of Arts in communications – with a minor in management – from Sonoma State University.

Email:cao@core.coop

Chief Member Experience Officer

Mandi Lesher

Mandi Lesher leads the Contact Center, Billing and Payments, Member Programs, and Business Development functions within CORE. She plays a key role in driving and executing cooperative-wide strategy, specifically focused on member experience and satisfaction, and the delivery of multi-channel options for members. Ms. Lesher joined CORE (formerly IREA) in 2006 and has over 20 years of experience in the utility industry. She served on the Advisory Committee for the Customer Experience Program for the University of Colorado Boulder Leeds School of Business and authored an Article in March 2017 for Natural Gas & Electricity that focused on strategies for lowering uncollectible debt. Ms. Lesher holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and a Certificate of International Business from Colorado State University. She also holds a Master of Business Administration in Strategic Management from Regis University where she was selected as the Commencement Speaker and the recipient of the Stephen B. Jamison Award.

Email:cmeo@core.coop

Chief Operating Officer

Mark Jurgemeyer

Chief Operating Officer Mark Jurgemeyer is responsible for Engineering, Distribution and Transmission Operations, Power Supply, and Safety for CORE. Mr. Jurgemeyer has been a principal member of National Electrical Safety Code Subcommittee 5 (Overhead Lines, Strength and Loading) since 2009 and will serve as Chair of the Subcommittee for the 2028 Code. He has served on multiple Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) standards committees and was selected to be a Peer Reviewer for the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Manuals and Reports on Engineering Practice No. 141, “Wood Poles for Electrical Transmission Lines.” Mr. Jurgemeyer holds a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from the University of Colorado Boulder.

Email:coo@core.coop

Chief Financial Officer

Laurie Burkhart

Laurie Burkhart oversees Finance and Accounting for the cooperative, including Asset Management, Procurement and Warehousing. Prior to joining CORE, Ms. Burkhart held roles as CFO, Controller and other management positions in the utility industry. She began her career as an auditor for Deloitte in Anchorage, AK. Ms. Burkhart is a Certified Public Accountant with licenses in Alaska and Colorado. She holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Alaska, Anchorage and an MBA from Capella University.

Email:cfo@core.coop