Living our core values

The values you live by reveal your true character. Values exist not only in your words, but in the decisions you make and the actions you take. The core values that guide SMECO’s leadership and employees are integrity, accountability, innovation, commitment to community, and safety. Living our core values shows in the way SMECO employees interact with the community and how the cooperative approaches the work that is done to deliver electric power to Southern Maryland and serve its members.

From the beginning, when seven local residents signed the articles of incorporation and the cooperative was born on February 5, 1937, the utility has been committed to bringing progress to the Southern Maryland community by providing electric power.

As president and CEO of SMECO, I have taken the cooperative’s values personally. And I feel that one of the main reasons the cooperative’s members appreciate the service they receive from SMECO is that our employees embody our values. I have proudly worked for our cooperative for more than 33 years, and my time at SMECO has been rewarding. It is impossible for me to imagine my life without the time devoted, relationships made, and rewarding accomplishments I’ve experienced and shared with so many people here at SMECO and in the Southern Maryland community.

In October 2019, I submitted my retirement letter to the board. In my 17 years as CEO, we’ve experienced tremendous growth and change at the cooperative. As Sonja Cox takes the reigns in March 2020, I know that SMECO will seek to grow and improve while continuing to live by the core values that define the cooperative.

Austin J. Slater Jr.