Debbie Joyner Earns Promotion to Senior MSR
One doesn’t have to speak with CEC’s Debbie Joyner more than a few minutes before recognizing that she is highly focused.
When the Zuni native was hired at Community Electric more than 22 years ago, she viewed the opportunity early on as one that could provide long-term stability, fulfillment and earnings to yield a fruitful retirement. Whether she’s in the office assisting member-owners as a Member Services Representative or encounters them in the community, she puts into practice the Cooperative’s ideal of “helping them no matter what.”
Now, having just earned a promotion to Senior Member Services Representative, Joyner says, “It’s shocking, but I’m happy about it. I’m honestly not one for titles … I like feeling that I’ve helped our members and done my part.”
Joyner takes particular pride in assisting members who are less than happy when she sees or speaks with them. She feels it is important to make sure their questions and concerns are addressed so that – even if they are not completely happy at the end of the interaction – they are calmer and have shifted, in her words, “to a somewhat happy place.”
“I like talking to people and meeting different people,” Joyner says. Due to her longevity at CEC, it’s not uncommon for friends and other members she knows to text her if their power goes out, or to ask her to take their bill payment to the office.
“I’ve done it ever since I started,” she says. “It’s like Mr. (Steven) Harmon says, ‘We represent Community Electric 24/7, whether we’re at work or the grocery store. If someone sees us and knows us and has a question or a problem, we need to help them.’ “
Joyner makes it clear that she will continue to do her part to assist CEC’s members, both as a professional responsibility and the means, upon retirement in another five and one-half years, to spend more time with her husband, son, daughter-in-law and two young grandchildren.
