Community Electric’s new executive assistant, Terryn Morton, may not have seen it all administratively – but she’s not terribly far off.
“I was doing a lot of travel arrangements for staff, planning meetings, coordinating interview schedules for the hiring group, and generally getting people where they needed to be,” Morton says in explaining her role at Jefferson Lab. “In a way I was steering the ship for the scientists. They’re there to put formulas on the board. I was there to support them … even down to board meetings and board packets. When they were explaining the different responsibilities here at Community Electric, I could say, ‘I’ve done this. I’ve done that.’ “
In a prior role at J&B Hartigan Inc., a family business that primarily services HVAC systems at Veterans Affairs facilities, Morton “had a front seat to how it all works.”
“I was there for a long time and built a huge connection” with the couple who own the company, Morton says. “I got to do a lot of the federal contracting and see the brains behind things. We started everything from the ground up, from creating the website to pushing paperwork, answering phones and making lots of connections with other companies. You got the full picture, even down to paying taxes and getting business licenses on time in different counties and cities. You had no choice but to learn how to do things.”
Morton is a graduate of Norfolk State University. She is a New York native whose family relocated to Surry County when she was in high school. She is both pleased with the relatively slower pace at Community Electric and impressed with the cooperative’s mission and culture.
“I’m trying to put myself in a different gear. There’s a whole different vibe here which I love, and I also love the family atmosphere. I did not realize how much a cooperative does and what exactly a cooperative means with its member focus. There is an emphasis here that everybody is safe and has what they need. When I first went on the website and saw the value system and the mission and vision presented so clearly, that definitely attracted me to the position.”
Morton feels that Community Electric’s mission aligns well with some of her personal qualities.
“My primary skills are leadership, creativity, organization, communication, and just a general overall positivity,” she explains. “I love people, and you’re always going to see a smile on my face. I am very strong in my faith, and I don’t do anything without acknowledging that I don’t do this alone. I have a lot of people who help me move forward.”
Morton’s big surprise since joining CEC is realizing that, when she was in high school and residing in a home served by Prince George Electric Cooperative, she participated in the national Youth Tour program that is organized by the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association and in which PGEC and CEC both participate.
“It was a full-circle moment. Our principal Mr. Williams came up to me and another student, Brian, and said due to your grades and community service, I’m choosing you to be part of the youth group if you’d like to go, and I replied yes. We went to Congress, the (Washington) National Cathedral, the Spirit of Washington (river cruise), and met our congressional representatives. We had such a great time. I had forgotten about it until one of the other people here mentioned they have the Youth Tour. I had no idea of the irony of the fact that I did this previously. It’s totally hilarious.”
CEC President Steven A. Harmon says Morton is a welcome addition to the cooperative’s workforce.
“We are incredibly pleased that Terryn is joining Team CEC,” he says. “Please be sure to congratulate her as she begins the next phase of her career.”