News Release
Socorro Electric Cooperative hires new general manager
Joseph Herrera, a native of Española and most recently director of engineering operations for Electrical District No. 3 in Pinal County, Ariz., will start his new jobas general manager of the Socorro Electric Cooperative on Jan. 31, according to co-op President Paul Bustamante.
Herrera fills a position that has been vacant since August when Polo Pineda Jr. was fired in the wake of an investigation into financial irregularities. Since then, Richard Lopez, Socorro Electric's engineering manager, has served as interim general manager.
Herrera's area of expertise includes engineering, operations, system planning, customer communication and board relations.
Herrera has worked as director of engineering operations for Electrical District No. 3, a nonprofit political subdivision of the State of Arizona, for the past five years. The release said he was responsible for the department's technical and operational requirements, maintenance, finances and financial controls. He also has experience in power purchasing agreements, managing engineering and construction of electrical subdivisions, transmission and distribution line projects.
Electrical District 3's website indicates that the utility serves an area encompassing approximately 233 square miles and including the City of Maricopa and Town of Stanfield. The district has grown substantially in the past decade from a few hundred meters in 2002 to more than 22,500 meters today.
Herrera previously worked for Pacific Gas and Electric in the San Francisco area in system planning and operation, and the Salt River Project of Phoenix in substation design and system protection. He also worked for a utility consulting firm.
Herrera earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering, specializing in electric power systems, from New Mexico State University.
T.S. Last
El Defensor Chieftan
January 22, 2011