RALEIGH, N.C. [May 29, 2026] – North Carolina’s Electric Cooperatives has announced that Chris VanLokeren will be the new chief operating officer of North Carolina Electric Membership Corporation. NCEMC is an electric generation and transmission cooperative with more than 4,500 MW of owned and purchased power serving the full wholesale power needs of 20 of the state’s local distribution cooperatives and partial power needs of five.

VanLokeren has served as the chief information officer of North Carolina’s Electric Cooperatives, which includes NCEMC as well as the North Carolina Association of Electric Cooperatives and materials supply cooperative TEMA, since 2018. He will succeed Amadou Fall, who was recently appointed executive vice president and CEO of North Carolina’s Electric Cooperatives. In his new role, VanLokeren will be responsible for strategic leadership of NCEMC’s core operations, including portfolio management, energy delivery, energy innovation and asset management.

“Chris has been a driving force behind our organization’s technology, operations and resilience, and I’m thrilled to welcome him into this critical leadership role,” said Fall. “He understands how to align people, systems and innovation to deliver value for our members. I am confident he will help position NCEMC for continued reliability, growth and success in a rapidly evolving energy landscape.”

Since joining North Carolina’s Electric Cooperatives, VanLokeren has led the evolution of the technology organization through a strategy focused on data management, thoughtful software and platform integration, and cybersecurity. Through innovative partnerships, the technology group has enabled leading-edge programs, such as distributed energy resource management, recognizing that technology will remain a critical driver of transformation in the energy industry.

“I’m excited about the opportunity to step into this role at such a pivotal time,” said VanLokeren. “Thanks to our members, we have been national leaders on technology and innovation. My focus is on delivering results today, moving with purpose, and building for the future in an ever-changing energy landscape.”

Before VanLokeren worked with the electric cooperatives, he held several IT leadership roles over a 28-year career with Fidelity Investments in data management, asset management, and shared services. He brings executive-level experience driving strategic operations, business process improvements, and capacity-building in highly regulated industries.

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About Us

North Carolina’s Electric Cooperatives includes the family of organizations formed to support the state’s 26 community-based electric cooperatives, which collectively serve more than 2.8 million North Carolinians. These organizations are North Carolina Electric Membership Corporation, a generation and transmission cooperative; North Carolina Association of Electric Cooperatives, the cooperatives’ trade association; and Tarheel Electric Membership Association, Inc., a central purchasing and materials-supply cooperative.