Raleigh, N.C. [Aug. 27, 2025] – North Carolina’s Electric Cooperatives announced today that Joe Brannan, executive vice president and chief executive officer, will retire in April 2026. Brannan leads the family of organizations that includes North Carolina Electric Membership Corporation (NCEMC), the North Carolina Association of Electric Cooperatives and Tarheel Electric Membership Association. 

Brannan, who has served member cooperatives and their communities through various roles for more than two decades, will continue in his role through April 2, 2026. 

“Joe has led cooperatives through a period of unprecedented change in the electric utility industry from new grid capabilities and generation needs to sharp increases in demand and evolving consumer expectations,” said Susan Flythe, NCEMC board president and General Manager and EVP of Cape Hatteras Electric Cooperative. “Throughout his tenure as CEO, Joe’s leadership and focus has remained on bringing innovation to rural North Carolina while also ensuring our communities continue to have access to reliable and affordable electricity, and for that, we thank him.” 

Brannan, who joined North Carolina’s Electric Cooperatives in 2006 as Chief Operating Officer of NCEMC, was selected by the board of directors to lead the organization as CEO in May of 2012, further establishing himself as a highly respected leader in the industry and advocate for electric cooperatives.  

“It has been a privilege and an honor to serve the state’s electric cooperatives and their members,” said Brannan. “Throughout my career, I have seen that the positive impact electric cooperatives have in rural communities is a direct result of the unwavering commitment and dedication of their boards of directors and employees, who are working together to build a brighter future for co-op members and communities.” 

The NCEMC board of directors is conducting a national search to identify Brannan’s successor.  

“Joe has cultivated an employee base and executive team who will continue to lead our state’s co-ops through the energy transition,” said Flythe. “We look forward to identifying a CEO candidate who shares our mission and is well-positioned to lead these organizations and this network to continued success in serving our cooperative members and communities.”  

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North Carolina’s Electric Cooperatives includes the family of organizations formed to support the state’s 26 community-based electric cooperatives that collectively serve more than 2.8 million North Carolinians, including: North Carolina Electric Membership corporation, a generation and transmission organization; North Carolina Association of Electric Cooperatives, the cooperatives’ trade association; and Tarheel Electric Membership Association, Inc. (TEMA), a central purchasing and materials-supply cooperative.