A team dedicated to the success of America's electric cooperatives.

Leverage our team’s expertise to prepare yourself and your co-op for the brightest possible future.

Electric cooperatives face a challenging future filled with uncertainty and disruption. We are here to help you produce great results for your members and succeed in your work with the co-op during these turbulent times. 

Our team of business experts and leadership development professionals will empower you to create excellence in governance, a winning strategy, a healthy culture, engaged employees, and satisfied members at your co-op.

Every service we provide is founded upon tools, insights, and principles that have been proven for decades by data and experience to get results.

Electric cooperatives across the country trust GreatCo-Ops to help them achieve better performance.  You can, too.

Our Promise To You

The team at GreatCo-Ops will never take you for granted.

  • We will work hard to deserve your trust.
  • We will produce exceptional outcomes.
  • We will provide the best service you have ever experienced.

Your success is our top priority. You have our word.

Matt Gilley

Founder and CEO. A trusted advisor to senior cooperative leaders and directors who want to create higher levels of performance in their people and their co-op.
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David Sommer

Consultant. A globally recognized expert on risk management who can help co-op leaders identify, understand, and make critical decisions about the wide variety of risks their organizations face.
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Jose Berrios

Consultant. An experienced senior executive and vital partner to electric co-op leaders and directors who want to maximize opportunities, overcome challenges, and create lasting value for members.
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Bryan Thomas

Consultant. A certified mediator and coach who helps leaders move beyond barriers to achieve extraordinary results.
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Ray Beavers

Consultant. A trusted co-op leader with decades of experience in building successful relationships, teams, and cooperatives.
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Cody Cox

Consultant. An authority on human resource management and leadership who uses his consulting background, coaching experience, and research-driven insights to help co-op leaders create better performance for themselves, their people, and their organizations.
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Laura Little

Consultant. A highly skilled leadership expert with the insights needed for today's co-op managers to be successful.
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David Vequist

Consultant. A skilled facilitator, consultant, HR professional, and researcher who helps co-ops enhance culture, boost employee engagement, and achieve maximum levels of member satisfaction.
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Monica Beavers

Director of Client Services. A strong advocate for the cooperative business model who is dedicated to working with electric co-op leaders to ensure their success - the cooperative way.
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J. Lee Whittington

Consultant. A dynamic leadership development expert who creates and delivers engaging workshops that produce real results for co-op leaders, directors, and high-potential employees.
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Jacquelyn Cox

Consultant. A skilled HR professional and consultant who helps co-op HR leaders reach their goals and create programs and processes that get results.
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Mari Weymouth

Consultant. An experienced electric utility senior executive helping co-ops reimagine their futures through strategic planning, strategy execution, performance measurement, and change management.
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Earnie Broughton

Consultant. Recognized internationally as a thought leader and consultant on organizational culture and ethics, Earnie knows what it takes to build an excellent organization.
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Rafael Moras

Consultant. An expert in quality and process improvement with the skills to help co-ops reduce waste, streamline processes, and enhance their effectiveness.
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Eileen Mullen

Consultant. A member/customer experience and marketing expert who stands ready to help electric co-op leaders create more engaged and more satisfied members, as well as stronger co-op brands.
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Want to learn more?

Contact us today.

CONTACT US
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Matt Gilley

Founder of GreatCo-Ops

Matt has over 20 years of experience as a trusted advisor and consultant to directors and senior leaders of electric cooperatives. He has worked with co-ops on matters related to strategic planning, risk management, governance, leadership development, acquisitions/divestitures, personnel, culture, member satisfaction, and more. As a university business school professor, Matt has earned numerous awards for his teaching, research, and community service. In addition to presenting his research at conferences around the world, Matt’s studies have appeared in the most selective management and leadership journals, including Academy of Management Journal, Strategic Management Journal, Journal of Management, Journal of Business Research, Journal of Business Ethics, and many others. Prior to completing his Ph.D. in management with a specialty in business strategy, Matt leveraged his M.B.A. in corporate finance as a financial analyst for a global aerospace firm. He was raised on a farm and ranch in North Texas that was served by an electric cooperative.  Matt lives with his wife and children on their ranch west of San Antonio, Texas, which is also served by an electric cooperative.

David Sommer

David is a RIMS-Certified Risk Management Professional and is a leading authority on risk management. He is past president of both the American Risk and Insurance Association and the Southern Risk and Insurance Association.  He also serves on the Board of Directors of the Texas Life and Health Insurance Guaranty Association.  David spans the boundary between risk management research and practice, offering a wealth of expertise to electric cooperative leaders who wish to achieve excellence in risk management.  His research has been published in a variety of professional and academic journals, and he has been ranked among the most prolific and well-cited scholars in his field over the past 30 years. David is also the co-author of a textbook, Risk Management and Insurance.  His articles on risk management have been published in such outlets as Journal of Risk and Insurance, Journal of Financial Services Research, Journal of Banking and Finance, Risk Management and Insurance Review, Journal of Insurance Regulation, and Journal of Insurance Issues.  David has received numerous awards for both his research and his university teaching.  He earned a Ph.D. in risk and insurance from the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania in 1994.

Jose Berrios

In his decades as a senior leadership development executive with major global corporations, Jose gained a wealth of insights that are valuable to co-op directors and managers at all levels. Jose has a talent for quickly building trust and rapport, as well as the knowledge, experience-proven tools, and temperament to ensure a terrific coaching relationship and outcomes. Moreover, as a former board member and global chairman of the 300,000-member Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), Jose appreciates the special challenges leaders face when running a complex, member-centric organization. Jose served as Vice President of Leadership Development for media giant Gannett Co., owner of USA Today, many television stations, newspapers, and online businesses, for 20 years. Previously, he was an HR executive with Time Inc. and NBC. Jose has coached leaders at many types of organizations and has spoken before thousands of business leaders around the world, from small groups of executives to audiences of over 15,000. Jose’s home is served by his local electric cooperative.

Bryan Thomas

Bryan has a unique ability to decipher, discern, and deploy solutions that cause businesses and individuals to thrive. As a certified mediator and life coach, Bryan has helped leaders move beyond barriers to achieve extraordinary results. He has over 20 years of experience working at Fortune 100 companies, including MetLife and USAA. Bryan has a rich history of supporting and advising senior-level executives, mid-level managers, and front-line employees on conflict resolution, human resources, and corporate ethics. Bryan has served as an adjunct business professor at the University of Texas at San Antonio, where he was awarded 2017-2018 Business Professor of the Year. He currently teaches in the School of Business at Trinity University in San Antonio. His courses cover real-word aspects of business, workplace ethics, employee engagement, diversity management, and leadership.  Bryan is currently pursuing a Doctorate of Business Administration degree with an emphasis in Organizational Leadership at Northcentral University. He brings new insights to co-op leaders and their organizations. Bryan is a native Texan, along with his wife, three adult children, and two grandsons.

Ray Beavers

Ray has served the electric cooperative industry for more than 40 years. He is a consultant for GreatCo-Ops and also serves as Regional Vice President of Cooperative Building Solutions. He retired as the CEO of United Cooperative Services in Cleburne, Texas after 17 years of service. In addition, Ray was the CEO of Southwest Rural Electric Cooperative in Oklahoma for 12 years, as well as the Assistant to the General Manager for the Oklahoma Association of Electric Cooperatives. He also held titles of Energy Conservation and Member Services Coordinator for the Cotton Electric Cooperative and the Member Services Director for Canadian Valley Electric Cooperative. During his career, Ray served as President of the Rural Electric Management Development Council, was President of the Board of Texas Electric Cooperatives (statewide), President of the Board for the National Rural Utilities Cooperative Finance Corporation (CFC), and served on numerous NRECA task forces and committees.

Cody Cox

Cody’s unique background is an ideal fit for the challenges co-op leaders are facing in this increasingly uncertain and turbulent industry.  Since receiving his Ph.D. from Rice University in 2010 in psychology, Cody has consulted with leaders in the public, private, and non-profit sectors to help them solve key challenges with their people.  He can help co-op leaders develop solutions that fit the unique culture and goals of their organizations.  He frequently partners closely with senior management to design and develop training in the areas of leadership development, management skills, employee engagement, diversity management, and workplace safety.  He is also an effective and caring executive coach.

As a business school professor, Cody teaches graduate and undergraduate courses on topics such as multivariate statistics, leadership, human resource management, and organizational behavior.  He won The National Society of Leadership and Success Excellence in Teaching Award in 2015.  He has published almost two dozen studies on topics such as training and development, human performance in organizations, motivation, emergency response, and more.

Cody is one of those rare consultants who can effectively combine practical business advice with management and psychology research to produce terrific results for co-op leaders.  His knowledge of workplace trends and leadership development brings creative ideas, effective tools, and new ways of thinking to enhance a leader’s development.  Cody works closely with leaders as a thought partner, sounding board, and resource for better performance.

Cody’s home in Central Texas is served by his local electric cooperative.

Laura Little

Laura is an Associate Professor of Management in the Terry College of Business at the University of Georgia, where she leads their Institute for Leadership Advancement. She has been on the UGA faculty since 2008. Laura is an award-winning professor who teaches a variety of leadership and organizational behavior courses at the undergraduate and graduate levels covering topics such as leading teams, resolving conflict, communicating effectively, and much more. Laura’s research has been published in several leading journals, including Academy of Management Journal, Academy of Management Review, Journal of Applied Psychology, and Personnel Psychology. Laura received her doctorate in management at Oklahoma State University. Her home is served by her local electric cooperative.

David Vequist

David has over 20 years of experience as an HR executive, researcher, and advisor to senior executives at many different types of organizations. In addition to having served as a vice president in human resources for a major healthcare firm, David worked as a management consultant for Ernst & Young and Holland & Davis (now Endeavor Management).

Over the years, his clients have included major corporations in the energy sector, such as Schlumberger, Devon Energy, Tesoro/Andeavor, and El Paso Corporation. He has also consulted with Bloomberg, Intel, AT&T, Wal-Mart, USAA, Bacardi, Heineken, Coca-Cola, MD Anderson, JD Powers, Pearson (formerly Harcourt), Ascension Health, and other leaders in their industries. His clients have also included the United Nations, the European Union, and the governments of Colombia, Egypt, South Korea, Mexico, Malaysia, Guatemala, Turkey, and the Philippines.

David is also the founding director of the Endeavor Institute, which prepares organizations for disruption by helping them better understand emerging trends. He has been featured in pieces in the Associated Press, Reuters, the New York Times, Voice of America Radio, the Houston Chronicle, many trade/industry publications, as well as in interviews around the world in regional/local magazines, newspapers, television, and radio.

He earned a Ph.D. in industrial/organizational psychology from the University of Tulsa and is currently chair of the Management Department in the H-E-B School of Business & Administration at the University of the Incarnate Word in San Antonio, Texas.

David’s home in the Texas Hill Country is served by his local electric cooperative.

Monica Beavers

Monica has more than a decade of experience working with electric cooperative management, directors, and employees to ensure excellence in employee training, strategic planning, communications, and member services. Prior to joining GreatCo-Ops, Monica served Texas Electric Cooperatives (TEC), the statewide association representing 71 electric co-op member organizations across Texas.  She held various roles at TEC, including Special Assistant and Project Manager to the Office of the CEO.  Monica’s responsibilities included working with the CEO, board of directors, and executive management to develop strategic direction and implement innovative initiatives to meet the needs of co-ops throughout Texas. During her time with TEC, Monica was assigned to the NRECA 21st Century Cooperative Committee. This national committee evaluated the cooperative business model, political and industry pressures, and changing member and employee expectations.  Monica worked with TEC staff and membership to develop training aimed at educating employees on the committee’s findings. Most recently, Monica served as the Touchstone Energy Regional Manager for the 55 Texas Touchstone Energy Members. Her responsibilities included educating co-op employees on the national brand’s resources; serving as a liaison between national staff and Texas co-op employees; and customizing marketing, communications, and training programs for Texas cooperatives. In addition, Monica has experience in employee training and education, working as TEC’s training and education coordinator. She also acted as training facilitator for statewide conferences and all-employee training days on the topic of the electric cooperative business model and member and employee engagement. A passion for electric co-ops is a way of life for Monica and her family.  Her husband, Blake Beavers, serves as Vice President of Power Supply for United Cooperative Services, a large electric cooperative headquartered in Burleson, Texas. She earned a degree in Public Relations from the University of Texas at Austin, as well as a Business Certificate from the McCombs School of Business at UT. Monica and Blake are proud parents of two young boys, and they are co-op members in Central Texas.

J. Lee Whittington

J. Lee has decades of industry and consulting experience, including over twenty years working in manufacturing and distribution, where he held executive positions in marketing, logistics, and general management. His consulting and leadership development experience includes engagements with electric cooperatives, high tech companies, major logistics organizations, national retailers, heavy manufacturers, and a variety of not-for-profits and government organizations. J. Lee is Professor of Management at the University of Dallas and is formerly dean of UD’s Satish & Yasmin Gupta College of Business. He focuses his teaching, research, and consulting in the areas of leadership, organizational behavior, and spiritual leadership. His research has been published in numerous top journals, including The Leadership Quarterly, Journal of Management, Academy of Management Review, Journal of Organizational Behavior, Journal of Applied Social Psychology, and others. He is co-author of the book Leading the Sustainable Organization. His book, Biblical Perspectives on Leadership and Organizations, was published by Palgrave-Macmillan in 2015, and his latest book, Enhancing Employee Engagement: An Evidence-Based Approach was also published by Palgrave-Macmillan in 2017. He has received multiple awards for excellence in teaching and research. He has been recognized as a Distinguished Scholar in Organizational Behavior by the Southwestern Academy of Management. In 2011, he was selected by students and alumni to receive the Haggerty Teaching Excellence Award at the University of Dallas. He attended Austin College where he graduated with a B.A. in economics and political science. He received his M.B.A. and Ph.D. in  management from The University of Texas at Arlington.

Jacquelyn Cox

Jacquelyn Cox is an experienced human resources professional and consultant who stands ready to assist electric cooperative HR leaders in achieving a wide variety of mission-critical objectives. Her work is designed to promote a healthy co-op culture and elevate the capabilities of those with whom she engages. When working with clients, Jacquelyn takes an active approach to understanding the organization’s culture and goals. She is skilled at asking important questions that help co-op HR leaders frame their challenges and establish a path toward greater effectiveness.

Jacquelyn recognizes that there is never a one-size-fits-all approach that works best for all cooperatives. As a result, she works to explore creative ideas and unique solutions so that her work is culturally-aligned and impactful.

Prior to beginning her work as a consultant in 2009, Jacquelyn held key roles with small, entrepreneurial start-ups, as well as larger industry leaders including ExxonMobil and Parsons, handling both domestic and international human resources and organizational development matters.

Jacquelyn is a certified Human Resources Professional (PHR) and Myers-Briggs (MBTI) administrator, and she has spoken at universities and conferences on key workplace trends and on the development of human resources professionals.

She holds a B.B.A. in Human Resource Management from Baylor University and an M.S. in Management from Texas A&M University. Jacquelyn is active in the Houston, Texas community, currently serving on the UTHealth development council, the Children’s Learning Institute advisory council, the board of trustees for River Oaks Baptist School, and the advisory board for Casa de Esperanza de los Ninos. She previously served two terms on the board of directors for The Junior League of Houston, Inc. and is the past chair of the Children’s Learning Institute and The Immunization Partnership. In her spare time, Jacquelyn enjoys traveling, reading, and playing tennis. She and her husband, Collin, have three children.

Mari Weymouth

Prior to becoming a consultant, Mari most recently served as Vice President – Enterprise Business Planning, Program Management, Change Management, & Continuous Improvement for CPS Energy, one of the nation’s largest municipal energy providers (more than 1.2 million electric and natural gas customers).  She previously held roles at CPS Energy in benchmarking, supply chain, human resources, public affairs, brand management, communications, information technology, and substation construction.  Mari also spent five years with Black & Veatch in organizational transformation and change management, as well as in smart meter deployments across the nation.  Mari’s deep expertise in utility strategic planning, strategy execution, integrated business planning, benchmarking, and performance measurement provides co-ops with the insights and tools they need to assess the evolving operating environment, develop compelling strategic plans, execute successfully, and track their performance.  Mari earned her B.A. in Computer Science & Applications Systems, an M.B.A. with a concentration in Finance, and a Ph.D. in Leadership.  Mari is also a Certified Change Practitioner. She is co-founder of iEmpower.org, a member-based 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that inspires women to be empowered and engaged, and to foster a sense of community.

Earnie Broughton

Earnie understands what it takes to build and sustain a good culture at electric cooperatives.  Honored as one of the 100 most influential people in the world in business ethics in 2015 by the Ethisphere Institute, Earnie is a tremendous asset to any cooperative leader wishing to build a high-integrity organizational culture that avoids the scandals that have come to light recently at some electric co-ops.  Earnie spent 11 years as Executive Director of ethics programs for financial services giant USAA, reporting directly to USAA’s president and CEO.  He is a past member of the Board of Directors for the Ethics and Compliance Association and is former vice chair of the Ethics & Compliance Initiative Fellows Program in Washington DC.  Earnie’s ranch in West Texas is served by an electric cooperative. 

Rafael Moras

Rafael Moras is a Lean Six Sigma quality and process improvement expert. He is skilled at helping teams of management and employees better understand the tools and techniques of process improvement, and then leading them to discover important ways to make their organizations more efficient and effective. As Professor of Industrial Engineering at St. Mary’s University, Rafael’s research in the areas of quality assurance, lean production, and engineering ethics have led to publications in such journals as the International Journal of Industrial Engineering, Production Planning & Control, Production and Inventory Management, and Computers & Industrial Engineering. In addition, dozens of his studies have been presented at industry conferences and have been published in proceedings. Rafael has received awards in recognition for his teaching and leadership. He received a B.S. in Industrial and Systems Engineering from Monterrey Tech in Mexico and graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Operations Research and Industrial Engineering. He is a Six-Sigma Black Belt and a licensed Professional Engineer in Texas. Rafael is active in service to his community, including serving as a past member of the Board of Directors of the Chamber Orchestra of San Antonio and former director of the Spanish Choir at Holy Trinity Church in San Antonio. He has composed three musical plays dealing with ethical values and religious themes that have been performed in the United States and Mexico.

Eileen Mullen

Eileen’s passion for member/customer experience management was developed during her time in industry in the retail and consumer product sectors. Most of this time was spent at Hallmark, Inc., where she held a variety of positions designing, delivering, or managing extraordinary customer experiences, earning the company’s coveted R.B. Hall award for marketing excellence. In her last position at Hallmark, she managed a $3.5 million national training program. After earning her Ph.D. in marketing at Texas A&M University in 2003, Eileen began to share her passion for marketing and service excellence with students as a business school professor, earning numerous awards for her teaching and research. Her consulting and research interests are in member/customer experience management and segmentation, branding strategy, and services marketing. Her research has been published in Academy of Management Perspectives, The Journal of Brand Management, The Entrepreneurial Executive, The Journal of Hospitality Management, and The Journal of Management and Marketing Research. Eileen and her husband are co-op members who live in the San Antonio, Texas area.