Tom Mongeon’s childhood curiosity – sparked by Arkady Leokum’s “Tell Me Why” books and exploring everything around him – and his active volunteerism, beginning at age 18, underlie his call to serve on the Co-op Board of Directors, now having just begun his 11th year of service.  

“You need to be curious. You need to ask questions,” said Tom, who also has an extensive background working with non-profits. “Asking questions is how you​ ​​fulfill​ your oversight and fiduciary responsibilities.” 

An engineer by trade​ ​​who moved into business and executive management, Tom now consults and teaches graduate school – a natural outgrowth of a life of asking questions and engaging community. ​ 

Commitment to the community is one significant benefit to the cooperative structure.  

“It is about getting involved and using your voice. Members can vote or think about applying and serving on the board,” he said. “All of our emails are on the website. You can reach​ out to​ any or all of us. With investor-owned utilities, you don’t vote for your board. You cannot​ ​​contact individual directors directly.​” 

In addition to the importance of representing the membership, being strategic and forward-looking are, in his view, equally essential qualities in a board member – particularly given the governance responsibilities of the role, the pace of change in the energy landscape, and the need for succession planning. There’s also the bigger picture to navigate: rising transmission costs beyond the Co-op’s control, working to keep members’ overall costs down or reasonable while still making necessary investments in the Co-op’s infrastructure, and continuing to grow the NH Broadband business.​ 

Tom, a member who splits his time between Rumney and Hampton – the mountains and the ocean – said, “As a hiker and someone who loves the environment, I’ve brought all of that energy ​and​ momentum to serving on the board.” 

Tom credits the work and efforts of this board, as well as the Co-op employees, all of whom strive to tackle matters on behalf of the members.