The board of directors has appointed William “Bill” French of Shippensburg as the new Zone 7 director beginning July 25, 2024. French replaces Jay Grove, who resigned in April 2024. Zone 7 encompasses parts of Cumberland, Franklin, and Perry counties.

French is a senior director of information technology, employed by Maximus Inc. He has been a co-op member for over 30 years. French is a Navy veteran and a graduate of Penn State University, with a bachelor’s in electrical engineering. He has two master’s degrees, one from Shippensburg University in information systems and one from Mount St. Mary’s in business administration. He and his wife, Mary, have one son, Christopher.

Nine directors sit on the Adams’ board and must meet all qualifications set forth in the co-op’s bylaws. The board is responsible for setting rates and governance of the cooperative. French was appointed according to the bylaw requirements of the cooperative and will serve out Grove’s unexpired term through May 2025. Then the zone 7 seat will go back to an open election. Candidate applications and petitions of interested members were accepted and reviewed by the board, in addition to in-person interviews, prior to French’s appointment.