CEO and General Manager
John Richards
John studied Accounting at Missouri Southern State College and the University of Tulsa, graduating in 1975, and received his M.B.A. from Drury College in 1978. His work career started at KAMO Power, where he worked part-time while a student, and upon graduation was hired full-time. He came to Sho-Me Power later in 1975 as an Accountant and was promoted to CFO in 1979, serving until January, 2016 when the Board of Directors appointed him to CEO and General Manager. John is a past president of the G&T Accounting & Finance Association and was a member of the Missouri Electric Cooperative Employee’s Credit Union Board of Directors for over 25 years, serving as Chairman for over a decade.
Chief Operating Officer
Chris Bolick
Chris graduated from the University of Missouri – Rolla in 1986 with B.S. degree in Electrical Engineering. He began his career with Associated Electric Cooperative, Inc. working as a transmission planning engineer, and became Manager of Transmission Planning and Operations in 2000. Chris served as a cooperative representative on the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) Operating Committee for 14 years. Chris is a member of the Academy of Electrical and Computer Engineers at the Missouri University of Science and Technology and has been a member of the Institute for Electrical and Electronic Engineers for 32 years. Chris joined Sho-Me Power in 2014 as Manager of Administrative Services and is currently the Chief Operating Officer overseeing all Engineering and Operations functions.
Chief Compliance Officer
Peter Dawson
Peter joined Sho-Me Power in 2008, while a student at Drury University. He graduated with a B.S. in Biology, with an emphasis in Environmental Management, in 2010, and received a Master’s of Science in Administrative Studies/Project Management from Missouri State University in 2015. Peter is a Certified Loss Control Professional through NRECA and the University of Wisconsin School of Business and obtained a Graduate Certificate in Project Management from Missouri State University’s School of Technology and Construction Management in 2016. Peter is responsible for managing Sho-Me ‘s Regulatory Services Department, which includes compliance, environmental management and coordination of Sho-Me’s safety programs.
Human Resources Director
Rebecca Gunn
Rebecca graduated from Drury University with a B.S. in Psychology and Communications in 2001, received her M.A. in Human Resource Management from Webster University in 2003, and received her Professional, Human Resources certification in 2007. Rebecca began her career at Sho-Me Power in 1982 in the Accounting Department, transferring to Human Resources in 2007 and was promoted to her current position in May, 2011 managing the Human Resource department. Rebecca is also a member of the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM, the Springfield Area Human Resources Association (SAHRA), and Mercy Medical Auxiliary Association.
Chief Telecommunications Officer
Kari Harles
Kari graduated from Missouri State University in 1999 with a B.S. degree in Physics and received her M.B.A. from Northeastern University in 2011. She began her career at Sho-Me Power in 2002 in our Network Operations Center, transferring to Network Engineering in 2008, promoted to Director of Customer Solutions in 2016, then to Director of Network Operations in 2018, and was promoted to her current position in May, 2021 managing Sho-Me Technologies where she provides leadership and management of our telecommunications network that supports core operations of Sho-Me Power and Sho-Me Technologies.
Chief Information Officer
Micah Johnson
Micah graduated from the University of Central Arkansas in 1998 with a B.A. in Mass Communications and began his career in information technology the same year at the University's library, assuming a campus IT Support position in 1999. In 2001, he relocated to southwest Missouri and accepted a position as a Systems Analyst with Bass Pro Shops. Micah joined Sho-Me Power in 2008 as a Client Server Operations Specialist and was eventually promoted to Senior Networks Administrator. In 2017, Micah was promoted to the role of Sho-Me’s Manager, Information Technology. Then, Chief Information Officer in 2020, leading technology initiatives in the areas of infrastructure, cybersecurity, business applications, development, and operational technology. He is an active participant of the Springfield Tech Council and holds positions with the NRECA G&T Managers Association - Grid Management Committee and the NRECA G&T IT Managers Association.
Chief Financial Officer
Erica Lafferty
Erica graduated from Missouri State University (MSU) in 2005 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting and received her Master of Accountancy from MSU in 2007. Her career began with Abacus CPAs in 2005 while a student, and upon graduation was hired full-time as a Staff Accountant. She joined Sho-Me Power in 2008 as Property Accountant and became a Certified Public Accountant registered in the state of Missouri in 2009. Erica held a few titles within the Finance & Administration Division before being promoted to Controller/Risk Manager in 2016 and then Chief Financial Officer (CFO) in 2022. As CFO, Erica oversees the Finance & Administration Division which includes: Finance, Physical Security, Purchasing, Facilities, Vehicle Maintenance, and Warehousing. Erica completed the NRECA Robert I. Kabat Management Internship Program in 2021. She is currently involved in the national G&T Accounting & Finance Association and is a member of the Missouri Society of CPAs.
Member Service and Corporate Communications Director
Tim Lewis
Tim began his career in telecommunications while attending The College of the Ozarks. He worked in the Telecom Department as his on campus work study position and got hooked on the industry. After college, he was employed by Contel Telephone which merged with GTE in 1990. In 1995, along with two other partners, he launched a successful Audio/Video company in Indiana. Customers included Caterpillar, Delco-Remy America, Bob Dole Presidential Campaign and multiple venues at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta. In 2000, Tim was back in the Telecom industry working for Cisco Systems as a System Engineer II in the Optical Networking Group. In 2002, Tim was recruited by Sho-Me Power to build a marketing department for their Telecom division, Sho-Me Technologies. In 2016, Tim became the Manager, Member Services and Corporate Communications for Sho-Me power and currently oversees the Media Services, Education and Outreach, Government Affairs, and Economic Development.
Sho-Me Power Electric Cooperative
Dedicated to providing safe, reliable, low cost power and communications
to the members we serve which improves the quality of life for their members.