Debbie Robinson

After 24 years, the face of Wood County Electric Cooperative (WCEC) is stepping into retirement.

Debbie Robinson has been employed at WCEC for 37 years with the last 24 years as the general manager and CEO of one of the state’s most successful rural electric organizations. 

She graduated from Texas A&M University with a bachelor of business administration in accounting. Robinson joined WCEC in 1983 and in seven years she was named assistant manager to longtime General Manager Juan D. Nichols. In 1996, Robinson was one of the first women in the nation to become the head of an electric cooperative. 

When Robinson became general manager, the co-op had 3,533 miles of line, served 21,355 meters and had 82 employees. Today, the WCEC has 5,100 miles of line, serves 36,352 meters and has 93 employees.

Robinson was recently named by the Quitman Chamber of Commerce as the 2019 “Woman of the Year.” She has long been active in community programs and efforts. She has served  the Quitman chamber as a director, the Quitman Pilot Club where she has served as an officer and president, East Texas Workforce Development Board, Wood County Extension Program Council, Wood County Industrial Commission and also led the Wood County A&M Muster for many years.

She has also been at the forefront at the state and regional level. She was president of Texas Electric Cooperative, Tex-La Electric Cooperative secretary, and a board member of Northeast Texas Electric Cooperative. She was chair of the board of Texas Electric Cooperatives.

Her accomplishments are many and wide-ranging. She negotiated and secured a membership agreement that helped bring a Sanderson Farms feed mill and electric load to the region. WCEC has led the nation being one of the first utilities to offer a prepayment solution to members. She further secured key accounts from Trans-Canada and Dallas Water Utility.

In the March issue of Texas Co-Op Power magazine, WCEC Board President Pat Lindley spoke glowingly of Robinson.

“Looking back, I’m confident we made the right decision for WCEC and its members,” Lindley said. “We couldn’t have hired a more invested and conscientious manager. Throughout her tenure, she’s served the members and employees of WCEC well. And she’s done it on a local, state and national scale. She never backed down from a hard decision when it was in the best interest of our members and the cooperative’s bottom line, and because of this the future of the WCEC is in good stead, and she has set up the next manager for success.”

“The career I’ve had, and the wonderful opportunities afforded me and my family, are beyond anything I could have dreamed of,” she remarked. “I’ve met and made lifelong friends in my co-workers and industry colleagues, as we have performed extremely important work and accomplished results. I have to brag just a little because WCEC employees are, bar none, some of the most dedicated, ethical and hardworking people I know.

“I offer grateful thanks to Juan D. Nichols, the past general manager, for preparing me for the role and to the board of directors for allowing me to serve the membership in this position for the last 24 years. It’s been one of my greatest joys and a distinct honor.”

Robinson is a native of Bryan and has been in Wood County since 1982. She and her husband, Troy, have two sons, Alex and Clayton. She is looking forward to retirement, especially anticipating the birth of the couple’s first grandchild.   

Robinson’s last day is April 6.