Sunflower Electric Power Corp. announced today that its board of directors has named Stuart Lowry as the corporation’s next president

and chief executive officer.

Lowry, 51, will begin his tenure on Aug. 15 to succeed L. Earl Watkins Jr., Sunflower’s current president and CEO, upon his retirement. Lowry is the fifth person to lead Sunflower since it was formed in 1957.

Since 2004, Lowry served as executive vice president and general counsel of Kansas Electric Cooperatives Inc. On behalf of KEC’s 32 members, he guided this statewide organization through a wide range of legal, legislative and regulatory activities at the state and national levels.

Lowry also served on the Kansas Energy Council, the National Rural Utilities Cooperative Finance Corporation Integrity Fund Committee, and the Kansas Energy and Environmental Policy Advisory Group.

Loren Ochs, Sunflower’s board chairman, said that the Sunflower board unanimously selected Lowry following a national search conducted by Carol Langley of Denver-based Langley & Associates Inc.

"Stuart’s cooperative background and industry experience, along with his personal traits that reflect Sunflower’s culture, make him an outstanding choice for this position," Ochs said. "Stuart is a trusted and well-respected leader, and we know that under his direction we will continue our mission of serving our members with reliable energy at the lowest possible cost."

Lowry said, "I am honored to be selected for this position and excited to face the challenging times ahead. To be given the opportunity to build upon the successes achieved by Sunflower and its member-owners during Earl Watkins’ tenure as CEO is truly humbling."

Stuart Lowry was raised in Valley Falls and is a graduate of the University of Kansas and Washburn University School of Law. Since 2004, he has served executive vice president and general counsel of Kansas Electric Cooperatives Inc., the Kansas statewide service organization for 29 electric distribution cooperatives and three generation and transmission cooperatives.

Prior to his tenure at KEC, he was a partner in the law firm of Lowry and Johnson in Valley Falls, where he served as corporate counsel to KEC and six distribution electric cooperatives and as special counsel to others on many legal issues facing electric cooperatives in Kansas, including corporation commission proceedings, bylaw revisions, and development of service rules and regulations for deregulated cooperatives. He is a second generation electric cooperative

attorney; his father, Gordon Lowry, started representing electric cooperatives more than 50 years ago.

Lowry and his wife, Lauren, have three children.