Last Updated on April 3, 2025 11:04 am
Lenoir, North Carolina (April 1, 2025)– Blue Ridge Energy announces that Katie Woodle has officially assumed duties as Chief Executive Officer of Blue Ridge Energy following her appointment to the position late last year by the cooperative’s Board of Directors to take effect after the retirement of Doug Johnson, who served as CEO since 1989.
Woodle has served as the cooperative’s Chief Financial Officer since 2012.
“On behalf of the Board, I’m very pleased that Katie Woodle will be leading the cooperative during one of the most critical times in our history,” said Jeff Joines, president of the cooperative’s Board of Directors. “We’re excited that she will be providing continuity of a strong cultural foundation and care for our members, customers, employees and all those our cooperative and subsidiaries serve,” Joines added.
Woodle said she is committed to serving with integrity and leading the cooperative through the evolving challenges of the electric utility industry.
“I am confident that the future is bright in the hands of the talented and dedicated employees of our cooperative and its subsidiaries,” Woodle said. “Together, we will focus on fostering innovation, continuous improvement and strategic execution to ensure members have reliable electricity at the most affordable cost delivered in a manner that demonstrates the highest care for our members and communities,” she added.
“This commitment extends to our Propane and Fuels and RidgeLink subsidiaries, which are important to both the cooperative’s success and the well-being of our communities, providing essential jobs and services as well as our vision of making life better for those we serve,” she added.
Woodle recently served as national president for the Electric Cooperative Chapter of the National Society of Accountants for Cooperatives, a member of the Board of Vista Ventures Development, Inc, a member of the NC Association of CPAs, and past member of Beaver College of Health Sciences Advisory Board at Appalachian State University.
Woodle is a native of Laurel Springs, Alleghany County. She previously served as CFO for Alleghany Memorial Hospital and is a certified public accountant. She graduated from Appalachian State University with her bachelor's and master’s degrees in accounting. She and her husband, Greg, who is a teacher at William Lenoir Middle School, live in Lenoir with their two children, Nora and Luke.
Blue Ridge Energy is a member-owned electric cooperative serving approximately 80,000 members across Caldwell, Watauga, Ashe, and Alleghany counties, as well as parts of Wilkes, Avery, and Alexander counties. For more information, visit www.BlueRidgeEnergy.com.
