Charge Up with Power Player Annemarie Chouinard, Manager of Member Services.

How does your job fit into the overall Cooperative business? 
Being the Member Services Manager is a wholistic approach to taking care of our members. Being in Member Services requires you to be an investigator of sorts for many problems like billing issues and questions, energy efficiency, and general inquiries. Essentially, this department is here for the members and we work together to serve them. We strive for an excellent member experience, but the end goal is always to find the right resolution for each member. 

What is something members might not know about your job? 
I handle most of the hardship cases, which are complex and usually extreme situations. These are people who fall through the cracks, and I have created changes in our policies that help these members in impossible situations. I love working with the various agencies to solve these problems, create solutions, and get the lights back on for our members.

What is one story about your life that can help people remember you?
My family and I formed a scholarship in 1991 in memory of my cousins B. Timothy and Shawn T. Heaney, brothers who both died tragically. Tim was killed by the Long Island Sniper and Shawn was lost at sea in Alaska. Then their brother Kerry passed away suddenly a few years ago. Our family has given over $200,000 away to over 300 students who graduated from Greenport High School in my hometown, Greenport N.Y. I am the chairperson of the scholarship committee.