HERMISTON — Umatilla Electric Cooperative on Thursday, Jan. 9, announced two key promotions.

The company selected Josh Lankford as its first-ever assistant general manager and promoted Blake Weathers to vice president of Power Supply.

“It is the board’s and my desire to keep our employees and membership at the heart of what we do,” UEC General Manager/CEO Robert Echenrode said in the announcement. “Josh and Blake’s leadership will help guide UEC’s ongoing growth and success as we navigate the opportunities and challenges ahead.”

According to the UEC press release, Lankford will work closely with Echenrode, focusing on the development and execution of the cooperative’s ongoing utility operations, mission and long-term strategy. 

He also will serve as the primary liaison between the membership, management and the general manager. Lankford’s leadership and technical expertise have been a critical piece of UEC’s success for more than 15 years, according to the press release. 

Lankford joined the cooperative in 2009 as a distribution engineer. Since then, he has advanced through various leadership positions, serving as engineering manager in 2016 and promoted to vice president of Engineering and Operations in 2020.

“Over the past 15 years, I’ve enjoyed working amongst our great team and look forward to continuing to support our membership and our communities in this new position,” Lankford said in the release. “Together, we’ve built a strong foundation of service and operational excellence. I look forward to the continued growth of our area and solving the challenges of tomorrow.”

Weathers will continue to oversee and secure the cooperative’s power supply needs, succeeding Robert Cromwell, who retired in 2024. He joined UEC in the fall of 2022 as the Power Supply and Transmission Services manager. 

According to the press release, during his tenure, he made significant contributions in contractual agreements for the co-op’s existing power supply. With more than 20 years of experience in the Pacific Northwest power industry, Weathers is prepared to step into his role to guide UEC’s power supply operations.

“I am excited to take on this new role and continue advancing our efforts to provide a secure and sustainable power supply for UEC members,” Weathers said in the release. “As the utility industry continues to evolve, we are ready to tackle challenges head-on, and keep our members at the forefront of our decisions.”