Serving the community is certainly nothing new to Jefferson Energy Director Eugene Tanzymore. Upon graduating high school in Baltimore, Md., Tanzymore went into the military and joined the 82nd Airborne. From there, he furthered his dedication to his community by joining the Baltimore Police Department, which led to a 30-year career. His position as Deputy Commissioner placed him in charge of 2,500 men and women with an operating budget of around $98 million. “That experience certainly helps me in my role as a board member at Jefferson Energy. It gave me a great understanding of the budgeting process and how to seek out the best interest of our customers and our co-op as well,” he says.

Tanzymore became interested in serving on the Jefferson Energy Board after being approached by former JEC employee Pete Fulcher. “After we talked,I started looking into it. I was a Jefferson Energy customer already. And the more I looked into it, the more I wanted to be involved,” he says. One of the best things about serving on the Jefferson Energy board, Tanzymore says, is the diversity of people he represents. “In my community, we have all kinds of people from all over the country. At the same time, we have people that have lived here all their lives. So it’s interesting to hear the different needs and concerns from the different groups. And I enjoy the challenge of trying to meet those needs,” he says.

Tanzymore also states that he has never met a group of people as good as his fellow board members. “Everybody on the board works together and has something to offer. We each have different backgrounds, and that gives us valuable experience in many different areas,” he says. “We all realize you have to look over the horizon and not get complacent with today. You can’t progress and stay the same.”

Tanzymore is now the Associate Minister at Good Shepherd Baptist Church in Augusta. He and his wife, Bertha, (9992750-01) have been married since 1996. They have four children and two grandchildren. In his spare time, he likes to work on his latest project, affectionately known as “The Preacher and the Deacon,” a drag racing car he and his brother are putting together to race at the local drag strip. Tanzymore says, “I went from carrying seventeen rounds, to sixty-six books, to drag racing.” Jefferson Energy President and CEO Kenneth Cook says, “It’s great having Eugene on our board. His great attitude and vast experience certainly make him a huge asset to Jefferson Energy and our members.”

Finally, Tanzymore says he just likes helping people and trying to make a difference. “If anything,” he says, “I just look at helping people as a way of paying for the space I occupy on planet earth while I travel toward heaven.”