The board of directors for Polk-Burnett Electric Cooperative appointed Jerry Okonek of Spooner to serve on the board and represent members in co-op district 7.

His appointment began in October 2018 to fill a vacancy in his district, following the resignation of Maury Miller.

Okonek is a resident of the Town of Scott. He grew up on a resort and dairy farm on Big McKenzie Lake. He graduated from Spooner High School and WITC in Rice Lake. He and his wife, Linda, have three children; all graduated from Spooner High School.

Okonek has 37 years of experience as a general contractor and owns OK Construction, Inc. He shares his expertise as an adviser for Tiger Manufacturing at Webster High School and serves on the advisory board for WITC’s wood tech program. Okonek recently retired from the Scott Fire Department, following 33 years of service, including 24 years as chief.

“After 30-plus years on the fire department, I’d like to continue to serve my community in another capacity,” said Okonek. “I believe my experience would be helpful to Polk-Burnett, and I appreciate the opportunity to represent my neighbors on the co-op board.”