We are led by consumers like you
Grand Valley Power's nine board members, elected at-large, serve three-year, staggered terms. Grand Valley Power's members elect three board members by mail-in ballots or in-person at the Annual Meeting held each summer. If three or fewer members seek election, then Grand Valley Power will forgo the mail ballots and the election of the Directors will take place during the annual meeting.
Each Grand Valley Power member has the right to vote for up to three directors to be elected. Members have only one ballot per election, regardless of the number of accounts with Grand Valley Power. The account holder or spouse, but not both, is eligible to vote. All election and voting issues are overseen by an independent election supervisory committee.
Unlike governmental elections, not all registered voters in the household can vote in the Grand Valley Power elections. Members who are unclear of their membership or account status are urged to call Grand Valley Power's Member Services department at 970-242-0040 for verification.
Running for the Board of Directors
To be eligible to become or remain a director, a person must be a Grand Valley Power member and receive electric service from Grand Valley Power at the member's primary residence. A director cannot be engaged in a competing enterprise or in other businesses involving a conflict of interest. Grand Valley Power's Bylaws provide in-depth information on director qualifications, terms, elections, meetings and officers.
To be a qualified nominee for the Board, all candidates, including non-incumbents, must agree to abide by the cooperative's Articles of Incorporation, Bylaws, and Policies, including Policy Bulletin No. 50 - Voting and Elections.
Policy Bulletin No. 50 - Voting and Elections
Attachment A to Policy Bulletin No. 50 - Cooperative Election Disclosure Requirements
Director Election to Occur at Annual Meeting: No Mail Ballots
No ballots will be mailed to members this year. Because the number of people nominated for directors is equal to the number of vacancies, the Board of Directors has decided to eliminate the mail vote for this election. Instead, the members present at the meeting of the members will elect the nominated and eligible director candidates.
The candidates running for election are incumbents Joseph Burtard, Joe Landini, and Janie VanWinkle.
2026 Director Election
Directors whose terms expire in 2026 are Joseph Burtard, Joe Landini, and Janie VanWinkle.
Nominating Petitions for Director
Nominating petitions for Director on the Grand Valley Power Board of Directors are available to be picked up in the spring. The nomination deadline for 2026 has passed.
The nominating petition must be signed by 15 members of the cooperative. The election supervisory committee will: verify the eligibility of the petitioners, verify that the candidates have received at least 15 valid signatures, and will ensure that the ballot positions of qualified Director candidates are set in a random order.
2026 Annual Meeting
The 2026 Grand Valley Power Annual Meeting will be held on Thursday, August 6, 2026 beginning at 5:30 p.m. in the Meyer Ballroom on the CMU campus. The Annual Report and additional information will be mailed to all members in July.
Meet Your 2026 Candidates
Meet Joseph!
Joseph Burtard
Grand Junction
GVP member 10 years
jrcarriage@gmail.com
Joseph Burtard is the owner of JR’s Carriage Service. He has a bachelor's degree in marketing from Colorado Mesa University, is a graduate of the World Wide College of Auctioneering, and has an MBA in management from the University of the Pacific.
Joseph is completing his second term on the GVP Board. He has earned the Credentialed Cooperative Director (CCD) certification from the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association.
Joseph also has served on the boards of the Business Incubator Center, Visit Grand Junction, Grand Junction Area Chamber of Commerce, PRCA Colorado Stampede Rodeo, Palisade Chamber of Commerce, Young Professional Network of Mesa County, and the Palisade Historical Society.
Candidate Q&A
1. Why are you running for the GVP Board of Directors?
I believe in giving back to the community I proudly call home. This is where I have chosen to raise my family and operate my business. I have been actively involved in several boards. While healthy board turnover is important, so is maintaining institutional knowledge and continuity. Grand Valley Power is in the middle of several important long-term initiatives, and I would like to continue contributing to those efforts while representing the best interests of our members.
2. What do you hope to accomplish if you are elected?
I want to help preserve Grand Valley Power's member-focused values while supporting the cooperative's long-term strategic planning. My priorities include maintaining reliable and affordable service, supporting our employees and leadership team, pursuing additional opportunities such as hydropower generation, strengthening wildfire mitigation efforts, and ensuring the utilities power supply future.
3. What do you see as the cooperative’s biggest challenge over the next three years?
The utility industry continues to face significant challenges, including increasing regulations, rising costs, infrastructure demands, and securing reliable power resources. As our service area grows, Grand Valley Power must continue balancing affordability, reliability, strategic thinking, and capital system improvements.
4. What makes you the best candidate to serve the members of Grand Valley Power?
I bring experience, a strong understanding of member owned utilities, and a commitment to responsible stewardship of member resources. My nearly 15 years in the Public Utility Industry provided valuable experience in public engagement, strategic planning, rate structure, and organizational governance. I believe in thoughtful decision making, long-term planning, and supporting the professional staff who serve our members every day.
Financial Disclosures
Meet Joe!
Joe Landini
Fruita
GVP member 13 years
josephlandini@gmail.com
Joe Landini is self-employed in the construction and farm industries. He is a 2003 graduate of Colorado State University with a bachelor's degree in animal science.
Joe was elected to the Grand Valley Power Board of Directors in 2023. He also has served the community as a superintendent for the Mesa County Fair for the last eight years and as a director for both the Grand Valley Water Users Association and the Fruita Coop for six years.
Candidate Q&A
1. Why are you running for the GVP Board of Directors?
It has been and honor to serve on the GV Power BOD the last 3 years. As a 4th generation and lifelong resident of the Grand Valley, I am firmly rooted in our community and our future. As a member-owned co-op; providing reliable, affordable, and efficient electric service to our members and our community is key to our long-term success. Our community exists because of our infrastructure. Without reliable power we would not have the place we all call home. I am running to continue to serve the members and be the voice of our member owner co-op.
2. What do you hope to accomplish if you are elected?
If elected, I hope to continue to serve the members of our co-op with the ideals and mission of the organization. Safety, reliability, dependability, affordability, and integrity will continue to be a primary focus if I am elected. It has been an honor to serve the members of the Grand Valley Power Board, and my focus is on serving and leading our community while keeping the mission and values of the organization and our members top of mind.
3. What do you see as the cooperative’s biggest challenge over the next three years?
The biggest challenge will continue to be affordability and reliability to our cooperative membership. With ever-changing regulations and industry standards trying to find a balance that suits our ideals and mission and most importantly serving the members of the co-op is paramount. Finding clean, renewable, reliable, and affordable electric service will allow us to serve our members for generations to come.
4. What makes you the best candidate to serve the members of Grand Valley Power?
As a lifelong resident I am committed to our community. My goal is to listen to the needs and wants of our members and be the voice for not only our membership but for the needs of our community for not only today but for generations to come. The GV Power co-op exists because of our members and being a voice for our membership is something that I believe makes me a candidate to serve our membership. My focus and goals remain committed to our members and the mission and values of our organization.
Financial Disclosures
Meet Janie!
Janie VanWinkle
Fruita
GVP member 25+ years
vanwinkleranch@gmail.com
Janie VanWinkle is a lifelong beef producer in western Colorado. She and her husband, Howard, own and manage landscapes and cattle in the rural areas of Mesa County, including Whitewater, Unaweep Canyon, the Grand Mesa, Uncompaghre, Pinyon Mesa, and Fruita.
Janie and Howard are active in the community. She has served on the GJ Chamber Board, CMU Tech Advisory Ag Board, CSU AgNext Advisory Board, and as a CO Cattlemen’s past president. Together, Howard and Janie have owned and managed five local businesses.
Janie will complete a 30-month Federal Fellowship with the Business Incubator, focusing on economic development in Agriculture, in July 2026.
Janie is completing her third term on the GVP Board. She served as Board President in 2023-24 and has earned the Credentialed Cooperative Director (CCD) and Board Leadership certifications from the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association.
Candidate Q&A
1. Why are you running for the GVP Board of Directors?
This will be my fourth term on the GVP Board. In 2017, I originally considered the Board position because of the overlap I see with rural issues regarding Food Production/Agiculture and Power/Energy. After careful consideration in 2026, that is still a driving motivation for me to ask the members to consider me for another term.
We have made some difficult and impactful decisions over the past few years as a Board of Directors. We have not always agreed, and a lot of questions were asked. Some of these decisions will have bearing on our members and their families for generations to come. I see similarities to the group of engaged rural community members that started the co-op in 1936. There is a lot of uncertainty and we need to make decisions with the best information we have.
I am running this term because I would like to have a role in the process of moving from Xcel Energy to a new power supplier in 2028. My experience, along with others in the boardroom, will be valuable to ensure that our power supply remains safe, affordable, and reliable.
The Board hired a new CEO at Grand Valley Power in 2025. I am pleased with, and fully support, the selection and the very difficult process to make that decision. My experience and tenure on the Board will have value, as Chrystal Dean navigates her first few years in this role.
2. What do you hope to accomplish if you are elected?
This is the mission statement of Grand Valley Power. I was on the Board as it was crafted. I will ensure that every decision made in the Boardroom is rooted around these principles:
We are committed to the safety of our workforce and the general public.
GVP has an outstanding safety record, both for employees and the public. We must stay focused on both. Ensuring all our staff go home to their families in the same condition they left in the morning is paramount. Having experienced the 2025 Turner Gulch Fire and seeing what steps are taken to ensure public safety, I will support our staff in this work.
We strive to do the right thing, holding true to our values and principles.
By doing the right thing, I mean the “right thing” for all members. Not just conventional consumers, not just rooftop solar customers, not any special class. As a board member, I am committed to hearing all sides and making solid decisions to do right for our members, staff, and community for generations to come.
We seek to find new and better ways to serve our members and communities.
GVP staff is innovative, resilient, and committed to our members. I will support the entire GVP staff as they work to find better ways to provide safe, affordable, and reliable service to our members.
We are dedicated to delivering value to all we serve.
In this era of escalating costs, we must look at value from several perspectives. Value for members may mean the cost of their power, but also considering the future implications of a decision. Our staff must see personal value in the work they do, as well.
3. What do you see as the cooperative’s biggest challenge over the next three years?
Moving to Guzman from Xcel, as our power provider, will no doubt stretch the capacity of the Cooperative. Finding answers to all the questions, one by one, will be the biggest challenge.
Staff will work continuously on this. The Board needs to ensure they have the resources to find the answers they need as we make this important transition. Costs, regulatory challenges, legal questions, infrastructure, transmission, and delivery will be considered. GVP is not the first co-op to make a change like this. We need to learn from others, but be alert for new ways to add value to our members.
My other concern is around wildfire safety and resilience of our system. The WARN grant is an example of the work being done by GVP to support this. Continuing support from the Board for the work that Staff is doing as we start the environmental assessment phase is critical. This project on the Grand Mesa is anticipated to take several years to complete. It will challenge and stretch our staff, but I am committed to ensuring they have the resources and support they need.
4. What makes you the best candidate to serve the members of Grand Valley Power?
Experience counts!
Nine years on the GVP Board has given me perspective, but still looking for new and innovative answers. We don't need to do something because that is "how we always do it." At the same time, we don't need to do something just because it is a "new thing." Balance in the Boardroom will be the answer to ensuring GVP members receive the value they expect and pay for.
Experience in the community is important. Engaging with our members in various capacities gives me time and opportunity to hear what is on their minds. I am in the rural community regularly, participate in the community, engage with policy makers on all levels on a regular basis, and accessible through several channels. I show up.
Experience in decision making is helpful. Hard decisions are integral to a position like this. Our family-run ranch business requires individual and group decision making regularly. Engaging in our community on other boards and interactions adds a dimension that I bring to the GVP Board room. I have owned several businesses, I have worked in a corporate environment, and most recently, in a non-profit setting. All have added to the experiences I bring.
Your questions and your support are welcome.
Financial Disclosures
Election FAQ
Each Member of the cooperative shall be entitled to vote in the election of directors for the Board of Directors either at a meeting held for such purpose or by mail, but not both.
In the case of a Joint Membership, any one Joint Member may cast the vote for the Joint Membership. For the ballot of a Joint Membership, the ballot envelope will include the name of each Joint Member. Any one of the Joint Members may cast the ballot, and that Joint Member shall sign the return envelope.
Mail voting shall be in writing on ballots provided by the Cooperative. The mail ballot shall be voted by the member, and deposited in a return envelope which must be signed by the voting member, and mailed back to the Cooperative.
Envelopes containing mail ballots shall remain sealed and uncounted until the tabulation process is conducted by the independent third party and supervised by the Election Supervisory Committee.
Members can also submit their vote by placing their ballot in the ballot box located in the lobby of GVP's office located at 845 22 Road, Grand Junction, Colorado 81505, prior to the annual meeting. Members may also bring their ballot to the annual meeting and deposit the ballot in the ballot box at the annual meeting.
Mail ballots should be deposited with the USPS so they are received prior to the close of business on the day of the Annual Meeting. Members can also drop off completed ballots to GVP's Headquarters at 845 22 Road, GJ, CO 81505 by 4 p.m. on the day of the Annual Meeting.
Ballots may also be deposited prior to 6:30 p.m. on the day of the Annual Meeting, in the ballot box at the annual meeting.
Ballots received after the deadline will not be counted.
Election results typically are announced the day after the Annual Meeting. The results will be posted on gvp.org and GVP social media platforms.
Each year, an election is held. If the number of people nominated for directors is less than or equal to the number of vacancies, the Board of Directors may determine to eliminate the mail ballot for that election and have the directors elected by the members present at the meeting of the members.
A quorum is to be met for electing directors and voting on other corporate business. This shall consist of the owners of one hundred (100) shares of the Cooperative present in person. If the owners of one hundred (100) shares are not present in person but mail voting for directors pursuant to Article V, Section 2 has occurred prior to such meeting, the election of directors shall occur so long as the number of valid mail votes plus shares voted in person totals at least one hundred (100) shares. If less than a quorum is present in person, a majority of those present may adjourn the meeting to another date and time or direct the Board of Directors to select another date and time.
You can find the biography of each candidate on this election page once the Election Supervisory Committee verifies the signatures on the petitions. We will update accordingly and will notify our members when the information is available.