ABOUT SMECO
 Daniel W. Dyer |
“Things aren’t as simple as they used to be. I appreciate tradition and traditional values. SMECO, which dates to 1937, has a tradition of providing great service at affordable rates. That’s the cooperative way. We make our decisions based on what’s best for our customers. Our Call Center is a good example of this. We want the personal touch, but we also want to provide the best service to all our customers. Growth made the Call Center necessary.
“We need to figure out a way to manage the growth of the county—and the state—while staying on top of providing service to the many people who move into the area. They expect good reliability, customer service, and low rates. We can’t stop progress, and we have the ability to plan for growth.”
Danny Dyer, who represents Prince George’s County on SMECO’s Board of Directors, has served as chairman since July 2003. Dyer has a long career in state and local government and, before retirement, served as an aide to the Maryland Secretary of State. He was also an aide to the chairman of Prince George’s County Council and county executive. He is a retired appraiser for the Maryland State Department of Assessment.
Past chairman of Prince George’s County Democratic Central Committee, Dyer also was a member of the Citizen’s Advisory Committee for U.S. Route 301.
Dyer attended the University of Maryland and Prince George’s Community College. His love of sports has kept him involved in athletics his entire life, beginning with high school sports, and more recently including tennis and golf. He served in the Maryland National Guard for six years.
Dyer received his National Rural Electric Cooperative Association’s director’s certification in 1999.
 James A. Richards |
“There is a great deal of change occurring in the electric industry. The growth in our area and the cost of power are challenges we have needed to tackle again and again. Finding a way to continue to deliver affordable power for our members is our greatest challenge.”
Jimmy Richards represents Prince George’s County on the SMECO Board. President of Richards Enterprises, Inc., he is a retired firefighter from Prince George’s County Fire Department. He received the Gold Star of Valor, the department’s highest honor, and the Meritorious Service Award from the Clinton Volunteer Fire Department and Rescue Squad.
Richards is director of Community Support Systems. He also serves as a director of the Brandywine Lions Club.
Retired as a senior master sergeant in the D.C. Air National Guard after 22 years of military service, Richards received his associate’s degree in fire science from Prince George’s Community College and attended the University of Maryland.
Richards has served on the SMECO Board since 2001 and has received his director’s certification from the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association.