Panel Discussion - Principle 7: Concern for the Community

Jean van Biezen
Vice President of Cooperative Relations
South Central Indiana REMC

Jean has been with South Central Indiana REMC for the past 11 years, serving in
two roles. As Vice-President of Cooperative Relations, Jean serves as the company
spokesperson, develops internal and external communications, develops member
relations activities and programs, and serves the community with the mission of the
cooperative.

She is also General Manager of the cooperatives’ subsidiary SCI Services, LLC where
Jean handles the day to day operation of their for-profit security, long distance and
metered propane business.

Jean is very active in her community and has served on several boards and
committees. She is past president of the Martinsville Rotary club, a Morgan County
Leadership Academy graduate, Past Committee Chair for the Relay for Life in Morgan
County, and she served on the executive committee. Jean is also a past Martinsville
Chamber board member.

On the national level, Jean is a member of the NRECA Council for Rural Electric
Cooperatives (CREC,) and has been an advisory member on the NRECA Connect
Conference committee for the past four years. She is a Certified Cooperative
Communicator earning her certification in 2005.

Married to husband John, they have five grown children, four grandchildren, two
grand dogs and an 8 year old Yorkie named Ginger Little.

Reverend Frankie A. Morton, Board Chair, Mayfield Green

The Reverend Frankie Morton has dedicated herself to improving the lives of others by creating opportunities and resources for the members of Indianapolis’s Mayfield Green Cooperative. For over 29 years, she has inspired and led her community to strive for excellence in all aspects of their lives. Rev. Morton, a mother of three and grandmother of three, believes in the benefits of cooperative housing and is passionate about living in a community where people care about people.

Since 1999, Rev. Morton has volunteered on the Board of Directors for Mayfield Green Cooperative, and in 2003 she accepted the non-paying position of Board President. Overseeing the vision for a community with nearly a thousand residents has taken Rev. Morton on quite a journey and allowed her to follow her passion of helping people improve their lives. Some of her biggest accomplishments have been in the areas of community education and support. She helped create the Mayfield Green Community Resource Center and she serves as the Executive Director.

Even before coming to serve on the board of her Cooperative, Rev. Morton was heavily involved in community outreach—including founding a Women’s Retreat in 1997 that continues to reach out to women of all races, cultures, and backgrounds throughout Indianapolis. While working with teenage girls she organized and lead a Young Women’s Support Group. Rev. Morton also helped establish a retreat to help inspire and motivate the youth in her community.

Her continuous commitment to the members of her Cooperative is evident through her numerous other involvements such as, organizing the distribution of annual holiday baskets, sponsoring an annual “Back to School” barbecue, hosting summer trips for the membership’s youth, as well as being an advocate and voice for the membership and doing her best to ensure that they are healthy and happy. In 2010, Rev. Morton organized a Father’s Day Banquet for the fathers and children in her community with the hopes of reaching out to the community’s young men and encouraging them to gain confidence and pride in themselves.

Rev. Morton received her Bachelor’s Degree in religious studies from Indianapolis’s Martin University after graduating Summa Cum Laude in 2005. She then went on to study at the Christian Theological Seminary in Indianapolis, where she received her Masters of Divinity Degree with honors in 2009.

Rev. Morton’s reach extends beyond Mayfield Green Cooperative, in 2009 she began mentoring incarcerated women through the Indianapolis Mayor’s Office as part of a program called “First Day Out.” Her ministry, Frankie Morton Ministries, facilitates many opportunities for people in the community. The ministry recently became an official Not-For-Profit Charitable Religious Organization, allowing it to provide greater assistance to those in need.

Rev. Morton has been recognized for her community service with many awards and accolades, including The Cooperator Community Service Award in 2010 from the Indiana Cooperative Development Center and the Dr. Herman E. Curtis Cooperator of the Year award in 2003.

Rebecca Haynes-Bordas, M.A., AFC

Extension Educator, Purdue Extension-Marion County

Rebecca Haynes-Bordas is an Extension Educator with Purdue Cooperative Extension Service in Marion County (Indianapolis). The Cooperative Extension System is a network of land grant universities in all fifty (50) states with a local Extension office in nearly every county in the United States.  Purdue Extension’s mission is to “transform lives and livelihoods through research based education". Rebecca focuses on educating small groups and training trainers on the basics of money management. Rebecca currently represents Purdue Extension-Marion County on the Indianapolis Asset Building Coalition, Indianapolis Financial Fitness Campaign, Indiana Money Smart Week, Indiana Jumpstart Coalition, and leads the Indy Saves Campaign: Start Small – Think Big! The campaign promotes setting a goal(s) to increase savings and reduce debt of individuals and families in Greater Indianapolis.

Nationally Cooperative Extension Service and America’s Credit Unions have partnered with National Endowment for Financial Education (NEFE) to meet the need to teach financial literacy in the nation’s high schools. While most communities across America are experiencing an increase in personal bankruptcies and credit card debt personal finance education is critical to the future of stable communities.

Haynes-Bordas is a Purdue University graduate. She received her Master of Arts from Saint Joseph College in West Hartford, Connecticut. She holds the designations of Accredited Financial Counselor (AFC) from Association of Financial Counseling and Planning Education (AFCPE) as well as the Certified Educator in Personal Finance (CEPF) from the Institute for Financial Literacy.

Prior to joining Purdue Extension, her professional work experiences included teaching in public schools in Connecticut and Pennsylvania, work with Cooperative Extension Service in Norfolk, Virginia, image coach in Chesapeake, VA, and consultant to small businesses for a computer company in Norfolk, VA.