LYNTEGAR ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE is entering an exciting new chapter with the appointment of Ross Aten as the fourth CEO in the cooperative’s history. With deep roots in the Lyntegar service area and a career shaped by firsthand experience in the electric cooperative world, Aten brings a strong sense of tradition and a forward-looking vision to the role.

In this Q&A, we get to know Aten better—his background, his passion for the cooperative mission and his goals as he leads Lyntegar into the future.

Aten began his career at Lyntegar on May 29, 2000, working part time in the engineering department. He was hired full time as an electrical engineer August 1, 2006, and was promoted to manager of engineering in December 2012. In July 2024, Aten stepped into the role of chief operating officer before being named CEO on January 9, 2026.

How/when did you first become interested in electrical engineering?

I always had an uncanny interest in electricity from an early age. It was just a natural progression from that to electrical engineering, I guess.

What first brought you to Lyntegar, and what position did you start in?

I had been coming around the co-op since around age 12, collecting old insulators and equipment and visiting with the employees. I guess they figured they might as well put me to work, so they hired me part time the summer before my senior year in high school.

I never thought my dad would let me off the tractor, but he did, and I’ve been here ever since. I started in the engineering department, and my first project was catching up with kilowatt allocation spreadsheets that were pretty far behind. I wanted to get out in the field as soon as possible, so I worked pretty hard to get those spreadsheets updated.

Were there mentors or co-workers in your early years who helped guide your career path and leadership style?

Shane McMinn was the electrical engineer at the time and taught me a tremendous amount. His mentorship was invaluable to my career in many ways, and the one thing I did right was to continue on the path that he put the cooperative on before he went on to bigger things at Golden Spread Electric Cooperative. Diann Reynolds was the dispatcher when I started and always took care of me and was my first “Lyntegar momma.”

Of course, there were plenty of instructors of the “School of Hard Knocks,” such as Willis McNeil, Roger Williams, Menford Gandy and Sammy Dan Pridmore, who taught me things I needed to know, some things I didn’t need to know and provided me with an expanded vocabulary.

As you step into the role of CEO, what personal values or lessons from your career journey are you bringing with you?

A lot of my values began prior to my career, back at home on the cotton farm with my parents. My mom and dad both taught me to work hard, treat people with respect, always tell the truth no matter what and not quit until the job was done, no matter how long it took.

There is no 8–5 on the farm, and that directly translates to my career at Lyntegar because there is no 8–5 when the lights are out either. That is something that I will always hold on to.

What are your top priorities for the cooperative in your first year as CEO?

The cooperative is in great shape from both a financial and system perspective because of the leadership of Greg Henley and our board of directors. My No. 1 priority is to continue the culture that has led to the success Lyntegar has seen over the past 88 years.

Keeping rates as low as possible while maintaining the reliability of the system is also a priority. These things cannot be accomplished without our great group of employees, so taking care of them is always at the forefront of my mind. There are other issues, such as meeting the needs of the rapid oil and gas growth in the southern part of our service area, data centers in our service area, and continual legislative engagement.

Electric cooperatives were born in the Texas Legislature, and thus can die there, so it is vital to continue to tell our story to lawmakers, especially as Texas becomes less rural and more urban.

Looking back on your career, was there a moment when you knew you wanted to dedicate your professional life to Lyntegar?

When Shane McMinn went to Golden Spread, I hadn’t quite finished my collegiate career at Texas Tech University. Most people who spent as much time in college as I did have advanced degrees, and I have a bachelor’s, barely. I had another offer from a nearby co-op with a little higher pay than what Lyntegar had offered me.

I didn’t want to leave, but I wanted to be sure that Lyntegar wanted me, so when I told Greg Henley, who was the assistant manager at the time, that I had a better paying job offer, he looked like I slapped him across the face with a dead fish but went to bat for me and beat the other offer by a little bit.

No matter how Greg tells the story to this day, it was never about the money—it was about having them make sure they wanted me. After all, this place is my home.

With your background in engineering, how do you feel that technical foundation will support you in making decisions as CEO—both operationally and strategically?

This is probably the hardest question of this lot to answer for myself. Engineers who take the next step are notorious for staying down in the weeds and not rising above them to see the bigger picture. I have seen engineers who didn’t make the cut because they couldn’t rise above the tactical level to the strategic level, and that is something that I constantly check myself on.

The main way to combat that is to surround yourself with smart, competent people with the rare quality of gumption to handle the tactical decisions, and I feel like I’ve done that so far. My background will allow me to hold them accountable, but I won’t need to do that because they’re a great group who have the best interests of the cooperative at heart.

What would you like members to know about your vision for Lyntegar’s future and your commitment to the communities the co-op serves?

Both sides of my family were very involved in the cooperative business model, from managing a co-op gin to serving on co-op gin, compress and oil mill boards. So being a part of a co-op is very much a part of me, and the cooperative culture is something I will continue to educate our employees about.

Additionally, both sides of my family were original members of Lyntegar and got electric service in the fall of 1939. I grew up on the system as well, so Lyntegar is my home. I am only the fourth manager in the 88-year history of the cooperative, which means I have three great examples in Garland Pennington, Jim Payne and Greg Henley to look back on as I help guide the cooperative forward alongside our board of directors and employees.

It is a task that I do not take lightly, and I will do my level best to build on the culture that makes this cooperative successful.