At the cooperative’s 2022 Annual Meeting, Lehanne Singleton was elected by the members to fill the Marion County directorate seat left vacant by the death of Mr. Bob Jernigan. Singleton was elected to serve a three-year term effective August 6, 2022.

 Singleton was born and raised in Schley County.  She grew up in Ellaville, attended Tri-County High School and has worked and made her home in Marion County for 36 years.

 Following her high school graduation, Singleton attended Georgia Southwestern State University (GSW), and she soon found her true calling as an educator.  She received an education degree, and it was in this capacity as a teacher that she made an impact on the students she taught over the years. Being the life-long learner she is, Singleton continued her education and completed two additional degrees in education from Georgia College and Troy State University. Singleton taught Business Ed for 15 years at Tri-County High School, and later at Marion County Middle/High School.

Singleton transitioned from the Business Ed classroom to the media center, where she became the media specialist. She coordinated all of the media center duties along with facilitated online classes. She became the system media specialist before retiring after 30 years of service with the Marion County School System.

Singleton has been married to her husband, Ken, for 36 years and they have two children, two grandchildren, and a third grandchild will join their family in December. The Singletons own K & L Forest Nursery, Inc. in Buena Vista, where they work alongside their two sons, specializing in hand-lifted, hand-graded and hand-packed slash, coastal loblolly, and piedmont loblolly pines. One of Singleton's hobbies is quail hunting and she has four fur babies, including two bird dogs, a beagle, and a black lab. The family attends Union Church in Marion County, Georgia.

Singleton is no stranger to serving her local community. She currently serves on the Board of Education in Marion County and is a past trustee with the Sumter EMC Foundation.  After her election, Singleton said, "I am very excited to have been chosen to follow in Mr. Bob Jernigan's footsteps as the Marion County representative on the Sumter EMC Board of Directors. I sincerely hope to continue Mr. Jernigan's strong legacy of service to the members of Marion County."

"We are pleased to welcome Mrs. Singleton to the Sumter EMC Board. We look forward to working with her and sincerely appreciate her willingness to serve our members in Marion County," said Rene Smith, President/CEO of Sumter EMC.