Tommy Short is an experienced Environmental Affairs Coordinator at SMECO, a position held since January 2003. Prior to this role, Tommy worked as a Survey and Engineering Technician at DH Steffens Engineering and Land Surveying from April 1998 to August 2000 and as an Engineering Technician at FSI Inc. from March 1996 to March 1998. Tommy holds a Bachelor of Applied Science in Environmental Management from the University of Maryland Global Campus and an Associate's degree in Engineering Technology from the College of Southern Maryland. Further educational pursuits were undertaken at Anne Arundel Community College.
SMECO
Southern Maryland Electric Cooperative was founded in 1937. Through the Rural Electrification Administration, the co-op received a loan of $165,000 to construct 175 miles of line to serve 600 customer-members. SMECO operated a generating plant at Popes Creek, Maryland, from 1938 to 1953. SMECO has had five general managers: 1938, Forrest Coakley; 1974, Walter H. Smith; 1989, I. Wayne Swann; 2003, Austin J. Slater, Jr.; and 2020, Sonja Cox. As of January 2020, SMECO served 165,000 customers and is one of the largest electric co-ops in the country. SMECO serves all of Charles and St. Mary's counties, the southern portion of Prince George's County, and all but the northeast portion of Calvert County.