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Friday, March 29, 2024

Pat Kusek tapped to lead utility authority board

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Pat Kusek will serve as the new chair of the Cape Fear Public Utility Authority Board.

Kusek traded roles with Jim Quinn, who assumed the role of vice chair. Quinn served as chair of the authority board for the last three years. He will continue to serve on committees and help direct the authority’s actions. Kusek said his continued presence is an asset to the board.

“He was around when the utility authority was first formed, and to have his expertise still there for another couple years is vital to the board continuing its work,” Kusek said during a July 10 phone interview.

Kusek intends to focus on planning and developing the authority’s plans for the future during her tenure as chair.

“The next phase has to do with good planning. We have a capital improvement plan in place and we’re making sure that we take care of these old infrastructure systems,” Kusek said.

Her priorities complement and continue Quinn’s efforts to support economic development, she said.

“We need to make sure we’re doing everything we can to properly work with the city and county to be ready for growth and expansion when it’s time again. … We don’t want to sit there and have industry walk away because we don’t have infrastructure in place,” Kusek said.

Kusek rose through the ranks since her 2011 appointment to the board, serving as secretary for one year and vice chair for two years.

As Quinn approached the end of his term, Kusek shared her interest in becoming chair with the board’s nominating committee, who considered and approved her candidacy during a June meeting. The board elected her as chair during its July 9 meeting.

Kusek founded a financial consulting firm, Kusek Financial Group, in 2003 after retiring from a career with Duke Energy. She said her work with Duke primed her for work on the utility board.

Often the only female in her field, Kusek’s experience at Duke also taught her the importance of making her ambitions known.

“I’ve always been in nontraditional roles for females,” Kusek said. “The only mistake I’ve ever made, and this is a good lesson I’ve learned through the years, is the things that never happened to me were the things I didn’t let people know I was interested in.”

Kusek was elected to a one-year term as chair. She can be reelected to two additional one-year terms.

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