Okefenoke REMC is pleased to introduce its newest Member Service Representative Katie Strickland from Folkston. After five months of training, Strickland works out of the Nahunta office assisting OREMC consumer-members with account inquiries and service information.

Born in Charleston, South Carolina, as her father was stationed there with the U.S. Navy, Strickland vividly recalls living through Hurricane Hugo in 1989. She sheltered in place with her mom and sister—her dad was out to sea—her aunt and three cousins, as well as her mom’s friend and her two boys.

“We were lined up in the hallway with pillows and blankets, and the bathtub was filled with water,” Strickland reflects. “I remember the sounds of everything hitting the house, and then when the eye passed over my mom walked outside. There were dead birds everywhere, our detached garage was completely gone; just the slab remained. A tree fell on our house, and we were without power for a long time. It was one of the scariest things I’ve been through.”

 No surprise then that the family moved to Folkston after Strickland finished third grade, when her father was given a choice of new assignments. He picked Kings Bay, the one closest to family in Claxton. After high school Strickland began taking classes from Valdosta State University at Kings Bay, then Coastal Pines. She thought she would pursue a nursing degree but realized that was not the right career for her.

However, Strickland enjoyed “taking care of people” and the pathway led her toward customer service. She worked as a teller at both Southeastern Bank and United First Credit Union before taking a job at Armor Holdings in Jacksonville, a tactical equipment company for law enforcement. Opportunity to work back closer to home came knocking with a call from Charlton County High School, inquiring if she might want to apply for a bookkeeper position. Thus began a 16-year tenue with the Charlton County School System where she most recently served as the high school registrar.

The move to OREMC came late last summer after encouragement to apply from a friend whose husband is a lineman at the co-op. “I had always heard what a great place OREMC was to work, and I feel valued here,” Strickland notes. “A couple of months after I started, Mr. John [Middleton} came up to me at an employee event and asked, ‘How are you, Katie?’ That made me feel so welcome, and the fact that the CEO knew my name was amazing. I feel very blessed to be here.”

When she isn’t working, Strickland stays busy with her twin boys who are about to graduate from high school, and her 12-year-old son who is in middle school. She loves the beach and hunting for shark teeth, being in the mountains and hiking waterfalls, and fishing; and as she put it, “I like to try and out fish the boys.”