PORTLAND, Oregon – On December 5, the Oregon Columbia Chapter of the National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA) at its annual meeting elected Sonja Rheaume as the chapter’s first female president and just one of a handful of female chapter presidents nationwide. Rheaume is president and co-owner of Christenson Electric and has been with the company for 15 years. She follows Patrick Maloney, president of Tice Electric Company, who served as the chapter president for the past five years.
Rheaume is the fourth generation in her family to be involved in the electrical contracting business. Her career in the electrical industry started at the company her great grandfather founded, Oregon Electric Group (OEG), getting her foot in the door after graduating college. Realizing that there were opportunities for growth, Rheaume worked her way up, starting as the receptionist and moving to Director of Operations by the time she left.
At the regional and national levels, Rheaume serves on numerous committees and trusts. She is a former Chair for Women in NECA, NECA Future Leaders, and Electri International. As Electri Chair, she led the comprehensive study on the impact of Covid 19 on the electrical construction industry. Women in NECA is a collaborative forum and supports the professional development of women in the industry through educational and networking events. As an industry leader, it has become a priority for Rheaume to help other women see the tremendous number of opportunities that are available to them.
Also elected at the meeting was Ryan Landon of McCoy Electric as Vice President; Ken Dunn of ISG as Treasurer; Brent Boles of Inland Electric and Joe Behrman of M2 Integration as Board members. Additionally, Pat Maloney of Tice Electric was elected to the national position on the NECA Board of Governors and Mark Walter of Christenson Electric was elected as the District VI Vice President at the NECA National Convention in October.
The Oregon-Columbia Chapter of NECA is committed to leading the union electrical industry in Oregon and Southwest Washington into the future. Working in partnership with the skilled electricians of the IBEW, NECA is dedicated to growing by creative ability and foresight to respond to challenges. The Mission of the NECA/IBEW is to lead the electrical industry — by example — to the highest levels of integrity, quality, skill, competence and value.
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