People Behind the Power – Meet Tina Young
Tennessee electric cooperatives power the state. Co-ops provide for 3 million Tennesseans —that’s 72% of the state’s landmass and 41% of the state’s population. That power wouldn’t be possible though without the employees, lineworkers and board members across the 23 cooperatives. Tina Young is one of the people behind that power.
Whether she’s balancing ledgers at work, planning youth events at church or comforting a neighbor in need, Cumberland Electric Membership Corporation’s Tina Young brings a spirit of compassion and service to everything she does. From military bases to co-op counters, she has spent her life lifting others — and now, even in the face of personal challenges, that commitment remains unwavering.
Young is originally from McComb, Mississippi, a rural town about 70 miles south of Jackson, near the Louisiana border. She met her husband, Stratie, in college and after graduation, he joined the U.S. Army. Together they and their now four children traveled the nation and enjoyed time together in Alaska, Arizona and twice in Tennessee. Stratie retired in 2017 after 20 years of service. The family then decided to stay in Clarksville.
Up until being stationed at Fort Campbell, Young was a stay-at-home mom for 17 years. She has now been working at Cumberland Electric Membership Corporation for six years. Young started out as a customer account representative.
“I just loved interacting with the members and helping them,” Young said.
After a few years of being in that role, she moved to the call center and then to financial services where she now is an accountant. Young oversees all financial statements and the general ledger for the cooperative.
“I have learned quite a bit,” Young said. “Just to see the role that a co-op plays in members’ lives, especially one as large at CEMC has been incredible. The members are always the focus of everything we do. I love that I can work with a company that is so involved with the community and making sure the members are taken care of. It’s just a happy place for me to be.”
Young herself has also been very involved with the community. She has spent many years supporting teachers and administrators through the local PTA. Over time, she was a board member and the treasurer helping support the school system, plan activities and raise funds. During Stratie’s time in the army, Young served as an Army FRG (Family Readiness Group) Leader. Through that role, she worked as a liaison between the unit command and the families, basically helping with whatever needs families may have during deployment. Her favorite task was putting together military retreats, where families had the opportunity to visit water parks, Dollywood or Opryland together.
Today, Young helps her husband who is on Clarksville-Montgomery County Long Term Recovery board that was established after the December 2023 tornado. He has helped those families navigate after the storm and still helps with their needs today. The couple is also very active in their church. Young is the For Strength of Youth Leader, and she oversees youth conferences for over 1,000 youth at Western Kentucky University each summer. On top of all of that, Young is also always looking for ways to serve through CEMC. She says this service mentality was introduced to her at a young age.
“My grandmother was always looking out for those who needed help, and she would bring us along for those opportunities,” Young said. “It instilled that desire in me to help others. I think that’s what we’re all here for is to help each other, especially during difficult times.”
The Young family is unfortunately experiencing those difficult times now. The household has experienced flooding twice this year due to a neighborhood drainage issue that has put them out of their home both times. Thankfully, they were able to get out in time where no one was harmed, but their car and the first floor of their home were not as fortunate. They are having to completely gut and redo the entire first floor, but they are not alone. The CEMC family has continuously provided support.
“The outreach and the outpour of support from my work family, my co-workers here at CEMC and from the membership has been incredible,” Young said. “Once word got out that one employee was in need, there were people coming through the drive-thru and dropping off donations and I was just floored. It was uplifting and it made us feel like we could get through this.”
Even with the challenges, the Young family has never skipped a beat. They both have continued to support their community in various ways and Young has continued to shine in her role at CEMC.
“Our whole lives we have served and helped,” Young said. “Now to be on the other side of that service has been very humbling. It’s definitely made our commitment to service even stronger. We understand now what it means to be on the receiving end and that drives us to continue helping others however we can.”
The Tennessee Electric Cooperative Employee Emergency Assistance Fund was created in 2020 to assist employees of electric co-ops that have been impacted by disasters. If you would like to help Young and her family during this time, visit tnelectric.org/give/ to learn more about the fund or to contribute.
