Dennis Mabe, CEO, Randolph Electric Membership Corporation

October 2, 2024 actompki 3-min. read

Get to know Dennis

Current role: Chief executive officer
Current field: Business
Current industry: Electric utilities
Current location: Asheboro, NC
Program start date: August 2019
Graduation date: May 2022
Program format: Online; certificates in finance and business analytics

Life before Jenkins

Undergraduate studies: NC State University, B.S. in Electrical Engineering
Pre-program work experience: 27 years
Pre-program role(s): Vice president of engineering and operations, vice president of operations, system planning engineer, electrical engineer, meter reader
Pre-program industry: Electric utilities

Why an MBA?

First hired as a meter reader at Randolph Electric Membership Corporation (EMC), Mabe committed himself to working diligently and working his way up in the organization.

“As a meter reader, I embraced the opportunity to learn all that I could concerning metering and the computer system needed to process the data,” said Mabe.

The job soon created a pathway to learn line construction, storm restoration and inspection of substation equipment and relay testing. When a position opened in the engineering department, Mabe was selected as a successful candidate.

“As I developed in my career, I became more of an asset to the company and was able to guide the organization and train other employees,” said Mabe. “I began to manage multiple departments and develop the strategic direction for our future success as a vice president of engineering and operations.”

After serving as a vice president for eight years, Mabe began looking for opportunities to add more value as a leader and decided to pursue his MBA.

“I wanted to sharpen my skills and strengthen my business acumen to make sound decisions in my role,” said Mabe. “As I considered the road ahead, I wanted to position myself for leadership as CEO to continue to serve our communities and improve the quality of life in our service territory. I knew that getting my MBA from NC State would prepare me to confidently lead our electric cooperative.”

Why Jenkins?

As his alma mater, NC State was a natural choice for Mabe – and allowed him to pursue his master’s education at the same time that his son, Matthew, was earning a master’s degree in biomanufacturing.

The Jenkins MBA program also stood out to Mabe because of the caliber of graduates coming out of the university.

“Throughout my tenure at Randolph EMC, I’ve had the opportunity to hire many talented individuals. While some may perceive a bias toward NC State graduates, my preference is rooted in a simple observation: NC State sets itself apart,” he said. “The university’s rigorous standards push students to excel and ensure they are prepared not just academically, but also in their ability to tackle real-world challenges with dedication and hard work.”

What made it great

In addition to the real-world education NC State provides, Mabe appreciated the community and collaboration he experienced in the Jenkins MBA program.

“Two things stand out to me about the program: group projects and high-quality faculty and staff,” he said. “Group projects helped me work with other people, understand their strengths and weaknesses and find my own way to contribute. The projects also created an environment for lasting friendships. The professors were really smart and really engaged, and the advisors and career coaches were easy to work with and showed so much care for students.”

Career impact

With the goal of becoming CEO at Randolph EMC, Mabe dove headfirst into the curriculum in the Jenkins MBA program, specifically focusing on opportunities to expand his knowledge of finance.

“With an intensive background in operations and engineering, my biggest weakness was finance – and I decided that if the board selected someone else for the position of CEO, I did not want it to be because of something in my control,” he said. “There were multiple candidates for the position, and fortunately the board chose me.”

Final thoughts

According to Mabe, the Jenkins MBA program was a great opportunity not only to accomplish his career goals and land a promotion, but also to become a more effective leader.

“My only regret is not doing it sooner,” he said. “I would have been a better manager throughout my time as vice president if I had completed the program earlier.”