George Bennack was born in Raymondville, Texas and has represented Valley Telephone Cooperative’s Stillman Exchange for over 30 years. His focal points as director include committee leadership in the areas of compensation, budget, finance, and governance. He strongly believes that Valley Telephone Cooperative should provide exceptional service to its members, coupled with aggressive payment of capital credits to membership. He is passionate about corporate-level accountability and responsibility.

Mr. Bennack has a strong background in business and administration. He graduated from the University of Texas-Pan American, summa cum laude, with a bachelor’s degree in business administration, and from the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV), summa cum laude, with a master’s degree in public administration. Mr. Bennack also holds the Corporate Director Certificate from Harvard Business School and the Certificate of Director Core Curriculum from the National Telephone Cooperative Association.

Mr. Bennack recently retired after a 25-year career within the University of Texas System, where he administered and led business-, economic-, and rural-development programs with multi-million-dollar annual budgets. Prior to retirement, he co-founded the Center for Sustainable Agriculture and Rual Advancement (SARA). Earlier in his career, he worked in Southeast Asia in agriculture and construction, and in South Texas as a professional pilot and business manager. He holds numerous pilot ratings, including private, commercial, instrument, and multi-engine ratings, as well as airframe and powerplant mechanic ratings.

George Bennack is married to the former Maria Graciela (Gracie) Alvarado from San Isidro, Texas. They have three grown children and are currently involved in the development and operation of Crossroads Farm & Ranch LLC, their fourth-generation farm and ranch.