Empire District Electric Co.

Bradley P. Beecher, Vice President and Chief Operating Officer – Electric, joined The Empire District Electric Company in 1988 as a Staff Engineer at the Riverton Power Plant. In 1990 he was named Production Staff Specialist and in 1993 became Director of Production Planning. In 1995 Beecher was named to the position of Director of Strategic Planning. During a break in service Beecher worked for Black & Veatch, a large engineering and consulting firm. Upon his return to Empire he was named General Manager of Energy Supply and was elected Vice President – Energy Supply in 2001. He was elected to his present position effective June 2006. A native of northwest Kansas, Mr. Beecher graduated from Kansas State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemical Engineering. He is a registered professional engineer in the State of Kansas. Mr. Beecher serves on the Joplin Capital Improvements and Public Safety Sales Tax Oversight Committee, serves as a board member for the Joplin Kiwanis Club, and a board member for the Joplin Boys and Girls Club.

Gregory A. Knapp, Vice President - Finance and Chief Financial Officer, was elected to his current position in 2002. He was previously General Manager of Finance for the Company. During an 18-month separation in employment, he held the position of Controller for the Missouri Department of Transportation. Prior to that, Knapp had twenty-two years of service with the Company, beginning as the Director of Auditing in 1978 and in 1983 was named Controller and Assistant Treasurer. Knapp has broad overall responsibility for all aspects of financial planning and reporting, as well as the accounting, treasury and investor relations activities for the Company. Knapp received a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Missouri Southern State University. He also holds a Masters of Business Administration from Missouri State University. Throughout his career, Knapp has taken an active role in the community, serving on several committees at the Joplin Area Chamber of Commerce and as a member of the City of Joplin Board of Adjustment. Knapp has served as a member and President of the Joplin RVIII Board of Education and is currently a member and past President of the Joplin Schools Foundation. Mr. Knapp is a member of the local chapter of the Missouri Society of Certified Public Accountants and is a graduate of Leadership Missouri.

Ronald F. Gatz, Vice President and Chief Operating Officer – Gas, joined The Empire District Electric Company as General Manager of Nonregulated Services in 2001 and was elected to Vice President in April of that year. He was elected to his present position effective June 2006. Mr. Gatz is a native of Newton, Kansas, and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Agricultural Economics from Kansas State University and a graduate degree in banking from the University of Delaware. Gatz was in the banking industry for 28 years, with 12 of those years at Mercantile Bank of Joplin as Executive Vice President, Senior Credit Officer, and Chief Financial Officer. Prior to coming to Empire, he was Chief Administrative Officer for Hook Up, Inc. of Joplin. Mr. Gatz serves on the Board of Missouri Southern International Piano Competition and is a member of Joplin Industrial Development Authority and the Joplin Rotary Club.

Harold R. Colgin, Vice President – Energy Supply, began his employment at Empire in 1972 as a mechanical engineer at the Asbury Power Plant. He has served in various positions in the Energy Supply area including plant manager at the Asbury Power Plant, superintendent for the Asbury Power Plant, and superintendent of production for the Company’s northern division. In June 2006 he became General Manager—Energy Supply. In October 2006 he was elected to his present position. Mr. Colgin holds an Associate of Arts degree from Allen County Community College in Iola, Kansas, and a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Kansas State University in Manhattan, Kansas. Mr. Colgin is a member of the Webb City Elks Lodge, where he has held various offices including president and secretary, and the Missouri Elks State Association, where he has served as chancellor and sergeant-at-arms.

Kelly S. Walters, Vice President – Regulatory and Services, was elected to her current position in 2006. After joining the Company in 1988 as a Fuel Accountant, she held various accounting and management positions before being named Director of Auditing in 1997. During a four-year separation she served as the Director of Financial Services for Crowder College in Neosho. She returned to the Company in 2001 as Director of Planning and Regulatory and was later named General Manager of Regulatory and Services. A native of Southwest Missouri, Ms. Walters holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from Pittsburg State University and a Masters degree in Human Resource Management from Webster University, St. Louis, Missouri. Ms. Walters serves as a member of the Crowder College Foundation Board and is a former board member and treasurer of the American Red Cross Southwest Missouri Chapter. She is a graduate of Leadership Missouri and is a member of the Anderson Lions Club. She is currently serving on the Missouri Workforce Investment Board.

Michael E. Palmer, Vice President – Commercial Operations, joined The Empire District Electric Company in 1986 as a Customer Service Consultant. He was named District Manager for the Aurora area in 1994 and Director of Operations in Branson in 1997. In 2001, Mr. Palmer was named General Manager - Commercial Operations and in 2001 he was elected Vice President - Commercial Operations. A native of Pierce City, Missouri, Palmer graduated from Pittsburg State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Construction Management. Mr. Palmer serves on the Strategic Planning and Human Resources Committee for the Southwest Power Pool. He also serves on the boards of the Joplin Business and Industrial Development Committee and Joplin Area Chamber of Commerce where he is a member of the Public Policy Committee. Mr. Palmer is on the Environmental Task Force of Jasper and Newton Counties. He is also a member of the Rotary Club.

Laurie A. Delano, Controller, Assistant Secretary and Assistant Treasurer, re-joined the Company in 2002 as Director of Financial Services and Assistant Controller. She was elected Assistant Secretary and Assistant Treasurer in April 2005. Ms. Delano was named to her current position in July 2005. During an eleven-year separation in employment she was an Accounting Lecturer at Pittsburg State University and held Accounting management positions with TAMKO Building Products, Inc. and Lozier Corporation. She originally joined the Company in 1979 and served as Director of Internal Auditing from 1983 to 1991. Ms. Delano received a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Missouri Southern State University. She also holds a Master of Business Administration from Missouri State University. She is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Institute of Management Accountants, and is a Certified Public Accountant and Certified Management Accountant. Ms. Delano has been active with United Way organizations and agencies, and is a past president of the Board of Directors of the United Way of Southwest Missouri. She currently serves on the board of directors of the Community Clinic of Joplin and on the Endowment Committee for the Lafayette House.

Janet Watson, Secretary-Treasurer, joined The Empire District Electric Company in 1994 as Accounting Staff Specialist and was elected to her present position in 1995. Prior to joining Empire, Watson was Accounting Superintendent with Missouri-American Water Company. She was also formerly employed by Freeman Hospital in Joplin as a Cost Analyst and with Teledyne Neosho as a Senior Administrative Accountant. A native of Southwest Missouri, Ms. Watson graduated Summa Cum Laude from Missouri Southern State University with a Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting with special emphasis in Computer Science. Ms. Watson is a member of the Society of Corporate Secretaries and Governance Professionals, the National Investor Relations Institute, the Risk and Insurance Management Society, Inc., and past president of the Joplin Tri-State Chapter of the Institute of Management Accountants.