The Empire District Electric Company Announces Change to Its Board of Directors

JOPLIN, Mo. - (BUSINESS WIRE) - Mr. Randy Laney, chairman of the board of directors for The Empire District Electric Company, today announced that, after reaching the board's mandatory retirement age, Dr. Julio S. Leon will retire from the board of directors on April 29, 2010. Mr. Herb Schmidt has been nominated to fill the board vacancy and will stand for election at the Company's annual meeting of stockholders in April 2010.

In making the announcement, Mr. Laney stated, "We thank Julio for his years of valuable contributions and counsel. During his tenure, Empire undertook the largest, comprehensive construction program in its 100-year history. As we welcome Herb, we are confident that his knowledge and expertise will be of great value to our board."

Dr. Leon of Joplin, Missouri, retired from the office of president of Missouri Southern State University in September 2007, after serving in that capacity for 25 years. He was first elected to the Empire board in 2001. Dr. Leon has been very active in the education community at the national level, having served as president of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities, and on the boards of the American Governing Board Association and the American Council of Education.

Dr. Leon began his career at Missouri Southern State University in 1969 as an assistant professor of Business Administration. In 1973 he was promoted to associate professor and in 1976 to full professor and dean of the School of Business. He was appointed interim president of Missouri Southern in June 1982 and president in December 1982.

Dr. Leon, a native of Chile, received his undergraduate education in English from the Technical State University of Santiago, Chile; his MBA from North Texas State University; and his Doctorate in Business Administration from the University of Arkansas.

Mr. Schmidt is president of Con-way Truckload, Joplin, Missouri, where he oversees the day-to-day operations of the company, including sales, marketing, operations, recruiting, finance, safety, information technology, and maintenance. Mr. Schmidt began his career in the transportation industry with United Parcel Service in operations and industrial engineering. He joined Con-way Truckload in 1984 as the director of safety. He has held the positions of vice president of administration, vice president of safety, senior vice president of operations, senior vice president of sales and marketing, and chief executive officer. Following the merger of CFI and Con-way, Schmidt was named president of the rebranded truckload unit.

Mr. Schmidt is a graduate of Missouri Southern State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in political science.

Based in Joplin, Missouri, The Empire District Electric Company (NYSE: EDE) is an investor-owned, regulated utility providing electricity, natural gas (through its wholly owned subsidiary The Empire District Gas Company), and water service, with approximately 215,000 customers in Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas. A subsidiary of the company provides fiber optic services. For more information regarding Empire, visit www.empiredistrict.com.

Certain matters discussed in this press release are "forward-looking statements" intended to qualify for the safe harbor from liability established by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such statements address future plans, objectives, expectations, and events or conditions concerning various matters. Actual results in each case could differ materially from those currently anticipated in such statements, by reason of the factors noted in our filings with the SEC, including the most recent Form 10-K and 10-Q.

The Empire District Electric Company
Media Communications
Amy Bass, 417-625-5114
Director of Corporate Communications
abass@empiredistrict.com
or
Investor Relations
Jan Watson, 417-625-5108
Secretary - Treasurer
jwatson@empiredistrict.com