Electric Co-op Today

Along with the general sessions, entertainment night and catching up with old friends, an important part of any NRECA annual meeting is the educational forums. At this year’s meeting in Orlando, Fla., participants will be able to choose from forums covering a wide variety of topics.

Jim Bausell, Touchstone Energy COO, will lead a forum on co-op innovation. (ECT File Photo By: Michael W. Kahn)

“Bold and Nimble: Innovation as our Cooperative Advantage,” is a March 7 session which Jim Bausell, Touchstone Energy® Cooperatives COO, will moderate. Bausell told ECT.coop that he was inspired by comments Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Chairman Jon Wellinghoff made at the CEO Close-Up, when he praised the electric co-op model.

“In this forum, we’re going to see how co-ops have broken out of the box in innovating new programs that benefit their systems,” Bausell said.

With all of the proposed and potential regulations that could impact the electricity industry it’s tough to keep up. But that’s the job of Kirk Johnson, NRECA vice president, energy and environmental policy, who will moderate a forum “Next Generation: Policies and Possibilities in a World of ‘Cleaner Electricity.’” Johnson will chat with Frank Graves of The Brattle Group, a consulting firm, and David Conover of the Bipartisan Policy Center.

Also on the March 7 agenda is “Total Compensation and Good Governance,” looking at strategies for dealing with one of a co-op’s largest expenses: wages and fringe benefits.

On both March 7 and 8, two NRECA attorneys and officials from two co-op boards will participate in “Staying True to Your Co-op Roots (and Avoiding a Lawsuit).” The focus will be on what your co-op should be doing to stay on the straight and narrow. 

Tags: Annual Meeting, Co-op News