CRC celebrated its 33rd annual membership meeting on Sunday, March 8, in Nashville, Tennessee, held in conjunction with the 2026 TechAdvantage/PowerXchange conferences. This year’s theme was Our Members Drive Our Future – Every Conversation Powers the Path Forward. The theme isn’t just a slogan. It’s a reflection of who we are. It was true 35 years ago, when 19 founding electric cooperatives came together to create CRC, and it remains true today, as our membership has grown to represent more than half of the electric cooperative industry. From day one, CRC has existed for one reason: to serve our membership. And everything we are today—every service we provide, every innovation we pursue, every improvement we make—is rooted in conversations with our membership.
Kelly Hovel, general manager of Goodhue County Electric Cooperative Association in Zumbrota, Minnesota, hosted the meeting. Board Treasurer Mike Scheib offered a report highlighting CRC’s 2025 financials, and CRC’s President and CEO Brad Fjelsta overviewed the year and officially announced CRC’s new service offering: Social Media Monitoring and Response. CRC’s 2026 board election results were also revealed at the meeting (see the article below for more information).
Hovel recognized Scott Peters, CEO of Columbia REA in Walla Walla, Washington, who resigned from CRC’s board in May 2025. Peters had served on CRC’s board since 2019, much of that time as its board chairman. Peters left the board to avoid a potential conflict of interest with another national board he had been elected to. Hovel thanked Peters for his vision, commitment, and leadership of CRC during his time with the board.
CRC’s 2025 Employee of the Year Teresa Folkerth, HRD coordinator, also attended the event and was recognized by Fjelsta.
“Teresa exemplifies our values through her professionalism, reliability, and genuine care for others,” he said. “With nearly 10 years of service, Teresa’s dedication, attention to detail, and positive attitude have made a lasting impact on our organization, our membership, and everyone fortunate enough to work with her.”.
CRC Announces 2026 Board Election Results
The results of CRC’s recent board of directors election were announced at its annual membership meeting in Nashville.
Four CRC seats were up for election in 2026, all of them running uncontested. Hovel, Shane Hermetz, general manager/CEO of Egyptian Electric Cooperative Association in Murphysboro, Illinois, and Chris Chastain, president/CEO of RushShelby Energy, Inc. in Manilla, Indiana, were all re-elected for a three-year term. John DeVore, general manager of Lakeview Light and Power in Lakewood, Washington, was re-elected to a two-year term. Congratulations to CRC’s returning board members.
Officers
After the annual meeting, the board’s directors met and selected the following officers to serve on its executive committee:
- Hovel was re-elected as board chairman.
- Hermetz was re-elected as vice-chairman of the board.
- Mike Scheib, general manager of North Central Missouri Electric Cooperative in Milan, Missouri, was re-elected as treasurer of the board
- Chris Spears, executive vice president and CEO at South River EMC in Dunn, N.C., was re-elected as secretary of the board.