NEWS RELEASES

The IAEC Board announces Ethan Hohenadel as Interim Executive Vice President/General Manager following the resignation of Leslie Kaufman on Nov. 4.

Ethan has worked as IAEC for 18 years, most recently as Director of Policy & Advocacy. He earned his Juris Doctor degree from the Mitchell Hamline School of Law and his Bachelor of Business Administration degree in finance from the University of Iowa. Ethan is also a recent graduate of NRECA's Management Internship Program.

IAEC Board President Tony Lem remarked, “We are fortunate to have an experienced leader like Ethan step into the interim role. As a long-time employee, he understands the needs of our members and the staff, and the board is confident that he will provide steady management during this transition."

Governor Kim Reynolds has proclaimed October as “Cooperative Month” in Iowa to help celebrate the positive impact Iowa’s cooperative organizations have in the state.

Almost one in two Iowans belongs to a cooperative, whether in agriculture, energy, credit unions, telecommunications, farm credit, petroleum, or retail. Cooperatives are member-owned and member-governed, with boards of directors elected from within their membership. Unlike traditional businesses driven by outside investors, co-ops prioritize service to their members over profits.

While Senator Mitch McConnell’s return to Capitol Hill dominated the headlines in mid-September, another return was also underway. Advocates representing Iowa’s electric cooperatives traveled to Washington, D.C., to discuss rural Iowa priorities with our elected officials.

Organized by the Iowa Association of Electric Cooperatives (IAEC), our group met with Iowa's congressional delegation and key staff to discuss federal policies impacting rural electric cooperatives and the communities we serve. Our advocates included cooperative leaders and staff representing a broad range of experience and expertise from across the state. Their diverse perspectives helped illustrate the real-world impacts of federal policy decisions on Iowa's rural electric cooperatives and our member-consumers.

The Touchstone Energy Cooperatives of Iowa are pleased to announce our 2026 Shine the Light contest winners, who each received a $3,000 donation to their local charity. 

During the month of June, member-consumers and employees of Iowa’s locally owned electric cooperatives were invited to nominate volunteers in their communities who are working to improve quality of life. This was the 6th year of the Shine the Light contest, designed to celebrate our cooperative commitment to community.

83 nominations were submitted from across the state, highlighting the work of many incredible Iowans. 3 winners were selected and are featured in the September issue of Iowa Electric Cooperative Living magazine and on the contest website at www.IowaShineTheLight.com; all of the 2026 nominators and nominees were recognized in the August issue of the magazine. 

35 high school students traveled to Washington, D.C., in June for a weeklong experience where they gained leadership training, explored our nation's capital and learned more about electric cooperatives as part of the National Youth Tour program.

Sponsored by Iowa electric cooperatives, the 35 students joined more than 2,100 students from across the country for this annual event. On the Youth Tour, the Iowa students met with their elected legislators at the Capitol, including Sen. Charles Grassley and Sen. Joni Ernst (photo). The group also toured several monuments and museums in Washington, D.C., and gained a greater understanding of their roles as American citizens. 

While King Charles drew global attention during his historic US state visit in late April, another delegation was in our nation’s capital with a powerful mission of its own. Twenty-five advocates representing Iowa’s electric cooperatives traveled to Washington, D.C., not for ceremony, but for service as they brought the voices of their communities straight to Capitol Hill.

The co-op representatives attended the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association’s (NRECA) annual Legislative Conference and met face-to-face with lawmakers to champion the needs of rural America and the members they power every day. 

Green was the dominant color at the Iowa State Capitol on March 17, but it wasn’t only for St. Patrick’s Day.

Nearly 200 advocates were wearing green in support of Iowa’s rural electric cooperatives during IAEC's 2026 “REC Day on the Hill” advocacy event.

“Our annual advocacy day at the state house is a powerful opportunity to meet face-to-face with our state legislators and share a local perspective on issues that impact the members and communities we serve,” remarked Leslie Kaufman, IAEC executive vice president and general manager.

On January 31, three Iowa electric cooperatives sent 13 linemen and vehicles to Twin County Electric Power Association in Mississippi to help restore power to the co-op's members following a devastating ice storm on January 25.

The Iowa Association of Electric Cooperatives received the call for mutual aid assistance on January 30 and the safety team immediately went to work reaching out to member co-ops who could help. "The co-op in need was specifically looking for tracked equipment to navigate muddy conditions in the aftermath of the ice storm," remarked Scott Meinecke, IAEC director of safety & loss control.

Three Iowa electric cooperatives were able to send resources immediately:

• Eastern Iowa Light & Power Cooperative sent 4 linemen, two bucket trucks and a tracked digger
• Midland Power Cooperative sent 5 linemen (photo), one bucket truck, one pickup and one digger
• Woodbury Rural Electric Cooperative sent 4 men, one bucket truck, one digger and one tracked skid loader

The crews arrived at the Mississippi co-op by Sunday and quickly set out to aid in power restoration efforts. The Iowa linemen report that they are making good progress day by day and they appreciate the Southern hospitality. The tracked equipment they brought has been especially helpful as they navigate muddy field conditions to reach utility poles.The linemen will be working for several days with Twin County Electric Power Association and you can follow the co-op on Facebook for status updates.

More than 150 senior staff and directors from Iowa electric cooperatives were in downtown Des Moines on January 13 to attend a legislative “welcome back” reception at the start of the 91^st Iowa General Assembly. At the event, co-op advocates discussed priorities face to face with their state legislators.

The Iowa Association of Electric Cooperatives (IAEC) hosted the reception in conjunction with the Iowa Biotechnology Association, the Iowa Communications Alliance, the Iowa Institute for Cooperatives and FUELIowa.

“Hosting this annual reception at the start of the legislative session is a way for Iowa electric cooperatives to form long-term relationships based on trust and open communication,” remarked Leslie Kaufman, IAEC executive vice president. “With many new legislators and new faces in leadership this session, we value every opportunity to talk about the cooperative business model and the needs of our member-consumers.”

More than 375 directors and employees from Iowa's electric cooperatives attended the Iowa Association of Electric Cooperative's 2025 Annual Meeting on Thursday and Friday in West Des Moines.

"Our theme of Leading through Change aptly describes what our industry is experiencing right now," remarked IAEC Executive Vice President and General Manager Leslie Kaufman. Is has been a year of new leadership at IAEC with Board President Jim Miller taking the helm a year ago with two new board directors, and Kaufman completing her first year at IAEC in July. 

In his president's report, Miller reflected on his year of serving as board president and how "a farm kid from Fonda" received a call from Governor Reynolds in his second week in the leadership role. He also shared how EVP/GM Kaufman traveled to meet with member co-ops in her first months on the job and how those face-to-face discussions with directors and staff informed her strategic planning. Kaufman then shared successes and future plans by department in her executive report to the members.