Q: How long have you been in the cooperative world?

I joined East Central Energy (ECE) in 1981.

Q: Can you tell us a little bit about your career path?

I was hired as a Member Services Clerk II (we had funny titles with numbers back then) with the role of handling customer bill complaints and energy management inquiries. I also processed all Energy Resource Conservation loans for the co-op. I was promoted to Member Services Representative with more customer contact responsibilities and later to Communications Coordinator, responsible for all of the cooperative's member and employee communications and marketing.

I was promoted to Member Services Manager then Vice President of Customer Service and Administration. In 2003, I was selected for my current position as Senior Vice President and am responsible for the co-op's customer service, call center, finance, human resources, information technology, communications & marketing, and strategic accounts and business development activities.

Q: How did you get involved with NRECA International Foundation?

ECE sponsored linemen to help build distribution lines in Pignon, Haiti as part of the NRECA International Foundation project. We received reports of their work while they were there via e-mail and upon their return. I was so touched by the stories they told and the pictures of the people which clearly showed the excitement and happiness this work brought to this community. I talked to Mark Glaess, Manager of Minnesota Rural Electric Association, and Ron Schwartau board member of Nobles Cooperative Electric, who were both active in the program. I expressed that I couldn't build lines but I would be interested in helping people learn how to use electricity to expand economic possibilities, and cited sewing as an example. (My grandmother was a tailor. She taught me her skill from the time I was able to sit at the machine and thread a needle.)

A year or so later, I was approached at the NRECA Annual Meeting and asked, "Are you still interested in going to Haiti to teach sewing?" I was thrilled to learn Pastor Caleb Lucien, the person who spearheaded the Pignon project, had received a grant for over 50 new electric sewing machines and was looking for someone who could set them up and teach members of the community how to use them.

Our CEO, Garry Bye, is extremely supportive of the International Project (as evidenced by his encouragement of my participation in the Haiti project and that of ECE line crew). He also initiated the donation of a bucket truck and a fuel transport vehicle to benefit the community of Pignon, so he gladly supports our activities.

Q: What did you do to prepare for your trip? Did you find that your preparations helped you while you were there?

One of the first things I did to prepare for the trip was to schedule all of the necessary immunizations. Working with a clinic specializing in international travel, I was able to get not only the immunizations needed but helpful instruction for staying healthy in a developing country. I already had my passport in hand so didn't have to worry about the long waiting period some were experiencing during this time period.

I learned that I would travel with a team of seven linemen from other Minnesota cooperatives and received the contact information for the lead lineman so I could coordinate arrangements with him. I was also able to communicate with Pastor Lucien with the help of Ingrid Hunsicker (NRECA International Foundation) to learn what supplies he had access to and which I should plan to bring. I purchased patterns, thread, extra sewing machine needles, bobbins, tape measures, pins, scissors, and other supplies not readily available in Haiti. Caleb was able to purchase bolts of fabric in Haiti so I was relieved it was not necessary to transport this.

NRECA International was also an excellent resource throughout my preparations. They answered a lot of my questions about what I should expect in Haiti.

Q: Did you learn or experience anything in Haiti that has enriched your life here? Or that has helped you in your job? If so, please explain.

My experience in Haiti was life-altering. Meeting the people and being a part of something that has the potential to enrich the quality of their lives was amazing. It is difficult to explain the fire this project lit within me.

In the evenings, after teaching two four-hour classes each day, there was time to set up a make-shift nail salon to paint and decorate the fingernails of interested children. It was a fun way to connect with these beautiful youngsters even though I could not speak their language.

My experience in Haiti prompted me to participate in a second mission project in 2008 which was to work with girls and women of the Maasai tribe in Tanzania as part of the IMAGE Project. In my 27 years with the co-op, one thing has become very clear. ECE came into being for the purpose of improving the quality of life for people in the rural countryside who didn't otherwise have access to central station electricity. Through the years, we have continued to be a catalyst for bringing new services to our members to further enhance their quality of life. Being a part of the NRECA International Foundation Project, and other projects like it, just seems like the right thing to do to expand on this legacy of helping people.

The abundance we enjoy in our country, even in these questionable economic times, is so much more than in other parts of the world. I intend to continue the work started at ECE 73 years ago when co-op founders began the quest to improve living conditions for their neighbors. The difference today is that our neighborhood has expanded to include the world.

Q: Would you recommend volunteer work with NRECA International Foundation to someone else? Why or why not?

Absolutely! NRECA International Foundation is a great way to use your knowledge and skills to benefit others while widening your own horizons. I think one of the residual benefits for participants is a realization of how fortunate we are to have the tools and resources necessary to do our daily jobs safely and efficiently. We often fail to recognize this until faced with trying to complete a task without access to important resources which is a common struggle in most of the International Project communities.

For those who can't see themselves participating directly on a project team, I would strongly encourage considering personal financial support. At ECE, employees are offered the opportunity to contribute to the NRECA International program through payroll deduction. This is an ongoing way that I have chosen to support the project.

If you are interested in volunteer opportunities with NRECA International, please visit our Get Involved Page and send in an application. If you have any questions about volunteering, you can email Ingrid Hunsicker or call at 703-907-5629.

Learn more about NRECA International Foundation.