Click here to view the full conference agenda.

We look forward to hosting our member cooperative staff and trustees at Ohio Electric Cooperatives' 2026 Winter Conference on February 9 and 10 at the Marriott Dublin, 5605 Blazer Pkwy, Dublin, OH 43017. 

For more information, please contact your local electric cooperative. We look forward to seeing you there! 

  • 3:00 - 6:00 p.m. Registration and Check-in
     
  • 4:00 - 5:30 p.m. Welcome Reception - Cocktails and Appetizers
     
  • 5:30 - 6:30 p.m. Plated Dinner and Desserts
     
  • 6:30 - 7:00 p.m. Conversation with Phil Irwin - Insure your Safety
    President & CEO, Federated Rural Electric Insurance Exchange
     
  • 7:00 - 8:00 p.m. Remembering September 11, 25 Years Later
    Brad Robert Wenstrup, DPM, Former U.S. Congressman; Colonel, U.S. Army Reserve; Physician
     
  • 8:00 - 9:00 p.m. Cocktail Reception
  • 7:00 a.m. Breakfast
     
  • 8:00 a.m. Chairman's Welcome, Pledge, and Invocation
    Mitch Headley, Chairman, Ohio Rural Electric Cooperatives, Inc. 
     
  • 8:10 a.m. The Future Ready Board - How to prepare your board for (almost) anything
    Richard Fagerlin, President, Peak Solutions
     
  • 9:00 a.m. Strength in the Grid: Cardinal Plant's Performance Path
    Bethany Schunn, Plant Manager, Cardinal 
     
  • 9:50 a.m. Break
     
  • 10:10 a.m. Power Play: Orchestrating the Future of Resource Planning
    Kevin Zemanek, Vice President, Operations, Ohio's Electric Cooperatives
     
  • 11:10 a.m. Future Forward: Youth Perspectives that Matter
    Missy Kidwell, Manager, Cooperative Development, Ohio's Electric Cooperatives
    Ruby Johnston, 2025 Ohio YLC, LMRE
     
  • 11:30 a.m. Lunch
     
  • 12:30 p.m. Charging Ahead: A President/CEO's Perspective on What's Next with Q&A
    Craig Grooms, President & CEO, Buckeye Power and Ohio Rural Electric Cooperatives, Inc. 
     
  • 1:30 p.m. Safe Work Practices and the Leadership Factor: How Actions of Leaders Drive Behaviors in the Field
    Dwight Miller, Senior Director, Safety Training and Loss Prevention, Ohio's Electric Cooperatives
     
  • 2:30 p.m. Every Step Matters: A Safety Message For the Ones We Serve, the Ones We Love, and the One We Lost
    Moderator: Doug Miller, Vice President, Statewide Services, Ohio's Electric Cooperatives
    Melanie Lawrence, CEO, Buckeye Rural Electric Cooperative
    Krista Smith, Director of Communications, Buckeye Rural Electric Cooperative
    Brandie and Brandon Hale, Parents of Blake Rodgers 
     
  • 3:15 p.m. Adjourn