We look forward to hosting our member cooperative staff and trustees at Ohio Electric Cooperatives' 2023 Winter Conference on February 13 and 14 at the Marriott Columbus Northwest, 5605 Blazer Parkway, Dublin, Ohio, 43017.
The conference agenda features several interesting topics, including handling public pushback, lessons from a co-op's cyber attack, market opportunities and challenges with battery storage, grid operations, and more. The agenda includes a robust lineup of speakers (listed below), including keynote speaker Commander Kirk Lippold, U.S. Navy veteran and former commander of the USS Cole.
View the full conference agenda here. For more information, please contact your local electric cooperative.
We look forward to seeing you there!
Commander Kirk Lippold, USN (Ret.)
Former Commander of the USS Cole
Commander Kirk Lippold, USN (Ret.) was the Commanding Officer of the USS Cole when it came under a suicide terrorist attack by Al Qaeda in the port of Aden, Yemen on October 12, 2000. During his command, he and his crew distinguished themselves by saving the American war ship from sinking.
A compelling storyteller, CDR Lippold draws upon his Five Pillars of Leadership to offer strategies he learned and applied to instill integrity into his team members and mitigate crises throughout his naval career. With takeaways for organizations on assessing their own successes and failures to prepare for what the future may hold, how to lead teams and manage challenges successfully in the face of financial, national security, and global uncertainties, his lessons learned can make the difference when it matters most.
Click here to watch a recording of Lippold's presentation
Pat O’Loughlin
President & CEO, OEC
Since 2002, O’Loughlin has served OEC and Buckeye Power through several roles, including vice president of engineering and power supply, and since 2015, as president and CEO. O’Loughlin worked for Dayton Power & Light for 19 years in various management positions with responsibility for the wholesale power business, and both power and natural gas system operations.
Click here to watch a recording of O'Loughlin's presentation
Click here to view O'Loughlin's presentation
Molly McPherson
Founder, Molly + Co. | Indestructible PR™
McPherson, M.S., APR, is a nationally recognized expert in crisis public relations in the age of social media. She is the author of the book, Indestructible: Reclaim Control and Respond with Confidence in a Media Crisis and is a well-known Pop Culture & PR expert on TikTok. McPherson helps organizations manage issues - from emerging to crisis - by combining her knowledge of current communication practices with years of media and crisis management experience.
Click here to watch a recording of McPherson's presentation
Click here to view McPherson's presentation
Doug Miller
Vice President of Statewide Services, OEC
Miller has been part of the utility industry for more than 30 years, eight of which have been at Ohio’s Electric Cooperatives. On behalf of Ohio’s electric cooperatives, Miller oversees safety training and loss prevention, lineman development training, legislative and government affairs, marketing, economic development, communications, and director and employee training. Prior to joining OEC, Miller served in multiple roles at Logan County Electric Cooperative, including as CEO for 17 years. Miller also serves on the Ohio Farm Bureau Foundation Board and the NRECA Legislative Standing Board.
Click here to view Miller's presentation
Todd Ware
President and CEO, Energy Cooperative
Ware has been a member of the Energy Cooperative team since 2001 and has served as CEO since 2012. Ware serves on several boards, including those for Farmer Mac, Buckeye Power, Inc., Cardinal Operating Committee, Altheirs Oil, Otterbein at Granville, and the Ohio State University Advisory Board-Newark Campus. He was also a member of the National Rural Utilities Cooperative Finance Corporation (NRUCFC) board from 2015 to 2021. Ware is a graduate of The Ohio State University with a business degree specializing in accounting.
Scott Stitts
Chief Information Officer, Energy Cooperative
Stitts has been with the cooperative for 12 years and boasts over 30 years of experience in IT. He brings an extensive high-volume manufacturing and operations background to the co-op and holds a degree in business from Mount Vernon Nazarene University. In his role, Stitts manages the information technology and geographic information systems departments, and is an integral part of the co-op from a collaboration and process standpoint.
Nelson Smith
Board Chairman, Energy Cooperative
Smith has served Energy Cooperative’s Board of Directors since 2003, currently as board chairman. He has earned his CCD and Board Leadership Certificate and maintains a Director Gold status. Smith was elected to the Federated Insurance Board in 2016 and is in his final term, which will conclude in 2026. He is the former publisher of three Licking County weekly newspapers, the former owner of Chapel Hill Golf Course in Mount Vernon, and is currently a township trustee.
Mike Keyser
Chief Executive Officer, NRCO
Before joining the National Renewables Cooperative Organization, Keyser served as CEO of BARC Electric Cooperative in Virginia where he led significant change in renewables and technology development. At BARC, Keyser developed the first community solar project and largest public school solar project in Virginia, and launched a system‐wide fiber‐to‐the‐home project. Keyser holds a bachelor's degree in business from Washington State University, a law degree from Seattle University School of Law, and a black belt in Lean Six Sigma from Virginia Tech.
Click here to watch a recording of Keyser's presentation
Click here to view Keyser's presentation
Kevin Zemanek
Assistant Vice President of Operations, OEC
Zemanek joined OEC in 2004 and oversees market operations, risk management, field engineering, and facilities management. Zemanek received a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Engineering Technology and a Master of Science degree in Engineering Management, each from the University of Dayton.
Click here to watch a recording of Zemanek and Smith's (below) presentation
Click here to view Zemanek's presentation
Kara Smith
Manager of Market Operations, OEC
Smith joined Ohio’s Electric Cooperatives in 2013 and is responsible for PJM market activities, member billing, and risk management. Prior to joining OEC, she received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Mathematics and History from Ashland University, and a Master of Science degree in Financial Mathematics from the University of Dayton.
Click here to view Smith's presentation
Marisa Stith
Government Affairs Program Administrator, OEC
At Ohio’s Electric Cooperatives, Stith coordinates and promotes the federal and state political action committees (PAC) and supports the implementation of statewide government affairs and economic development department efforts. Before joining OEC, Marisa worked with the Delaware County Commissioners Office as a project manager and communications coordinator, where she focused on federal grant programs, economic development projects, and internal and external communications. Marisa also worked for Pickerington Local Schools for two years and is a graduate of Otterbein University.
Click here to watch a recording of Stith, Armstrong (below) and Snow's (below) presentation
Click here to view Stith's presentation
Marc Armstrong
Director of Government Affairs, OEC
Since 2007, Armstrong has served Ohio’s 24 electric distribution cooperatives by coordinating federal and state legislative and political strategy and overseeing grassroots advocacy initiatives. Prior to joining OEC, Armstrong provided legislative advocacy for the Ohio Farm Bureau Federation and served as a staff member in both the Ohio Senate and Ohio House of Representatives. Armstrong is a member of the Ohio Lobbying Association and serves on the Board of Trustees of America’s Power, a national energy trade association.
Click here to view Armstrong's presentation
Gabe Snow
Director of ACRE®, NRECA Government Relations
Snow leads ACRE® (soon to be America’s Electric Cooperatives PAC) operations at NRECA and oversees efforts to strategically position NRECA’s PAC with elected officials, political parties, and the state and local electric cooperative systems. He has played a major role in several successful multi-faceted advocacy campaigns. Snow has more than 15 years’ experience as a member of NRECA’s Government Relations team and a strong understanding of co-op issues and challenges, along with a willingness to provide hands-on support.
Click here to view Snow's presentation
Derek Avera
Senior Consultant, Focus 3
With a passion for leadership and relationship building through communications, Avera is uniquely qualified to coach teams in the areas of leadership, culture, and behavior. He specializes in delivering dynamic presentations and facilitating interactive workshops to drive elite results. Prior to joining Focus 3, Avera was a business coach with a Fortune 250 company and found the key teachings of Focus 3 valuable as a client. Avera is a native Texan and proud graduate of Abilene Christian University.
Click here to watch a recording of Avera's presentation
Click here to view Avera's presentation
