I appreciate the opportunity to introduce myself as IEC’s new vice president of government relations.

I was born and raised in rural Indiana and am thankful for the important role that REMCs have in their local communities. It is this experience that helped mold me into who I am and why I am excited to be working with our members across the state. I hope you will find that my background with the Indiana General Assembly, the Lieutenant Governor’s Office, and the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission provides not only direct experience with issues important to IEC members but also a network of relationships that will add to our already strong government relations team.

I also know from firsthand experience as a former government leader and staffer the important value placed upon constituent voices. Policy development and decisions are influenced by hearing directly from organizations like IEC. I will be focused on harnessing our collective voice for cooperative priorities and sharing that directly with policymakers. This will require us to continue to work together to further grow our grassroots efforts as we reinforce and strengthen our voice both in Indiana and at the federal level.

When it comes to our government relations efforts, I strongly believe in integrity and responsiveness. These two words summarize everything it takes to be successful when it comes to working on state and federal legislative, regulatory, political action and grassroots agendas. We will work hard to ensure we are seen as high-character individuals who respond quickly and communicate honestly and effectively. Fortunately, we already have a strong team in place with Allie, Michael and Lynnette, and I look forward to working with them on what is important for our membership.

I hope to be able to meet many of you over the coming months. If you need anything from me or the rest of the team, please do not hesitate to reach out.