UW-Madison, NRECA announce new working relationship

The National Rural Electric Cooperative Association and the University of Wisconsin–Madison will announce their new working relationship during a press conference on Tuesday, Aug. 17, at 10:30 a.m. at the Fluno Center on the UW–Madison campus.

The relationship helps to further economic growth in Wisconsin, a key area set forth in Gov. Jim Doyle’s Grow Wisconsin initiative, and the NRECA’s commitment to high-quality leadership development programs for its members.

The NRECA is the national service organization that represents the nation’s more than 900 private, consumer-owned electric cooperatives, which provide electric service to more than 37 million people in 47 states. There are 25 electric cooperatives operating in Wisconsin.

“We look forward to working with the University of Wisconsin–Madison in preparing a new generation of leaders for the responsibilities they will face in advancing the mission of the nation’s cooperative electric utilities,” says Glenn English, chief executive officer of the NRECA.

The NRECA selected UW–Madison as the new home of its university-based education and training programs. The multi-year agreement, beginning in the fall, involves approximately 28 weeks of programming each year at the Fluno Center for Executive Education.

Ted Beck, associate dean of executive education and corporate relations at the UW–Madison School of Business, says, “We are pleased to bring the NRECA and its members to Madison. We feel that the university provides a unique range of resources to foster the cooperative movement and executive development.”

Bringing the NRECA to Madison has been a joint effort by UW–Madison’s School of Business, College of Engineering, College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, and the Office of the Chancellor, with support from UW-Extension, the State of Wisconsin and the governor’s office. Previously, the NRECA’s training programs were held at the University of Nebraska.

Invited guests for the press conference include Doyle, English and Kevin Reilly, president-elect of the University of Wisconsin System.