DIRECTOR
Guthrie County REC

Steve Bireline represents Guthrie County REC (GCREC) on the CIPCO Board. Steve has been a member of GCREC since 1980 and was first elected to the GCREC Board in 1997. Currently serving as president of his local board, he has earned the Credentialed Cooperative Director certificate from the NRECA. He is a farmer and owner of Westline Fencing and MCS Ag Drainage, a retired Adair Fire Department volunteer and current president of the Adair Community Fire Board and has held many offices as a member of St. John’s Lutheran Church. He lives in Adair with his wife, Tammy, and has four children and eight grandchildren.

DIRECTOR
Consumers Energy

For more than 40 years, Arden has operated his family farm near Colo, Iowa. He was elected to the CIPCO Board in 2019 representing his home electric cooperative Consumers Energy, where he has served on the Board of Directors since 2007. During this time, Arden earned the Credentialed Cooperative Director designation, the Board Leadership Certificate and the Director Gold credential from the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association. While serving Consumers Energy, Arden is proud of his cooperative’s efforts to find and implement efficiencies that have eliminated the need for any electric rate increases. On behalf of CIPCO, Arden is involved in reviewing and updating contracts to ensure the organization is prepared for any changes in the electric business in the future.

DIRECTOR
Linn County REC

Kirk is a certified general real property appraiser and currently works as a commercial realty broker in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. He was elected to the CIPCO Board in 2019 representing his home cooperative Linn County REC, where he has served since 2010 and currently serves as treasurer. During this time, Kirk earned the Credentialed Cooperative Director designation and Board Leadership Certificate from the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association. He is actively engaged working to develop CIPCO’s Wholesale Power Contract in cooperation with CIPCO staff, other board members and member distribution cooperatives.

DIRECTOR
Eastern Iowa Light & Power

Gary is a self-employed cattle and grain farmer from Burlington. He was elected to the CIPCO Board of Directors in 2018 and has served on the board of his local electric cooperative, Eastern Iowa Light & Power Cooperative in Wilton, since 2012. During this time, Gary earned the Credentialed Cooperative Director designation, the Board Leadership Certificate and Director Gold credential from the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association. Gary says the electric business has changed so much in the last five years and he anticipates dramatic things to come in the next 30 years. With that in mind, CIPCO and its board will continue to evolve in order to overcome the challenges facing the organization and industry.

DIRECTOR
SIMECA

Elected in 2023, Tim represents SIMECA, a federation of 15 municipal electric utilities, on the CIPCO Board of Directors. He has served as the SIMECA treasurer since 2008. Tim also spent five years representing SIMECA on the CIPCO Managers Group, and was actively engaged in wholesale power contract negotiations and electric rates subcommittees. He is the general manager of Corning Municipal Utilities, and a member of the Adams County Economic Development Corporation Board. Tim and wife Gwen have three daughters. He is very grateful for the opportunities to learn and understand the mounting challenges facing the generation and transmission industry as a representative of CIPCO.  

DIRECTOR
East-Central Iowa REC

Gary McKenna representing East-Central Iowa REC on the CIPCO board has served on his local Board since 2016. He is currently the manager of Eden Mutual Insurance in Vinton, where he has been employed since 1997. He is the owner of Van Eschen-Strong Insurance, also located in Vinton, and raises 1,500 head of hog per year. Gary and his wife, Teresa, have two children. He enjoys golfing, snowmobiling, carpentry work, camping, and watching his kids play sports. Since 1991, he has been a member of the Vinton Fire Department, currently serving as fire chief and is a member of the Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Vinton.

DIRECTOR
Clarke Electric Cooperative

From Allerton, Iowa, Randy is a self-employed corn and soybean production farmer. He was elected to the CIPCO Board of Directors in 2016, and has served on his home cooperative, Clarke Electric, since 2012 where he is currently vice president. Randy says he continues to be impressed by the quality of people on the board and throughout the CIPCO organization and member system. He most admires how board members respect each other, even when there are split votes. He feels it is the board’s responsibility to look at every aspect of the business to assess the value and need for everything CIPCO does in order to ensure past successes continue into the future.

DIRECTOR
T.I.P. REC

Craig is a Tooling Specialist for Whirlpool Corporation in Amana and resides in Williamsburg, Iowa. He was elected to the CIPCO Board of Directors in 2019, and has served on the board of his home cooperative, T.I.P. REC, since 2017. Although he has only been on the CIPCO Board a short time, Craig says he has learned a lot and met many great people. He feels the future is very bright for CIPCO and is involved in working on the Wholesale Power Contract that will give security and flexibility to CIPCO members. He believes acquiring the right mix of renewables and baseload energy resources will lead CIPCO well into the future.

DIRECTOR
Southwest Iowa REC

Dale is actively involved in operating a grain and cattle farm in rural Ringgold County, Iowa, raising corn and soybeans for grain and a beef cow herd. He was elected to the CIPCO Board of Directors in 2002. He was first elected to the Rideta Electric Cooperative Board in 1979 where he served as the secretary and vice president. In 2004, Rideta and Southwest Iowa Services Cooperative merged to form Southwest Iowa REC. Dale continues serving Southwest Iowa REC as its board secretary. In his role on the CIPCO Board, Dale helps guide the organization as a reliable and affordable power source for its member systems while also promoting economic opportunities for them.