Board of Directors
The Board of Directors is the governing body of the Cooperative and represents the members in policy and rate-making. Directors are elected to three-year terms, attend cooperative events, and participate in state, regional, and national conferences and training sessions.
The 2023 Board of Director meeting dates are scheduled as follows:
| January 30 | April 27 | July 27 | October 26 |
| February 23 | May 31 | August 24 | November 30 |
| March 31 | June 29 | September 28 | December 21 |
The Board meets monthly at the Cooperative's headquarters. Meetings typically begin at 8:30 a.m. Notes from that meeting are published in the next month's Highline newsletter.
Your Board of Directors
District 1: Jon Kroening - Rochester
Term: 2022-2025
Jon has been a cooperative member for 13 years and is a lifelong resident of Haverhill township. He graduated from Dunwoody College, holds a boiler license, master electrician's license, and a system maintenance administrator designation from BOMA International. He currently works at Egan Company as a general foreman for electrical construction. Jon resides on his family's farm located on Viola Road near the Haverhill Town Hall.
Phone: (507) 884-0160
Email: jkroening@peoplesenergy.coop
District 2: Jodie Tvedt - Byron
Term: 2021-2024
Jodie has been a cooperative member for two years. She was raised on a dairy and crop Century Farm in Steele County and for the last 10 years, she's farmed with her husband on his family's Century Farm in Dodge and Olmsted Counties. After graduating from Iowa State University with a Mechanical Engineering degree, she accepted a management trainee position with BNSF Railway. She worked at locomotive repair shops in the Midwest and on the West Coast for the next 18 years in management roles of increasing responsibility. More recently, she has also been on the board of directors of a township mutual insurance company and has served as secretary since 2019.
Phone: (507) 218-2141
Email: jtvedt@peoplesenergy.coop
District 3: John Winter - Rochester
Term: 2023-2026
John became a cooperative member in 2007 and was elected to the Board in March of 2023. He lives in Oronoco Township. John retired as Chief Financial Officer from Southern MN Municipal Power Agency (SMMPA). His career included two decades as a leader in accounting, operations, and regulatory affairs at Northern States Power Company. Before joining SMMPA, he provided consulting services mainly to electric cooperatives. He holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Accounting from the University of Minnesota and has completed additional post graduate coursework.
Phone: (507) 990-5648
Email: jwinter@peoplesenergy.coop
District 4: Tracy Lauritzen - Altura
Secretary/Treasurer
Term: 2021-2024
Tracy has been a member of the Cooperative for over 12 years and joined the Board in March of 2018. She lauched Krakerjak - a strategic marketing, sales, and analytics firm- after serving 15 years in management, marketing, and business development roles at other companies. She has served the March of Dimes as a Director on their Board, Chair of their Signature Chef's Auction Committee, and as an honorary family at several events. Tracy has been an active member on Journey to Growth's Regional Committee and the Rochester Area Builders Programming Committee.
Phone: (507) 261-8740
Email: tlauritzen@peoplesenergy.coop
District 5: Jerry Wooner, CCD, BLC - Eyota
Board Chair
Term: 2020-2023
Jerry has lived in the Dover-Eyota area for 34 years (except for the five years he spent in the Marine Corps) and has been a cooperative member since 1999. He has served on the Board of Directors since 2011 and as Board Chair since 2013. Jerry enjoys living and doing volunteer work in his community including serving on the Viola Gopher Count Committee and as a former EMT for the Eyota Volunteer Ambulance Service. He currently works as a sergeant for the Olmsted County Sheriff's Office supervising 14 detention deputies.
Phone: (507) 259-7217
Email: jwooner@peoplesenergy.coop
District 6: Art Friedrich, CCD, BLC - Rochester
Vice Chair
Term: 2022-2025
Art is from rural Chatfield and became a cooperative member in 1983. He was elected to the Board in 2013. Art served in the U.S. Air Force in electronics maintenance prior to attending Dunwoody College where he studied drafting and estimating. He later studied building inspection and soil mechanics from the College of Civil Engineering and has worked in the construction trade since. Since 1992, Art has owned and operated Friedrich Construction and has been an active member of the Rochester Area Builders Association since 1994 serving on several committees and the Board of Directors. He resides in Marion Township on what used to be his grandfather's farm. Art has earned his Director Gold Certificate by completing additional BLC credits.
Phone: (507) 951-0590
Email: afriedrich@peoplesenergy.coop
District 7: Jeff Orth, CCD - Rochester
Term: 2020-2023
A native of Austin, Minnesota, Jeff graduated from St. Olaf College in 1976. After five years in public and private accounting, Jeff became a Deputy Registrar for the State of Minnesota in 1981 and currently owns and manages six license bureaus in the state. For over thirty years, he has lived in Rochester Township and actively owns and operates farms southwest of Rochester. Jeff has been a cooperative member since 1985 and was elected to the Board in 2011.
Phone: (507) 254-6358
Email: jorth@peoplesenergy.coop
About the Board of Directors
Eligibility
Based on the Cooperative’s Bylaws, residential members are eligible to serve a three-year term on the Board of Directors if they:
- are a member of and receive electrical service from the Cooperative at their homestead (for tax purposes) located within the Cooperative's service territory.
- are not employed by or financially interested in a competing enterprise or a business selling electric energy or supplies to the Cooperative.
- have not been employed by the Cooperative in the five years prior to being elected.
- are not a close relative of an incumbent director or of an employee of the Cooperative at the time of election to the Board.
How Board Members are Elected
At least two board seats are up for election each year. The election is typically held in late March and members receive information in the mail with voting instructions on how to participate. Members who are interested in serving on the Board should notify the Cooperative by the end of September by emailing memberrelations@peoplesenergy.coop or calling (800) 214-2694 and asking for Gwen Stevens. They will then be referred to the Nominating Committee. The Nominating Committee is comprised of volunteer cooperative members and begins their process to vet board candidates in early October. Members who are not nominated by the Committee may petition for nomination by securing signatures from at least .05 percent of the membership at the time of petition which equates to approximately 100 member signatures.
Training
Upon election to the Board, directors undergo training at the Cooperative to learn about People’s Energy Cooperative specifically and are also encouraged to complete their Credentialed Cooperative Director (CCD) certificate. The CCD certificate program includes courses about director duties and liabilities, understanding the electric business, board operations and process, strategic planning, and financial decision-making.
Several board members have also earned their Board Leadership Certificate (BLC). These Board members have expanded their knowledge by taking 10 additional courses on topics including the cooperative business model, governance, finance, communications, technology, and risk management.