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.

Your Board of Directors

Board Districts

About the Board of Directors

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.

The 2026 Board of Directors meeting dates are scheduled as follows:

January 29	February 26	March 31	April 30
May 28	June 25	July 30	August 27
September 24	October 29	November 24	December 22

Your Board of Directors

District 1: Jon Kroening - Rochester
Term: 2025-2028

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.

District 2: Jodie Tvedt - Byron
Vice Chair
Term: 2024-2027

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.

District 3: John Winter - Rochester
Secretary
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.

District 4: Tracy Lauritzen - Altura
Treasurer and MREA Director
Term: 2024-2027

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.

District 5: Jerry Wooner, CCD, BLC - Eyota
Board Chair
Term: 2023-2026

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.

District 6: Art Friedrich, CCD, BLC - Rochester
Dairyland Director
Term: 2025-2028

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.

District 7: Jeff Orth, CCD - Rochester
Term: 2023-2026

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.

Board Districts

The Cooperative's board districts ensure equal voting representation from each district. To find which townships are served by each district, click on pins in the map below.

Service Territory Map

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 for at least one year.
have not been convicted of or pled guilty to a felony in the five years prior to being elected.
have not been a party to litigation against the Cooperative or any of its directors or employees in their official capacity in the ten years prior to being elected.
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.

Elections

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. 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 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.

Scholarship Application Available:

Watts & Wits Trivia Night:

Board of Directors

Your Board of Directors

Board Districts

Service Territory Map

About The Board of Directors

Eligibility

Elections

Training

QUICK LINKS

CONTACT US

Scholarship Application Available:

Watts & Wits Trivia Night:

District 1: Jon Kroening

District 2: Jodie Tvedt (Vice Chair)

District 3: John Winter (Secretary)

District 4: Tracy Lauritzen (Treasurer & MREA Director)

District 5: Jerry Wooner (Chair)

District 6: Art Friedrich (DPC Director)

District 7: Jeff Orth

About The Board of Directors

Eligibility