On this episode of Along Those Lines, we're joined by NRECA Director of Safety Programs Ken Macken and Johnie Hendrix, vice president of risk management and training for the Association of Missouri Electric Cooperatives. Ken and Johnie will talk about new ways that NRECA, statewide organizations and co-ops are working to improve safety. They'll also give program highlights of the upcoming NRECA Safety Leadership Summit in St. Louis, Missouri, which is smashing past registration records.

Effective communication by electric co-ops—through good times and bad—builds member loyalty and better aligns and engages co-op employees. In this episode, Cherryland Electric Cooperative CEO Rachel Johnson, this year's winner of the J.C. Brown CEO Communication Leadership Award, shares her thoughts on how to leverage new and traditional media platforms to reach members and educate the public. She also gives tips on improving internal communication between co-op leadership and staff.

For over 60 years, NRECA International has helped bring electricity to unserved or underserved parts of the world, drawing on lessons learned from the U.S. electrification story. Hear from NRECA International's new senior vice president, Kate Steel, on how the organization is staying true to its mission as it charts a new path toward global electrification as well as how co-ops and others can support this vital work.

Data center development is surging to meet demand for cloud applications, cryptocurrency, streaming services and AI. Electric co-ops are at the center of it, with some fielding multiple new requests at a time to serve data centers. These large loads can benefit co-ops and their communities in a number of ways—and they also pose a host of challenges. Learn more from NRECA's Allison Hamilton, Wabash Valley Power Alliance's Jeff Conrad and Arkansas Electric Cooperative Corp.'s JD Lowery.

More than 140 electric co-ops serve Department of Defense facilities or Coast Guard stations, and co-ops own, operate and maintain the power distribution grids at 31 military installations through utility privatization contracts. Hear from NRECA's Lauren Khair, Kodiak Electric Association's Dan Menth and Kotzebue Electric Association's Tom Atkinson about a new series of Defense Summits to tackle grid modernization challenges amid the changing energy needs of our armed services.

FEMA provides crucial funding to co-ops after disasters, allowing them to restore power faster and make their infrastructure more resilient while limiting related costs for members. But FEMA is far from perfect, with many co-ops facing issues with accessing funding. Hear from NRECA's Jim Matheson, Florida Electric Cooperatives Association's Mike Bjorklund and Vermont Electric Co-op's Rebecca Towne on why FEMA is so essential and how a bipartisan bill in Congress could improve the agency.

Electric co-ops are experiencing a historically broad and rapid shift in their organizational culture, driven largely by an influx of younger, tech-savvy employees amid a wave of retirements and turnover, along with other changes in the industry. Co-ops are bringing creativity and innovation to the challenge, adapting everything from onboarding processes to learning opportunities to leadership development. Learn more from NRECA's Delaine Orendorff and SLEMCO's Katherine Domingue.

NRECA's 2025 Regional Meetings kick off Sept. 3 in Providence, Rhode Island. The five meetings, which will take place across the country through October, are a key step in the member resolutions process that guides NRECA's policy advocacy. The meetings are also a chance for co-op leaders to discuss the most pressing issues of the day—from growing data center demand to innovative ways they're serving members. Learn more about the agenda from NRECA's Jeffrey Connor, Erin Pressley and Pat Mangan.

Rooftop solar is gaining popularity with homeowners and businesses, leading to a surge in installations over the past decade. But the technology isn't right for everyone, and electric co-ops are doing their part to help consumer-members make informed decisions and avoid misleading or inaccurate information from some third-party vendors. Hear from Lidija Sekaric, NRECA vice president of innovation and emerging technology, and Neal Brown, member services and marketing manager for Garkane Energy.

Drier and hotter weather conditions are creating longer wildfire seasons in many parts of the country, and even regions not typically at risk of wildfires are vulnerable. In this episode, learn how electric co-ops are dealing with this growing threat and how a bill in Congress, the Fix Our Forests Act, could help with mitigation efforts. Hear from NRECA's Erin Kelly and Hannah Hardin as well as West Oregon Electric Cooperative's Billi Kohler.