Betsey Kirk McCall, Seven States’ President & CEO, recently attended the 2023 NRECA CEO Close-Up event in Phoenix, AZ, where she shared her experience as a leader of a cooperative that is building the Tennessee Valley’s grid of the future. 

This annual event is the premier conference for America’s electric cooperatives that attracts more than 800 co-op CEOs, GMs, and industry experts to share ideas and best practices. McCall spoke at a breakout session titled “Cooperatives Navigating Electric Avenue: Understanding New EV-related Loads” moderated by Jenna Denney, Electric Vehicle Strategy & Solutions Manager at NRECA. Other speakers in the session included Brian Heithoff, CEO, Trico Electric Cooperative, Inc. (Arizona) and Jessica Matlock, CEO, La Plata Electric Association, Inc. (Colorado).

Speakers discussed how the national power grid is rapidly evolving with the increasing deployment of distributed generation, controllable loads, and continued electrification. It was noted that the industry is quickly innovating in other ways, too, including in the areas of information technology, data analytics, robotics, remote sensors and other cutting-edge technology-based products and services for both electric utilities and
consumers.

McCall was pleased to see a number of Seven States members in attendance at the event, including Jennifer Brogdon of Upper Cumberland Electric Membership Corporation (UCEMC) and Keith Hayward of North East Mississippi Electric Power Association (NEMEPA).

National conferences like the NRECA CEO Close-Up allow Seven States an opportunity to learn how other cooperatives across America are handling industry changes while also sharing how an entity like Seven States can benefit large regions of the grid through shared resources, expertise, and relationships.