Dayton Chronicle - Your Hometown News Source

WALLA WALLA–Philip Mehlenbacher, District 2 Board Director, recently received the Credentialed Cooperative Director certificate from the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA). Philip Mehlenbacher is currently serving his first full term as a Board director, after being appointed to replace the retiring Vic Parks in 2022, then being duly elected to the Board in 2023.

An ever-changing business environment has imposed new demands on electric cooperative directors, requiring increased knowledge of changes in the electric utility business, new governance skills and a solid knowledge of the cooperative principles business model. Columbia REA is committed to working through NRECA to sharpen this body of knowledge for the benefit of our electric cooperative member-owners.

The NRECA Credentialed Cooperative Director (CCD) program requires attendance and demonstrated understating of the basic competencies contained in five core courses:

• Director Duties and Liabilities

• Understanding the Electric Business

• Board Operations and Process

• Strategic Planning

• Financial Decision Making

The NRECA represents the nation's almost 900 private, consumer-owned electric cooperatives, which provide electric service to more than 42 million people in 48 states.

Mission, History, and Philosophy

The mission of Columbia Rural Electric Association is to improve the quality of life for our members.

Since 1940, Columbia REA has delivered reliable electricity to homes, cabins, farms and businesses in rural areas of Columbia and Walla Walla Counties and parts of Umatilla County. In 2000, Columbia REA established Columbia Energy, LLC (now Columbia iConnect) to provide affordable High-Speed Internet Services.

As a cooperative, Columbia REA is owned by its members and governed by an elected board of directors.