Annette Colaw, AGT - National Rural Electric Co-op

National Rural Electric Co-operative is a national service organization that represents the interests of cooperative electric utilities and the consumers they serve. Its board of directors oversees the association s activities and consists of 47 members, one from each state in which there is an electric distribution cooperative. Founded in 1942, NRECA was organized specifically to overcome World War II shortages of electric construction materials, to obtain insurance coverage for newly constructed rural electric cooperatives, and to mitigate wholesale power problems. Since those early days, NRECA has been an advocate for consumer-owned cooperatives on energy and operational issues as well as rural community and economic development. It now has more than 900 members that serve 37 million people in 47 states. Most of the 865 distribution systems are consumer-owned cooperatives while some are public power districts. National Rural Electric Co-operative is headquartered in Arlington, Va.