Employee Education
Faculty and Speakers
Amanda L. Barth, CCC, Indiana Electric Cooperatives
Mandy is the vice president of communication. In this role, she leads the association’s cooperative and consumer communication, Indiana Connection magazine, public relations, and philanthropy. She previously served as the association’s communication manager. Before joining IEC in 2013, she served as the associate director of public engagement at the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine. She was also previously the communication and events director for the Champaign County Chamber of Commerce and the promotion coordinator for the Champaign Park District, both in Champaign, Illinois. Barth is an Illinois State University graduate with a Bachelor of Science degree in public relations and a Master of Science degree in communication. She is also a certified cooperative communicator.
Jon Bobbit, Hoosier Energy
Jon is the Senior Manager of Human Resources for Hoosier Energy and has 14 years of experience with the G&T. He also has 17 years of leadership experience as Vice President with First Financial Corporation. He received his bachelor’s degree from Indiana State University in Business Management and has been a licensed facilitator for Bell Leadership since 2014. His areas of expertise reside in labor negotiations and relations and leadership development. Jon’s experience in the workplace, combined with several years of board leadership experience with education and nonprofit organizations, provides a diverse window of perspective in the leadership world.
James Buhler, Southeastern Indiana REMC
James has worked in finance and accounting at Southeastern Indiana REMC for more than 18 years where he is currently the director of finance and accounting. In this role, he oversees the accounting, finance and human resource functions of the cooperative. He attended Kentucky Christian University, where earned B.S. degrees in business management and Bible.
Michael Craciunoiu, Indiana Electric Cooperatives
Michael is the Vice President of Education and Development at IEC. In this role, Michael leads the Careers, Culture, and Development team, which provides professional development programs, organizational development services, and community-based youth engagement activities to electric cooperatives throughout the state.
With over two decades of leadership experience in the nonprofit and government sectors, Michael is recognized for transforming the staff of mission-driven organizations into thriving, high-performing leaders and teams. During his career, he has trained and coached hundreds of nonprofit leaders and educators through complex transitions, helping them navigate change, strengthen team culture, and achieve breakthrough performance. Michael holds a Master of Education degree in Human Resource Development and is an accomplished coach, possessing a Professional Certified Coach (PCC) certification through the International Coaching Federation.
Jennifer Fedor, PHR, Indiana Electric Cooperatives
Jennifer is an HR Manager at Indiana Electric Cooperatives, with expertise in workforce planning, employee engagement, and talent management. She holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Marian University, a PHR certification, a Lean Six Sigma Green Belt, and certificates in change management and compensation studies from Cornell University and strategic communications from Butler University.
Sayward Fry, Indiana Electric Cooperatives
Sayward Fry is the Learning and Development Manager with extensive experience in leadership development and self-awareness training. She holds an MBA from Indiana Wesleyan University and is a Certified DISC Practitioner. Sayward is passionate about equipping individuals and teams with the tools to grow their leadership capacity, enhance communication, and increase self-awareness. She creates meaningful learning experiences by combining practical tools with engaging facilitation, empowering participants to grow and thrive.
Karlee Gable, Indiana Electric Cooperatives
Karlee is the Youth and Education Specialist at Indiana Electric Cooperatives. She leads initiatives that promote youth engagement, community outreach, and cooperative education across the state. With a background in developing a leadership-focused curriculum, Karlee supports member cooperatives in delivering collaborative and meaningful development opportunities for members and employees. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Indiana State University.
Jeanette Hite, Boone Power
Jeanette Hite is a seasoned CPA with a strong background in accounting and finance. After earning her Bachelor of Science in Accounting from the Kelley School of Business in 1998, she began her career at London Witte Group, gaining experience auditing electric distribution cooperatives. In 2002, she joined Boone Power, where she has progressed from Accountant to her current role as Vice President of Corporate Services/CFO. Jeanette has also held leadership roles in professional organizations and has been a voluntary facilitator at Indiana Electric Cooperatives for the past five years.
Ann Mears, Indiana Electric Cooperatives
Ann is the careers and youth partnerships director. Since joining IEC in 2017, she has promoted electric cooperative careers throughout Indiana by collaborating with K-12 and post-secondary institutions and fostering community youth partnerships. She works with member cooperatives to develop and expand internship and job shadowing programs, bridging education and the cooperative workforce. She has a bachelor’s degree from Purdue University
Megan Miller, Hoosier Energy
Megan is the Continuous Improvement & Employee Experience Manager at Hoosier Energy. After her early years in the Health & Wellness industry, she discovered the cooperative model and hasn’t looked back. Though she’s held multiple roles at Hoosier, her current work focuses on process improvement, collaboration, and enhancing employee engagement. Megan earned a Bachelor of Science from the University of St.Thomas, an MBA from Florida Gulf Coast University, and holds her PHR certification, Lean Principles Certificate, and is a Bell Certified Facilitator.
Ken Owen
Ken is a trusted veteran communicator, having spent nearly two decades as a television anchor and reporter before joining his alma mater, DePauw University, as its chief external communicator. Ken’s award-winning TV career included stints in Fort Wayne, Asheville, N.C., and Indianapolis. He covered a wide range of newsmakers, including Ronald Reagan, Desmond Tutu, Paul McCartney, Lena Horne, Gerald Ford, and Billy Graham, whom he accompanied to the then-Soviet Union in 1988 for the millennium of the Russian Orthodox Church. Today, Ken is the principal of KO Communications and Strategies, working with clients in business and higher education. Ken is a skilled professional with expertise in public relations, media integration, crisis management and problem-solving.
David Remondini
David’s legal and investigative print reporting background is noteworthy and exemplary. David was an award-winning reporter with The Indianapolis Star for 15 years, including work on the investigative team. During his time with the Star, he produced more than 1,600 bylined stories covering state and local government, politics, and the courts. He also served as the chief deputy executive director for an agency of the Indiana Supreme Court, assisting the Chief Justice and the Supreme Court in their judicial leadership roles throughout the state, while also supervising media relations from 2007-2016. He earned a J.D. degree from Indiana University and is the recipient of the Indiana Trial Lawyer’s Journalist of the Year award. David is an accomplished pilot who also serves as a pilot and certified flight instructor.
Corey Willis, Boone Power
Corey is director of information services technology at Boone Power. He has over 25 years of experience in the electric utility industry with expertise in communication, project management, strategy execution and information technology. He has a bachelor’s degree in communications from Indiana University and a master’s degree in IT project management from Purdue University. A self-professed geek, Corey thrives on finding life-hacking and productivity methodologies. His mission is to learn and share specialized skillsets that help individuals streamline operations at their organizations and achieve the unimaginable.
Director Education
Faculty and Speakers
Scott Luecal
Since 1991, Scott Luecal has been providing consulting and training services to electric cooperatives and public power districts, their business subsidiaries and community directed organizations, and to the co-op industry’s national trade, telecommunications, and insurance associations. It totals over 250 companies.
Consulting services Luecal provides includes strategic planning facilitation, financial planning/equity management/capital credits, cost of service and rate design, merger / consolidation / collaboration facilitation, organizational structure and related personnel decisions, technology planning, board governance, board and CEO evaluations, business plans, and programs related to training and educating directors and management on the changes taking place in the electric utility industry. In his role as a trainer to the rural electric industry, Luecal has developed and delivered courses on many of the aforementioned topics.
Luecal served in the roles of accountant, office manager, and general manager at Coles–Moultrie Electric Cooperative, an Illinois distribution co-op, for 9 years, and was the Manager of University Programs for NRECA for 8 years.
Bill Scott
Bill Scott retired as President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Great Lakes Energy Cooperative in 2022. He previously served as the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) for 12 years and Chief Operating Officer (COO) prior to becoming CEO in 2016. Scott started his cooperative career with Lee County Electric Cooperative (LCEC) located in N. Ft. Myers, FL. Hired as an Accountant, he eventually became the Manager of Finance and Accounting while serving on LCEC’s Senior Staff.
Scott has over 25 years’ experience working with Board members and Boardroom etiquette having served on both sides of the table. He has served on multiple Boards of Directors both inside and outside of the electric utility industry.
Bryan Singletary
For the last 35 years Bryan Singletary has worked in the electric utility industry all the while striving to convert the technical process of providing high quality electrical service into terms the customer can understand.
Singletary began his career with Florida Power Corporation and rose rapidly to the position of Vice President. For the last 22 years Singletary has owned and operated Practical Energies – a utility consulting firm specializing in assisting their client companies in meeting the needs of their consumers. Singletary has consulted with hundreds of utilities in the design, development and implementation of a wide range of customer programs.
Singletary is an accomplished speaker and writer in the areas of utility competition and strategic planning, key accounts management, distributed generation, technology implementation, demand side management, customer service and power-quality.
Joe Slater
Austin J. Slater, Jr. has 40+ years’ experience as an executive in the energy industry, retiring March 2020 following 18-years as President and CEO of the Southern Maryland Electric Cooperative. He formerly served as VP for Education and Training at the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) in Arlington, Virginia, and as General Manager of Tideland EMC in eastern North Carolina. Slater has served as a Board Member and Chairman of the Board of ACES Power Marketing and was a founding Member and Secretary of the National Renewables Cooperative Organization. Slater is presently Board Vice Chairman of a publicly traded $6-billion community bank that operates in Delaware, Maryland and Virginia; Vice Chairman of the Shepherd University Board of Governors; Board Member and President of the Shepherd University Foundation; and serves as an instructor in NRECA’s Director Education curriculum.
Tom Sobeck
Tom has worked in the cooperative industry for over 30 years, serving in various roles including Chief Financial Officer at Presque Isle Electric & Gas Co-op for 17 years, and as President & Chief Executive Officer for the last 7 years of his career. As CEO, Sobeck managed the acquisition of a neighboring natural gas utility and integrated its operations into the cooperative utility framework. He also supervised the construction of a new $22 million headquarters and service center and coordinated the cooperative’s entry into the fiber to the home business.
Kevin Sump
Kevin Sump’s career in the rural electric cooperative program spanned forty years, including thirty-three as a General Manger and CEO. From 1989 until his retirement in 2013 he served as the CEO at South Central Indiana REMC, an electric distribution co-op headquartered in Martinsville, Indiana. Prior to joining South Central Indiana REMC, he served as the General Manager at two different distribution co-ops in Iowa.
Sump was an original member of the Touchstone Energy Brand Steering Committee that began developing the Touchstone Energy brand initiative in 1996. He was actively involved in the initiative’s development and served two terms on the Touchstone Energy Board of Directors. He also chaired their Standards and Best Practices Advisory Committee for several years.
Since his retirement Sump has stayed active in the rural electric program. He serves as an instructor for NRECA’s Director Education Program teaching courses in the areas of director duties and liabilities, strategic planning, risk management, evaluating board performance, succession planning, board culture, emerging technologies, and power supply. In addition, he serves as president of Creative Management Solutions, LLC, a consulting company that provides strategic planning facilitation services, board self-assessments and other miscellaneous management services for electric distribution co-ops.
