Since NISC and its parent companies NCDC or CADP were formed nearly 50 years ago, the CEO of the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) has never visited a campus of the technology cooperative.

That changed Friday, July 17, when NRECA CEO Jo Ann Emerson visited NISC’s Lake Saint Louis, Mo., location for a day of technology talks and a discussion about the utility industry.

“We are so lucky to have a CEO of NRECA that understands our industry,” said Vern Dosch, President and CEO of NISC. “To say that Jo Ann and NRECA are a critical partner for NISC is an understatement. Our organizations working together to meet the needs of our Members is really important.”

Emerson received a tour of the NISC Missouri campus and met with the NISC executive team to learn more about NISC’s technology solutions and how NISC and NRECA can continue to work together to meet the needs of our Members.

“I came to NISC knowing theoretically what you do, but when I got here, I realized that I don’t understand it at all,” Emerson told the NISC employees gathered to learn more about the NISC-NRECA partnership. “Except for the fact that you make a difference in people’s lives. At the end of the day, the work that you do, the creativity and innovation that you bring to your jobs every day ends up making a difference in peoples’ lives across this country.”

Emerson, who hails from Cape Girardeau, Mo., spent 18 years working as a Missouri congresswomen before taking the CEO position with NRECA. NISC and NRECA share a large number of Members, so the organizations maintain a very close working partnership to help support those Members with technology and other solutions.