Former NRECA Board president Jack Wolfe with NRECA CEO Glenn English and former President Guidry

New Orleans, LA, Wednesday, February  20, 2013 – The National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) today bestows the Clyde T. Ellis award on Jack Wolfe, former president of the NRECA Board of Directors and President/CEO of Mid-Carolina Electric Cooperative, for his dedication and service to the electric cooperative program.

The Ellis Award, which memorializes NRECA's first general manager (CEO), is conferred by the NRECA Board of Directors to honor an individual for contributions clearly above and beyond the routine call of duty in furthering the principles and progress of rural electrification and the development and utilization of national resources.

“Jack Wolfe embodies the Cooperative Principles, and adheres to them without compromise,” said NRECA Board president Michael Guidry.

During his tenure as NRECA Board president, Wolfe led the effort to strengthen the Cooperative Research Network.   As CEO of Mid-Carolina Electric Cooperative, a co-op that has led the way on smart grid applications, Wolfe demonstrated that innovation can build member loyalty.  His leadership put CRN on a path to become one of the most innovative and forward thinking of electric cooperatives nationwide.

“Jack Wolfe, CEO of a co-op that has embraced innovation, led the effort at NRECA to build a research program that will help co-ops meet the expectations of their members now and into the future,” said Mike Couick, executive director of the Electric Cooperatives of South Carolina.

The National Rural Electric Cooperative Association is the national service organization that represents the nation’s more than 900 private, not-for-profit, consumer-owned electric cooperatives, which provide service to 42 million people in 47 states.

The National Rural Electric Cooperative Association is the national service organization that represents the nation’s more than 900 private, not-for-profit, consumer-owned electric cooperatives, which provide service to 42 million people in 47 states.

Nearly 6,000 representatives from cooperative electric utilities across the nation are attending the NRECA Annual Meeting February 18 -21, during which they will set NRECA’s legislative and organizational agenda for 2013. In addition to considering and acting upon policy resolutions, delegates receive reports from NRECA officials, hear addresses by key public figures and business experts, and attend educational forums on major issues affecting electric cooperatives and their consumer owners.