Howard Electric Cooperative’s board secretary, Debbie Wiswall, recently received the Director Gold Credential certificate from the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA).

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 and business model. Electric co-ops in Missouri have a commitment to work through NRECA to sharpen this body of knowledge for the benefit of their electric cooperative consumer-owners.

For a director to earn the Director Gold certificate, they must have already earned the CCD (Credentialed Cooperative Director) and BLC (Board Leadership Certificate) and earn three additional credits from the BLC series of courses. Unlike the CCD and BLC certificates, Director Gold includes a continuing education requirement which calls for directors to earn three credits of approved course work and/or conferences every two years to maintain their Director Gold status.

Howard Electric Cooperative in Fayette was incorporated in 1936 to serve member-consumers in Howard County. Today, the cooperative also serves consumers in southeastern Chariton County, southern Randolph County, and northwestern Boone County. Howard Electric is one of 41 distribution cooperatives in Missouri.