2026 SYMPOSIUM AGENDA
Wednesday, April 8
10:00am - Kickoff and Welcome
John Kran, MECA, CEO
Registration begins at 9:00 am
10:15am - What a Country: Navigating Political Divisions
Luke Russert, Journalist & Author
11:15am - Rethinking Member & Community Engagement
Charly Markwart, Communications Manager, HomeWorks Tri-County Electric
Candy Riem, Vice President, Marketing and Customer Solutions, Midwest Energy & Communications
Moderated by: Casey Clark, Vice President of Communications & Member Service, Wolverine Power Cooperative
11:45am - NRECA Youth Leadership Council Speech on the Importance of Relationships
Naaman Looy, Youth Leadership Council Representative
12:00pm - Lunch
Talk & Tie Service Project outside of Ballroom
1:15pm - AI and the Future of Us: Navigating the Promise and Perils of Artificial Intelligence
Theresa Payton, AI Strategist & Business and Personal Security Expert.
2:15pm - Big Data is Coming to (Your) Town
Moderated by: Zach Anderson, COO, Wolverine Power Cooperative
3:15pm - Break
Talk & Tie Service Project outside of Ballroom
3:30pm - Designing Lives & Businesses in Bloom: Focal, Filler & Flair
Kalin Sheick, Florist, Happiness Curator, &
Public Speaker
4:30 - 5:30pm - Networking Social Hour
International Ballroom Foyer
Thursday, April 9
7:00am - 7:45am - Breakfast
Salon C/D
Talk & Tie Service Project outside of Ballroom
8:00am - Welcome
Rachel Johnson, CEO, Cherryland Electric Cooperative
8:05am - NRECA Update
8:35am - MECA Update
9:00am - Palisades Present & Future
Eric Baker, President & CEO, Wolverine Power Cooperative
Kelly Trice, President, Holtec International
Moderated by: Zach Anderson, COO, Wolverine Power Cooperative
10:15am - Break & Check-Out
Talk & Tie Service Project outside of Ballroom
11:00am - Wolverine Annual Meeting
Joseph Baumann, Chief Legal Officer, Wolverine Power Cooperative
11:45am - Closing Remarks
PROFESSIONAL GROUP MEETINGS
Professional Group Meetings are by invitation only
Tuesday, April 7
10:00 am-12:00 pm: IT Professionals Conference
10:00 am-4:00 pm: HR Professionals Conference
10:30 am-4:30 pm: Safety Professionals Roundtable
12:00 pm-5:00 pm: Communicators Conference
1:00 pm-4:00 pm: Broadband Meeting
2:00 pm-4:00 pm: Wolverine Lenders Meeting