WEC Trustees Earn Director Credentials

Members of the Wheatland Electric Board of Trustees have earned various levels of board certification from the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA). 

MARK ARNOLD, board president and District 7 trustee, and STACEY ADDISON-HOWLAND, board secretary and District 4 trustee, have both earned their Director Gold status from NRECA. The continuing education credential recognizes directors who have received both the Credentialed Cooperative Director (CCD) and Board Leadership Certificate (BLC). Earning Director Gold also demonstrates their ongoing commitment to advancing their knowledge and performing their fiduciary duty to the best of their ability. 

JOHN SULLIVAN, District 6 trustee, and DUSTIN STANSBURY, District 7 trustee, have both earned their CCD certificates from NRECA, the first part of NRECA’s three-part Director Education Program. This program consists of five courses that focus on basic governance knowledge and the essential skills required of cooperative directors. It also prepares directors to fulfill their fiduciary responsibilities as elected officials serving on behalf of the co-op membership. 

Goddard and Semenko Earn MIP 

TRACI GODDARD, director of finance, and NICOLE SEMENKO, manager of human resources, have completed NRECA’s Robert I. Kabat Management Internship Program (MIP), a comprehensive, six-week program providing in-depth analysis of the functions and processes of electric cooperative management.

The national-level management credential is an intensive management program and includes on-site classes in the Fluno Center for Executive Education at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. 

Goddard, who has been with the cooperative since 2015, was first hired as WEC’s manager of accounting. A certified public accountant licensed in the state of Kansas, Goddard was promoted to director of finance in 2022. 

Semenko, a former payroll specialist who started at WEC in 2016, was promoted to human resources manager this year following the retirement announcement of Barbara Kirk, existing director of human resources. Kirk, who plans to retire March 8, 2024, will be training Semenko as part of WEC’s ongoing succession plan. 

Hoisington and West Earn CKAE 

MARY HOISINGTON, member services and key accounts manager, and LUKE WEST, director of corporate services and water, have both earned their 
credential in the Certified Key Account Executive Program (CKAE). 

This NRECA program helps key account executives implement and strengthen winning key accounts management strategies to serve our commercial and industrial members. We serve a broad range of these types of business members, from schools, churches, and hospitals to large manufacturers, farms, and national retail chains.

These members require special attention from time to time due to their unique energy needs.