2024 Annual Meeting & Election

Curt Nead, Hauser
KEC Member: 21 Years

I graduated from Coeur d’Alene High School and Lewis Clark State College with a degree in Business Management. With my wife of 49 years, I’ve lived in Hauser and have been a member of the cooperative for over 20 years. I have personally experienced the exceptional service and reliability that KEC has provided to its members and the local, in-house customer service is important to me. My career as a human resource and safety professional includes a variety of manufacturing and construction companies, whose work has involved power transmission projects. Through my experience, the safety of cooperative employees and members is of the utmost importance to me. I served as president on the board of the Spokane Human Resource Management Association and have worked as director of safety with the board of directors at the Associated General Contractors in Spokane.  

The incredible growth that we have all experienced in North Idaho these past years has affected all aspects of our lives, including the cooperative’s service. In order to keep pace with that growth, I believe that a conservative financial approach needs to be applied for the responsible, continued expansion of KEC’s facilities, employees and serviceability. There will be demands for more energy as Washington and Oregon attempt to make electric vehicles the norm. It will be important to have a conservative voice representing our cooperative members at the table in future regional and national energy stakeholder meetings and I would like to be that voice. I am committed and excited to complete the continuing education requirements of our board including the NRECA Credentialed Director Program and the Board Leadership Certification. 

I will strive to understand the needs of both the rural and urban members of KEC as they both must be acknowledged and addressed diplomatically to keep the mission of the organization moving forward. It has been my experience and strength to hear all sides of an issue before forming judgement and determining direction of movement. It would be my pleasure and honor to be elected to the board at KEC and continue the outstanding service for which this organization has been known.

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Jim Robbins, Incumbent 
Post Falls 
KEC Member: 22 Years

I graduated from California Polytechnic College (Pomona) with a civil engineering degree and began my career at Pacific Gas Transmission Co. (PGT) on the construction of the largest natural gas pipeline in the United States, running from Alberta, Canada to California. I was subsequently offered an engineering position with the Operations Department of PGT in Spokane and filled various roles, including Director of Operations. In this role, I was responsible for day-to-day operation of the pipeline, scheduling of over 350 shipping accounts, gas accounting for billing, and administration of Federal Energy Regulatory Commission authorized tariffs. I bought and sold millions of dollars of natural gas on the open market and remotely operated and controlled 14 turbine powered compressor stations to deliver over 2.8 billion cubic feet of natural gas daily throughout the Pacific Northwest as well as California and Nevada. The control center and scheduling of gas operated 24 hours a day, 365 days a year with as many as 3,000 buy/sell transactions conducted each day.

During my 20 years as the Director of Operations, I testified before the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission in Washington, D.C., and the Idaho Public Utility Commission on rate case matters and operations and safety of natural gas pipelines in the U.S. 

After retiring from PGT, I was elected to serve on the KEC Board of Directors in 2012 and have served the membership for the past 12 years. In addition, I was appointed as KEC’s representative to the Idaho Consumer Owned Utility Association (ICUA) in 2013. This statewide public power utility association represents Idaho’s 22 not-for-profit electric power providers and serves as a collective voice on Bonneville Power Administration rate matters, operations and policies. ICUA also serves as a watch dog on national and state legislative actions to protect public power users in Idaho. I served as President of ICUA from 2020 to 2022, and currently serve on its Executive Committee. I was also selected to serve as an advisor to the Northwest Power and Conservation Council on energy matters in the Pacific Northwest. 
 

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Bill Swick, Incumbent 
Worley
KEC Member: 21 Years

I have proudly served as a KEC director since 2009, the last eleven years as the board chair. I work hard to fairly represent all KEC’s members and to ensure we safely deliver to our members reliable electric service at competitive prices and with exceptional service. I also represent KEC and other Idaho utilities as a trustee for the Northwest Public Power Association, an organization that provides workforce training and advocacy for public power companies in the Northwest. I believe my analytical, organizational, and communication skills are valuable in helping KEC and the public power community to improve their operations and plan effectively for the future.

Before retiring from my professional career, I had over 30 years of experience leading investigations of nonprofit, business and government programs. My work led to hundreds of recommendations to improve operations over a wide range of management challenges. I also developed a good working knowledge of the Northwest electric power industry, including operations of the Bonneville Power Administration, the Northwest Power and Conservation Council and the complex and sometimes conflicting challenges of producing and delivering electricity, supporting economic development, and protecting the environment.

I earned undergraduate and MBA degrees in business from Washington State University and Oregon State University, respectively. I am a life-long resident of the Pacific Northwest and Carole and I have lived in Kootenai County since 2003.

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John Hoffman, 
Worley 
KEC Member: 21 Years

I was born and raised in the Silver Valley of North Idaho. I attended Idaho State University, majoring in English education. Growing up, my family owned and operated a grocery store and I realized my love of customer service was leading me to a career in sales and marketing. When family circumstances took me to the Midwest, I spent several years as the marketing associate and long distance coordinator for a phone cooperative in Golden, Illinois. During this time in the Midwest, I completed a program in business and city leadership at Western Illinois University and I enjoyed serving my new community as a member of the Quincy Area Chamber Marketing Board and a member of the Hancock County Rural Development Board.

In 2003, I returned with my family to our home in North Idaho and I spent several years as an outlet manager and interim district manager for U.S. operations of a major Canadian company. In 2007 I was hired as general manager and hearth sales manager at a multi-million dollar community cornerstone HVAC company, which eventually led me to start Lake Creek Comfort, a full service HVAC and hearth company in 2017. I started this business to serve the rural customers in and around my own community—to offer premium, energy efficient products and top customer service to my neighbors. My wife, Stefani and I are very active members of the North Idaho Building Contractors Association, serving on the board of directors and on several committees and participating at the State level to represent and protect our fellow members of the building industry. 

I am a community-minded individual and am very excited for the opportunity to serve on the board and represent my friends and neighbors. In my spare time, I enjoy coaching and sponsoring youth sports and I have spent many years as a high school and then NCAA football official as well as volunteering as the announcer at our local high school. I enjoy time spent outdoors with my family and love to ride my bicycle on the many wonderful trails we have in our area.
 

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Crystal Musselman, Incumbent 
Hauser
KEC Member: 25 Years

I have 40 years of experience in the energy industry, with the last 26 being in the electric industry. Currently, I am the President and CEO of Proven Compliance Solutions Inc., a NERC reliability compliance consulting firm specializing in assisting companies in the area of electric reliability. I have worked with hundreds of utilities across the United States and Canada that own and operate transmission and generation including wind, solar, battery storage, natural gas, and hydro facilities. I have served on the Western Electricity Coordinating Council Standards Committee since 2012. Previously, I worked for an investor-owned utility for 12 years in several capacities including compliance, regulatory, energy trading support, risk, and contracts. I have served as an at-large director on the KEC Board for the past six years.

My experience includes working with the agencies that govern electric reliability in the United States, including the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, the North American Electric Reliability Corporation, the Western Electricity Coordinating Council, and the other five regions in North America. I was a founding member of the Western Interconnection Compliance Forum (WICF) and elected the first chair by my industry peers. Over 1,100 industry professionals participate in WICF, which provides entities within the Western Interconnection a venue to share knowledge and lessons learned regarding electric reliability and cyber security compliance matters, and to collectively develop best practices.

I hold a BBA in Organizational Behavior and Management from the University of Houston, a Master of Organizational Leadership from Gonzaga University, a Master of Business Administration from Webster University, and a Master of Engineering and Technology Management from Washington State University. I also hold my Credentialed Cooperative Director Gold Certification.

I have lived in Kootenai County since 1997. In my spare time, I enjoy golf, camping, and traveling.

View Crystal's Candidate Video