Manager’s Message — September 2020

New District 2 Director

Annie TerraccianoHappy Labor Day! I hope you all enjoyed your summer and are ready for some cooler weather and beautiful autumn colors.

Join me and the NLI Board of Directors in welcoming Jill Vandegrift of Trout Creek as the new District 2 director covering the area south of Bull Lake in Montana from Clark Fork, Idaho, to Thompson Falls, Montana.

Jill was appointed after the passing of Judith Simonson, who was the District 2 director for 25 years.

Jill is joining the board with extensive business, military, and emergency management experience. Her knowledge and skill set make her an excellent addition to the board.

What is the role of NLI’s board of directors in serving the membership?

Board directors are democratically elected by the membership to govern and direct the affairs of the cooperative. The board of directors are fiduciaries—people to whom power is entrusted for the benefit of others. The fundamental fiduciary responsibility of the board of directors at NLI is to carefully represent the interests of the members as a group in directing and overseeing the business and affairs of the cooperative within the law.

NLI is overseen by a seven-member board of directors. Each director represents a specific geographic area of our service territory covering north Idaho, western Montana, and eastern Washington. Being a director is a big responsibility. The electric utility industry is an ever-evolving, high-tech system that must be designed and engineered to meet regulatory and consumer standards for reliability, quality, and safety. In addition, there are numerous challenging industry issues such as power supply, regulatory requirements, and environmental issues.

To fulfill their duties, the board of directors at NLI commit time to education. On a regular basis, directors attend training courses on topics such as board governance, financial decision-making, and strategic planning, to name a few. This education helps prepare the directors to make wise business decisions in the boardroom.

Albert Einstein once said, “Learning is not a product of schooling but the lifelong attempt to acquire it.” At NLI we agree with this philosophy.

Annie Terracciano
General Manager