Meet the NLI Board Dave Anderson
PrintBy Elissa Glassman
Dave Anderson is a dedicated community member with a strong background in public power and cooperative business models.
Dave has a long history of service to the community and a deep connection to Northern Lights, which he represents as District 6 director. He has been serving as the District 6 director since 2017, representing Northern Lights’ service territory encompassing the region from the Canadian border to the Pack River in the west and including the Gold Creek and Grouse Creek area to the east.
Dave was born in Burley, Idaho, and is a 4th-generation Idahoan. His family originally settled in the Weiser area in 1868. He has been married to his wife, Laura, for 48 years. They are now retired and enjoy taking care of the flora and fauna on their property outside of Bonners Ferry. Dave and Laura have 2 daughters, Julie and Amy, both of whom are small business owners in Denver.
“We have a deep connection to our community,” Dave says. “We have lived in Boundary County for over 40 years, and this community has been very good to us. It is a great place to live.”
Dave graduated from the University of Northern Colorado in political science and economics. After college, he took a turn in retail sales and trout production before becoming a full-time tree grower. He farmed in the Elmira area for 40 years. In that time, he grew more than 1 million Christmas trees and 10s of thousands of nursery trees, which were shipped all over the United States.
“Northern Lights, with their dependability and low costs, was a vital part of our operation,” Dave says. “Bringing joy and happiness to children each December is an important job, and it could not happen without rural electrification.”
Before retiring, Laura had a 39-year career with the Boundary County school district, with the past 25 years as a counselor at Bonners Ferry High School.
Dave and Laura have been active volunteers in various local charitable groups, including Boy Scouts of America, Second Harvest food bank, Boundary County Museum, Paradise Valley Fire District, Distinguished Young Women, Community Theatre, The Fry Foundation, and Pheasants Forever.
Dave’s public service extends beyond his role as District 6 director. He served as the mayor of Bonners Ferry for 8 years, from 2008 to 2016. During his tenure, he dealt with the city’s electrical utility production and distribution, which gave him valuable experience related to public power and the cooperative business model.
For 26 years, Dave served on the board of directors of the Co-op Gas and Supply Co., a farmers’ cooperative serving Boundary and Bonner counties since 1934. He strongly believes in the cooperative model.
“Cooperatives are structured so the end user is a member/owner, not a customer,” Dave says. “Ownership comes with stewardship, and I take my obligation to our members very seriously. NLI is a sound, well-run organization, and I am proud to be a part of its success.”
