Don’t forget: your annual meeting registration card is on the back cover of this month’s issue
At this year’s annual meeting on April 10, the membership of Kankakee Valley REMC will elect three members to serve on the REMC board. The candidates for the board are profiled at right. They have completed the necessary requirements to run for directorship. These individuals will also be listed on the ballot at the annual meeting. There will be no nominations accepted from the floor at the annual meeting.
The Kankakee Valley REMC service territory is divided into 5 districts. Our board of directors is composed of one member from each of the five districts, as well as two at large directors that reside in any district. Each director serves a three-year term.
To run for election to the board of directors, members were required to complete a petition containing signatures from 15 members who reside in their district. In addition, member candidates were required to attend a mandatory informational meeting.
This year’s candidates are being elected from District 3, District 5 and one at-large position.
District 3 includes these or parts of these townships in LaPorte County: Cass • Clinton • Dewey • Hanna • Johnson • Lincoln • New Durham • Noble • Pleasant • Prairie • Union • Washington; and Liberty and Lincoln townships in St. Joseph County.
District 5 includes these or parts of these townships in Starke County: California • Jackson • Railroad • Wayne; and these townships in Pulaski County: Cass • Franklin • Jefferson • Monroe • Rich Grove • Tippecanoe • White Post.
At-large position is open to all members residing in a township that is part of the Kankakee Valley REMC service territory.
A democratic and open election is one of the many elements that makes cooperatives stand out from other utilities. We invite you to attend the annual meeting on April 10 and vote for your representation on the board.
DISTRICT 3 CANDIDATE
Otto Werner
Otto Werner
Otto Werner and his wife, Diana, farm in LaPorte County. The couple have three children and four grandchildren. Werner is a member of the First Lutheran Church of Hanna. He is a member of the LaPorte County Row Crop Food Producers, a sales representative for Pioneer Hi-Bred Seed and a certified crop advisor. Werner is currently the KV REMC representative to Indiana Electric Cooperatives, our statewide association. He is also on the board of Kankakee Valley Services, LLC. He received his director certification from the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association in 1992 and Credentialed Cooperative Director designation in 1998. Werner has been an REMC member for 58 years.
DISTRICT 5 CANDIDATE
Kenneth Redlin
Kenneth Redlin
Kenneth Redlin and his wife, Linda, farm in Starke and Pulaski counties and have been KV REMC members since 1985. The Redlins have four children and 10 grandchildren. Redlin is a member of St. Peter Lutheran Church. He is a past member of the North Judson Jaycees and a member of the Pulaski County FSA Committee. He is a strong support of Pulaski County 4-H. He was elected to the KV REMC board in 1988 and has served as board secretary-treasurer as well as system representative for Wabash Valley Power Association. Redlin is currently the KV REMC board vice president. He also serves on the Kankakee Valley Services, LLC board. Redlin received his director certification in 1993 and Credentialed Cooperative Director designation in 1999 from the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association.
AT-LARGE CANDIDATES
Susan Bachert
Susan Bachert
Susan Bachert lives in Starke County. She is a program technician for the Starke County Farm Service Agency, where she has worked for over 20 years. Bachert has two grown daughters. She is a member of the SS Cyril and Methodius Catholic Church in North Judson. Bachert has been a Kankakee Valley REMC member for 37 years.
She completed all necessary classes to receive her Credentialed Cooperative Director designation from the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association in 2014. Bachert was elected to the board in 2009 and has been serving as board secretary since 2010.
Kathy Grott
Kathy Grott
Kathy Grott has been a Kankakee Valley REMC member since 2016 and currently resides in Wanatah. She has a Bachelor of Science degree in elementary education from the University of St. Francis and a Master of Science degree in elementary guidance from Western Michigan University. In 39 years of teaching, Grott taught grades 1-8 in both public and private schools. She also taught special needs students and served as an elementary school principal.
Grott stays active in the community with her involvement in Wanatah Lions Club where she serves as secretary and recently took part in a Lions Eyeglass mission trip to Mexico, Sacred Heart Church — Bowls of Plenty, Care Ministry, and as a church lector and a Eucharistic Minister. Now retired she enjoys fishing, gardening, golf and traveling. Grott is interested in being a KV REMC board member to continue what she has always enjoyed: serving others and advancing her education and knowledge. Her past experiences have instilled a strong work ethic, the ability to work with a wide range of people and good organizational skills. It is these experiences that Grott believes can be utilized to help the KV REMC board advance to the next level.
Dean Moretton
Dean Moretton
Dean Moretton; his wife, Laura; and three children are Morgan Township residents and have been KV REMC members since 2001. Moretton has an electrical engineering degree from Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, has an MBA from Indiana University and a Purdue Entrepreneur certification. Moretton has earned NRECA management certificates that include Credentialed Cooperative Director, Co-Op Board Leadership and PMI Project Management Professional.
Moretton is the president of an energy consultancy and an energy leader with 30 years of experience in the utility sector, with a focus on minimizing energy costs for utilities and their customers. At the forefront of electricity, Moretton authors and speaks about co-op “best utility practices.” With his knowledge about cutting-edge technology, Moretton can evaluate these solutions for KV REMC. Moretton was previously a KV REMC board director and on the National Cooperative Leadership Network board.
Lee Nagai
Lee Nagai
Lee Nagai; his wife, Tiffany; and their four daughters live in Starke County and have been KV REMC members since 2002. Nagai is a professional engineer, having received his Bachelor of Science degree in civil engineering from Valparaiso University in 1989. He is a partner in the professional surveying and engineering firm, Tiemens-Nagai Surveying and Engineering, LLC.
The Nagais also farm their fourth generation family farm together. They are members of Holy Cross Catholic Church in Hamlet. Nagai is active in the community serving as Vice-President of the Starke County Farm Bureau Inc. board, and President of the Starke County Redevelopment Commission board. He has previously served as President of the Starke County Plan Commission, President of the Starke County Board of Zoning Appeals, member of the Oregon-Davis School board, and member of the Bailey-Cox-Newtson Conservancy District board.
In his free time, Nagai enjoys all things related to railroads and trains, antique farm machinery and learning new things. Nagai is interested in serving as a KV REMC board director to help the cooperative continue to be successful in the 21st century and embrace new technologies to better serve all members.
