Board & Bylaws

Board & Bylaws

For over 80 years, Connexus Energy has been owned and governed by members like you. The Connexus Energy Board of Directors is elected by the members to provide oversight of the electric cooperative. The board is governed by the cooperative’s bylaws, which are adopted by the membership. They establish rates, set the cooperative’s goals and strategic direction, provide financial oversight, and act as the policy-making body of Connexus Energy.

The cooperative’s director elections take place in conjunction with our annual meeting of the membership which took place on April 14 in 2022 and will be held again in March or April of 2023.

Election Results

• District 2 -
  • Richard "Rick" Braastad, 4,525 votes (41.1%) - Elected
  • Tami Wendt, 3,520 votes (34.3%)
  • Shawn Otto (2,211 votes (21.6%)

• District 4 –
  • Kenneth Fiereck, 5,540 votes (54.2%) - Elected
  • Michael Olson, 2,539 votes (24.8%)
  • Marty Fisher, 2,147 votes (21.0%)

To contact a director regarding board-related matters, email info.boardofdirectors@connexusenergy.com.

Your Board at work for you, our members

During the past year, your board has been reviewing, discussing, and taking action on many topics to continue to keep our cooperative strong and planning for our future. Below are some of those items. (For further details, the meeting minutes are also available in your member portal.)

• Program rates, guidelines, and business practices
• Wholesale power costs
• Cooperative’s solar and battery storage current production and plans for future
• Audit of 2021 financial statements, selecting 2022 auditor, approving 2022 financial plan
• Cash Back allocation to members (capital credits)
• The Connexus Energy Foundation
• Governance self-assessment process
• Reports on a wide range of cooperative items:
  • J.D. Power Electric Residential Customer Satisfaction Study
  • Safety, power reliability, and service quality
  • Identity theft protection program
  • Cyber security testing results
  • Insurance summaries on property, liability, vehicle, cyber
  • Employee benefit programs

Current Board of Directors

District 1

District 2

District 3

District 4

Board Meetings

The 2022 regular and special meetings of the Connexus Energy Board of Directors will be held on the following days, beginning at 8:30 a.m. at Connexus Energy, unless otherwise noted, as of January 1, 2022:

• January 20
• February 17
• March 17
• April 14 (Special organizational meeting following the annual meeting)
• May 19
• June 16
• July 21
• August 8 (Special meeting at 3:00 p.m.)
• August 18
• September 15
• October 20
• November 17
• December 9 (Executive Session-Proprietary)
• December 15

Meeting dates are subject to change by the Board of Directors, based on scheduling circumstances.

We ask that members interested in attending a Board meeting contact the office of the President/CEO at 763.323.2721 at least one week prior to the meeting, for potential scheduling changes and seating coordination. (Board Policy 1-16) Minnesota Statute 308A.327 specifies several categories by which cooperative boards may close a meeting or portion of a meeting. Connexus Energy’s discussions regarding power supply directly affect the cooperative’s competitive or financial position, involving one or more business opportunities, and require consideration of the proprietary information from prospective partners. Board meeting information is available by logging in to your Connexus Energy account and viewing your User Profile.

Members who wish to present an agenda item regarding cooperative business shall complete and submit a request form at least two weeks prior to the meeting for consideration of the Board Executive Committee. Email the completed request form to info.boardofdirectors@connexusenergy.com. If approved, members will be notified of their agenda time prior to the meeting date. Any written or demonstrative materials for the meeting must be submitted two days prior to the meeting.

Bylaws

The Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws of Connexus Energy provide the framework for governance and conducting business, with information on membership, board of directors elections, Cash Back, and more.

Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws