New CEO for Connexus Energy

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 7, 2024

(Ramsey, MN) — Connexus Energy is pleased to announce the selection of Sidney Jackson as its new Chief Executive Officer. Jackson begins his new role at Connexus Energy on March 11, 2024, in close coordination with the previously announced retirement of outgoing CEO Greg Ridderbusch.

The Connexus Energy Board selected Jackson following an extensive national search. “We are delighted to welcome Sidney as the next chief executive officer of Connexus Energy,” said Board Chair Fran Bator. “Connexus has evolved from a traditional distribution utility into an independent electric cooperative. With Sidney leading a team of more than 200 high-performing staff, Connexus Energy members can expect what we’ve always been doing: embracing innovation and continuous improvement to provide reliable, affordable, and increasingly sustainable electricity.”

“I am honored to join Connexus Energy at such an exciting time for the utility,” said Jackson. “Connexus Energy has earned an extraordinary local and national reputation. I’m pleased to both lead and support the executive team and all Connexus employees in service to our members and vibrant North metro communities.”

Jackson has been an executive leader in public power for more than a decade, most recently as general manager of Pasadena Water and Power and previously with Austin Energy and Rochester Public Utilities. Before being named Chief Operations Officer at Rochester Public Utilities, Jackson was at Eagan, MN-based MISO (Midcontinent Independent System Operator) leading technical integration and outreach teams for 10 years. Prior to MISO, Jackson held several operational and strategic roles for Xcel Energy, including engineering, power plant operations, energy portfolio optimization, energy marketing and trading, and strategic planning.

Jackson has served as an elected member of the board of directors for the Midwest Reliability Organization (MRO), a regional entity of North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC); and on NERC committees in support of the nation’s bulk electric system, with a focus upon power system reliability.

Jackson earned a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Kansas State University and a master’s in business administration from the University of Missouri. 

About Connexus Energy

Founded in 1937 as one of the nation’s first 100 electric cooperatives, Connexus Energy is the Midwest's largest consumer-owned electric cooperative and has been nationally recognized for its “perfect power” service reliability, grid innovation and solar land-use practices.

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