Dairyland Power Cooperative Names Barbara Nick President and CEO

LA CROSSE, Wisc., Nov. 20, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Dairyland Power Cooperative's Board of Directors has named Barbara "Barb" Nick as the organization's next President and CEO. She will succeed William "Bill" Berg who is retiring at the end of the year. Bill has been at the helm at Dairyland since 1990 and with the cooperative since 1974.

"Barb brings more than 30 years of diverse professional experience from the electric and gas industry to Dairyland," said Dan Korn, Chairman of Dairyland's Board of Directors. "The Board is confident that her strong executive leadership skills, strategic planning ability and overall vast experience in the electric utility will provide continued strong leadership as our cooperative meets the challenges ahead."

Barb most recently held the position of President of Michigan Gas Utilities Corporation and Minnesota Energy Resources Corporation within the Integrys Energy Group from 2012-2014. She initially joined Wisconsin Public Service Corporation in 1981and has held numerous positions, including Senior Vice President of Energy Delivery and Customer Service and President of Upper Peninsula Power Company (UPPCO) from 2006-2012.

"I thank the Board of Directors for their vote of confidence and support," Barb stated. "Following in the footsteps of Bill Berg is certainly an honor. His leadership over the last 25 years provides a very strong foundation for Dairyland. I appreciate his steadfast leadership and my goal is to continue to safeguard Dairyland's members, employees and other stakeholders as we work together in navigating through the complicated uncertainties of our industry for safe, reliable, sustainable and affordable energy."

Barb completed Harvard Business School's Advanced Management Program in 2003, and earned a Bachelor's degree in Communications and Business from UW-Green Bay in 1983. She has been in the Green Bay, Wis., area since 1979 and has been very active in the community, including over 25 years of board service in the energy industry, health care and other civic organizations. Barb and her husband, Jay, have six adult children and nine grandchildren. She was born in New York City and her hometown is "Old Town" Scottsdale, Ariz.

With headquarters in La Crosse, Wis., Dairyland provides wholesale electricity to 25 member distribution cooperatives and 17 municipal utilities. A Touchstone Energy Cooperative, Dairyland's service area encompasses 62 counties in four states (Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa and Illinois). Dairyland's generation resources include coal, natural gas, hydro, wind, biomass, landfill gas, animal waste and solar. For more information, please visit www.dairynet.com.

SOURCE Dairyland Power Cooperative