NRCO Announces New CEO

Thursday, September 16, 2021 – Carmel, IN

The National Renewables Cooperative Organization (NRCO) Board of Directors announced today that they have unanimously selected Michael Keyser as NRCO’s new Chief Executive Officer (CEO).  Mr. Keyser’s start date will be January 1, 2022. Keyser succeeds Amadou Fall, who served as CEO from the company’s inception in 2008 until February 2021, when he joined North Carolina Electric Membership Corporation as Chief Operating Officer.

Keyser is currently CEO of BARC Electric Cooperative (BARC) and its wholly-owned fiber-to-the-home subsidiary, BARC Connects, where he has served since 2010. He has extensive industry experience, and has led significant change in renewable and technology development at BARC. Keyser earned a Bachelor’s degree in business from Washington State University, a law degree from Seattle University School of Law, and a black belt in Lean Six Sigma from Virginia Tech.

Andrew Lachowsky, NRCO’s Board President, shared, “We are excited to welcome Mike given his passion for renewables and his proven record of innovation. His background demonstrates that he will be able to effectively lead NRCO in assisting its members through our industry transformation as additions of renewables and related technologies continue to increase. The NRCO Board is confident Mike’s leadership will help guide NRCO’s strategy to deliver value to its members.”

“I am honored to join the team at NRCO as its next chief executive, and look forward to working with the members on technologies and strategies as our industry rapidly evolves,” said Keyser. “Leading NRCO is a truly unique opportunity for me to bring the perspective of both the retail consumer and distribution cooperative to the work that NRCO does. I am excited to assist the members as the country migrates toward a more clean and sustainable electric grid.”

NRCO’s Board of Directors Selection Committee retained CarterBaldwin Executive Search to conduct a nationwide search to identify candidates to serve as CEO of NRCO. Don Gulley, President and CEO of Southern Illinois Power Cooperative, led the Search Committee. Gulley recognized the efforts of Chris Guiney, Partner at CarterBaldwin, in this process, noting, “Chris did an outstanding job identifying and presenting viable candidates that could lead NRCO Members through this time of energy industry transition and transformation.”

Lachowsky also recognized Todd Bartling, who has served as Interim CEO since February 2021, stating, “The NRCO Board is thankful for Todd’s leadership and commitment to continuing to further NRCO’s mission and serve its members during this transition.”

About NRCO:

Formed in 2008, NRCO has 21 members across the United States that have a combined peak load of nearly 40 GW and serve more than 7.6 million homes and businesses. NRCO’s mission is to create opportunities for its members to contract and develop a wide range of cost-effective renewable energy resources. NRCO’s innovative solutions assist members through the maze of new storage applications, new grid infrastructure projects, evolving federal and state policies, and emerging technologies toward a cleaner and more reliable grid.