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Member Appreciation Event & Annual Meeting
Thursday, August 6, 2026
Veterans Memorial Auditorium, Harlan, Iowa
Member appreciation event: 5-7 p.m.
Annual meeting: 7 p.m.
Join your friends, family, and neighbors at this year's annual member appreciation dinner and members' meeting.
This year's event will begin at 5 p.m. with a family-friendly member appreciation event featuring a delicious FREE meal with desserts, along with bucket truck rides and activities for the kids (and kids at heart).
Members in attendance will also receive a fun attendance gift!
Whether you vote by mail or in person at the annual meeting, all voting members are entered into the drawing to win one of six $50 bill credit prizes.
The brief annual meeting will begin at 7 p.m. It will also be available to view on social media after the event.
Members: Watch Your Mailbox for Election Materials
Nishnabotna Valley REC's annual board of directors election will take place in August.
Ballots will be mailed to members in mid-July and may be returned by mail, dropped off at the office, or cast in person at the cooperative's annual meeting. All mail-in ballots must be received at the office by 9 a.m. Thursday, Aug. 6.
The winning candidates will be announced that evening during NVREC's annual meeting, which begins at 7 p.m. at Veterans Memorial Auditorium in Harlan. The meeting will immediately follow the cooperative's Member Appreciation Event. The meeting will be available to view via the co-op’s Facebook page the following day.
A copy of this year's annual report is available here (PDF).
This year's election includes races in four director districts.
Incumbent Gene Kenkel is running unopposed in District 1, while incumbent Donna Olson is running unopposed in District 3.
District 4 features a contested race between Jerod Johnson and Mason Peters for the seat being vacated by Tom Pattee, who is retiring after many years of service on the board.
In District 7, Bill Backhaus and Kirk Henningsen are vying for the seat currently held by Darrell Stamp, who is retiring after serving one year of his current three-year term. As a result, the winning candidate will serve the remaining two years of that term.
Candidate bios can be found here (PDF).
Nishnabotna Valley REC is governed by a member-elected board of directors representing the cooperative's seven districts. Directors are elected by the membership to staggered three-year terms and provide strategic oversight of the cooperative while representing the interests of the members they serve.
Interested in Serving on next year's Nominating Committee?
The Nominating Committee meets in June to find member-owners who are interested in serving on the NVREC Board. Contact us if you want to serve on the Nominating Committee or may be interested in serving on the NVREC Board of Directors.