By Jodi Borger

Across Indiana, a new generation of leaders is rising to guide electric cooperatives forward. They bring inventive ideas, technical expertise, and a strong dedication to service and community, embodying the cooperative spirit.

In celebration of National Cooperative Month, Indiana Electric Cooperatives (IEC), the publisher of Indiana Connection, is recognizing eight rising leaders from around the state. These individuals do more than just maintain the lights; they also build community bonds, promote innovation, and equip co-ops to face future challenges and opportunities.

At IEC, we commend these emerging leaders and believe they will be the key to moving the industry and their cooperatives forward. Their commitment to service and community is shaping a better future for their members and all Hoosiers. — John Cassady, Indiana Electric Cooperatives CEO.

Abby Asher, Decatur County | Senior Marketing and Communications Specialist

Abby Asher’s path to marketing and communications wasn’t a straight one.

She originally attended college for elementary education but changed direction when she realized it wasn’t the right fit. After earning her degree from Purdue University, she took a position combining human resources and marketing.

Her first connection to Decatur County REMC came as a co-op member attending the Annual Meeting. When a member service representative position opened in 2012, she applied.

Asher spent nearly four years in member service before moving into billing. Marketing was added to her responsibilities in 2022, and in January 2024, she became senior marketing and communications specialist.

“Looking back, I’m really glad my path through the cooperative wasn’t a straight line,” Asher said. “Working in member service and billing gave me a much better understanding of our members, our employees, and how the different areas of the cooperative work together.”

That experience now shapes her approach to communications. She created Decatur County REMC’s Little Crew Club, which earned a Gold Award in the national Spotlight on Excellence Awards. She has also helped expand live line safety demonstrations and create and launch the PowerStream Fiber brand.

Asher has continued developing her cooperative knowledge through the IEC Leadership Edge Program and Hoosier Energy’s Member Service Representative Program. 

“As we grow and evolve with new services like PowerStream Fiber, I think it’s important that we don’t lose sight of what makes a cooperative different — our history, our values, and our connection to the people we serve,” she said.

Hayley Berg, Henry County REMC | Manager of Member Services

When Hayley Berg joined Henry County REMC as a part-time customer service representative in December 2014, she was still months away from graduating high school. She didn’t know much about electric cooperatives — or that she was beginning a career that would eventually lead her to manage the department.

The day after graduating in 2015, Berg became a full-time employee. After six years as a customer service representative, she was promoted to member services coordinator in 2021 and became manager of member services in April 2026.

Through each role, one thing has remained constant: her focus on members.

“I can’t always give the members exactly what they need, but I always try to find a solution that works for them and us to make sure they know we value them as members and people,” Berg said.

Berg has continued building her skills along the way. She completed the IEC Leadership Edge Program and Hoosier Energy’s MSR HEATS Program, earned her Certified Key Account Executive credential, and completed Advanced Communication training through the Bell Leadership Institute. She is also finishing an associate degree through Ivy Tech Community College.

Her involvement extends beyond Henry County REMC. This year, Berg serves as president of IEC’s CSR Section, helping plan programs for customer service representatives across the state.

Now approaching 12 years with the cooperative, Berg is focused on growing into her newest role while helping her team do the same.

“I am excited to see how things advance over the next several years, learn new ways to enhance our members’ experience, and continue to grow myself and my team,” she said.

Cody Fletcher, Kankakee Valley REMC | Director of Engineering

Cody Fletcher grew up knowing Kankakee Valley REMC as the electric co-op that served his family. Today, he is helping lead its engineering department.

“The co-ops really do care about the people they serve,” Fletcher said. “Everyone puts the member first, whether it’s the CSR who is an actual person you get to talk to when you call our office or the linemen who work all night long to get the power back on.”

Fletcher earned a degree in construction engineering and management technology from Purdue University North Central, now Purdue University Northwest.

After college, he joined an investor-owned utility as a field engineer and spent five years there before a former coworker recruited him to Kankakee Valley REMC.

Fletcher joined the co-op as engineering supervisor in June 2022 and quickly found that his role extended beyond engineering. He has made it a priority to build relationships across departments and help connect employees in the office with those working in the field.

“I feel like I have helped to bridge the gap between departments inside the co-op,” Fletcher said. “I have a close relationship with all parties and can bring them together and help with any problems.”

Fletcher graduated from IEC’s Rural Electric Leaders in Training Exchange, or RELITE, program in 2024.

In August, Fletcher was promoted to director of engineering.

“I look forward to continuing to grow as a leader and to build my career at the co-op,” Fletcher said. “I hope that I will always keep the members first in all decisions made.”

Jason Hughes, Kankakee Valley REMC | A-lineman

For years, becoming a lineman was something Jason Hughes thought about — but wasn’t sure would ever happen.

After seven years in construction, Hughes had a full-time job and three young daughters to support, making a career change difficult. But his wife’s grandfather, a longtime lineman who spent part of his career with an electric co-op, continued encouraging him. He told Hughes about an opening for a groundman and urged him to apply. 

That opportunity brought Hughes to Marshall County REMC in 2015, where he completed IEC’s Rural Electric Apprenticeship Program (REAP) and earned an associate degree from Ivy Tech Community College.

In 2022, Hughes joined Kankakee Valley REMC, where he now serves as an A-lineman and frequently leads crews on projects ranging from pole replacements to line rebuilds.

“I am so passionate about what I do,” Hughes said. “I enjoy teaching others whenever I can.”

That willingness to help others develop is something his coworkers have noticed and appreciate.

Hughes also gives back outside his day-to-day responsibilities, volunteering for community projects, representing the cooperative at local events, and mentoring youth at the electric cooperative trades camp.

He has continued preparing himself for future opportunities, completing IEC’s Advanced Lineman Training Program and participating in the two-year RELITE leadership development program. As part of RELITE, Hughes developed a leadership motto that reflects his approach: “Great leadership starts with integrity.”

Carly Nichols, Jay County REMC | Marketing and Communications Coordinator

From employee mystery games to community cookbooks and food drives, Carly Nichols has found plenty of ways to put her creativity to work at Jay County REMC.

“Exercising my creativity and helping the community are my two greatest joys with this job,” Nichols said. “Anytime I can combine these two things is a great day.”

A 2003 Ball State University graduate with a degree in theater, Nichols didn’t set out to pursue marketing or communications. Her introduction to the co-op came while she was working in the Energy Assistance Department at Community & Family Services, where she collaborated with Jay County REMC employees to help members receive energy assistance.

When the co-op’s marketing coordinator retired in 2020, an employee encouraged Nichols to apply.

Six years later, Nichols remains Jay County REMC’s marketing and communications coordinator — and its one-person marketing department.

Early in her co-op career, Nichols was tasked with developing a monthly competition program to boost employee engagement. Since then, she has created office-friendly versions of Battleship, Monopoly, Candy Land, and Clue, along with contests, treasure hunts, and mysteries. Her REMClue game earned a Silver Award in the 2023 Spotlight on Excellence Awards.

That community involvement ranges from electrical safety and 4-H programs to career fairs and food drives. Nichols recently created the Little Lineworkers Squad, which was inspired and guided by Abby Asher’s Little Crew Club. She continually uses her creativity to benefit everyone around her.

Ryan Stuthers, SCI REMC | Manager of System Planning and Engineering

A college career fair introduced Ryan Stuthers to electric cooperatives. What began as an interest in infrastructure quickly became an appreciation for the co-op model behind it.

“I had always been interested in infrastructure over manufacturing or product development,” Stuthers said. “The electric cooperatives — service in not only infrastructure, but in democratic, member-owned, not-for-profit infrastructure — was a clear path of interest for me.”

Today, Stuthers is manager of system planning and engineering at South Central Indiana REMC, where he oversees line design, system planning, system control operations, and GIS.

His path to the co-op industry began while studying at Anderson University. Stuthers met IEC’s Ann Mears at a career fair and, through that connection, met Gregg Wolven, the former director of engineering at WIN Energy REMC, who gave him the opportunity to spend time at the co-op and learn more about the industry.

After earning his bachelor’s degree in 2020, Stuthers joined Tipmont, where he spent five years before joining South Central Indiana REMC, in 2025.

Stuthers has continued to build his technical and leadership skills throughout his career. He earned a master’s degree from Arizona State University in 2024 and graduated from IEC’s RELITE program that same year. In 2025, he became a certified Project Management Professional.

Stuthers also serves as a consulting member of NRECA’s transmission & distribution engineering committee (TDEC), contributing to industry research and technical guidance. He is a member of Anderson University’s Alumni Council, engineering advisory board, and is an adjunct professor of electrical engineering.

 Brody Wade, JCREMC | GIS Technician

JCREMC was part of Brody Wade’s childhood long before it became part of his career.

His mother worked for the co-op, and Wade remembers spending time at the office after school. Today, Wade is JCREMC’s GIS technician, and many of the employees who watched him grow up are now his co-workers.

Wade earned a bachelor’s degree from Purdue University in 2022. During and after college, he worked as an environmental scientist in environmental restoration and geographic information systems, or GIS.

Wade wanted to return home and apply his skills locally. When a position opened at JCREMC in 2022, it gave him that opportunity.

Over the past four years, Wade has gained experience beyond GIS, including engineering and operations. He has earned certifications in drone operations and staking engineering, completed Hoosier Energy’s HEATS program, and trained in 811 locating.

His environmental background proved beneficial at the co-op. When solar was added to JCREMC’s system, Wade helped introduce agrivoltaics, partnering with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to establish native perennial pollinator habitat around the solar field. 

For the past two years, Wade has chaired the co-op’s sponsorship team, helping support local organizations.

Additionally, for the past four years, he has volunteered as a coach for a local high school FFA program where he led a wildlife habitat education program team.

“Giving back to the community that gave me so much growing up is the biggest reason I do what I do professionally and personally,” Wade said.

Tommy Wiseman, Harrison REMC | Accounting Manager

The first time Tommy Wiseman heard of Harrison REMC was years before he considered working there. During his final summer of college, Wiseman interned with Monroe Shine, a public accounting firm that audits several local electric cooperatives, including Harrison REMC.

“Working on those audits opened my eyes to the cooperative model and the benefits that come with working for these organizations,” Wiseman said.

After graduating from the University of Southern Indiana, Wiseman joined Monroe Shine full-time and later earned his Certified Public Accountant license.

He eventually moved to First Harrison Bank as a senior accountant, working closely with the CFO and assisting with financial reporting. Nearly five years later, he applied for the accounting manager position at Harrison REMC.

Now more than two and a half years into his co-op career, Wiseman has developed an even greater appreciation for the cooperative model.

“In an industry where you might expect organizations to compete, there is instead a genuine willingness to share ideas and help your peers succeed,” he said.

Wiseman carries that co-op spirit into his community, serving on the boards of the Harrison County Chamber of Commerce and Harrison County Community Foundation.

Looking ahead, Wiseman sees both challenges and opportunities as Harrison REMC prepares for the future.

“One of the biggest things that I have learned since stepping into management is that things rarely stay the same,” Wiseman said. “You have to be willing to adapt, continue learning, and prepare for what’s ahead.”