Each year, at the Annual Meeting of Members, three districts are up for election. The Nominating and Elections Committee works hard to bring the members of the cooperative outstanding nominees to choose from. Below are the candidates up for election this year. The winners will represent three of Dunn Energy Cooperative's nine districts for a three-year term. For more information on the area that these districts cover, please visit our Board of Directors page. 

District 1

Larrie

Lawrence Rosen (Town of New Haven)

Qualifications:

  • 4-year member of Dunn Energy after relocating back to Wisconsin. Born and raised in Northwest Dunn County.
  • Graduated from UWRF with a degree in Animal Science-Dairy, with a production emphasis, plus minors in Ag Business and Ag Finance.  Upon graduating, I lived in Denmark and worked on dairy farms studying their production practices.  I used this knowledge in my career.  
  • Currently, General Manager at Herdsman Feeds in Connorsville, Wis.

 

Goals as Director:

  • Educate myself further on the changing demands on our energy grid, in turn educating others so they can make more informed decisions.
  • Have a better understanding of the balance between coal, natural gas, nuclear, and renewable.  They are ALL needed for our future energy needs.
  • The question I ask myself, "How will we produce 2 or 3 times more electricity, to meet our future needs, as we bring manufacturing back to the United States"?

Karl

Karl Varnes (Town of Wilson)

Qualifications:

  • 25 years as CEO/General Manager of Synergy Cooperative, Lakeland Cooperative, and Ridgeland Chetek Cooperative – retired from this role January 2021.
  • Have served on the Dunn Energy board the last three years and currently serve as the VP, hold the Credentialed Cooperative Director certificate. Previous board president of Co-op Transport and ESP (Energy Solution Partners).
  • Have had the opportunity to serve many of our communities and membership in a co-op capacity, learning their needs and adapting to changing demographics while living on a farm in the Ridgeland area with my wife, Sue.

Goals as Director:

  • To listen and learn with an open mind about opportunities and issues in order to make decisions that benefit the membership. The co-op business model has served us well and must be able to do so for future generations.
  • To gain insight on the future strategy of balancing the ever changing regulatory and political environment and how it will impact providing fiscally and environmentally viable energy solutions.
  • To serve the needs of membership to help make our area attractive in retaining and attracting talent needed for our cooperative as well as the communities it serves.

District 4

dean

Dean Stokke (Town of Tainter)

Qualifications:

  • Board member of Dunn Energy since 2016, serving as Dairyland Director the last two years. Hold the Credentialed Cooperative Director Certificate.
  • Born and raised in Dunn County, a graduate of Menomonie High School. I hold an Ag Business degree from UW River Falls and am a retired farm supply Co-op Manager (Barron and Colfax).
  • My wife, Eileen, and I live in the Town of Tainter, have been members of Dunn Energy since 1981, and have two children and six grandchildren.

Goals as Director:

  • Maintain a financially sound Cooperative while continuing to offer safe, reliable, and competitively priced electricity to our members.
  • To continue to bury electrical lines and clear right of ways to minimize outages.
  • Maintain a positive working relationship between board of directors, management, employees, and members.

 

Jim

James Zons (Town of Tainter)

I’ve been a resident of Dunn County for over 40 years and a Dunn Energy Cooperative Member for over 30 years. I am a former Dunn County Board Supervisor (first elected in 2016) and chaired several committees in a leadership position. I am also a commissioner on the Tainter Lake Rehabilitation District board and serve as chair of the Boating and Safety Committee.  I was born and raised in rural Wisconsin and have owned my property in the Town of Tainter for over 30 years. I’ve also owned and operated my own marketing business for over 30 years, and I think that entrepreneurial experience will be an asset and resource for the Dunn Energy board and our members. I have a strong belief in giving back to the community and am currently serving on the boards for several local charitable organizations. 

Goals as Director

One of my key goals as a director would be to ensure that membership continues to receive reliable, cost-effective energy while maintaining the cooperative’s strong financial foundation. I would like to see the cooperative continue to embrace new technologies, especially related to renewable energy sources in a fiscally responsible manner. I would also like to see a continued emphasis on employee work safety by both the board and cooperative management. As a member-owned cooperative, we answer to our membership, so I pledge that as a director, when it comes to our cooperative, transparency will be a primary goal. Good communication is key to strengthening relationships between the board, management, membership, and our local communities, and it is vital to the co-op’s success.

 

District 9

rachel

Rachel Kummer (Town of Rock Creek)

Qualifications:

  • Credentialed Cooperative Director Training, B.S in Education from UWEC and Farm Business Management Certificate from CVTC.
  • Serve as Chairman for the Town of Rock Creek and as a Director and Secretary of the board for Dunn Energy.
  • Own and operate my family dairy farm in the Rock Falls area with my husband of 26 years, Rusty.

 

Goals as Director:

  • Maintain and improve infrastructure in order to continue to deliver reliable and affordable energy to our member-owners.
  • Incorporate new technologies and renewable energy sources in a fiscally responsible manner.
  • Increase our cooperative’s communication and transparency to preserve local control and foster positive relationships within the co-op’s board and management team, as well as with our member-owners and the communities in which we live.

Paul

Paul Rasmussen (Town of Peru)

As a Human Resource and Safety Manager I fully realize the importance every citizen performs in our society.  Each Dunn County Coop Member holds an ongoing role in making the Coop function as a profitable business for the good of all.  Being on the DEC Board would be an honor to represent each Coop Member by bringing their present and future ideas to light.  Our Coop is the basic democracy we enjoy here in America and all of us working together keeps Americans free. 

 

Qualifications:

  • Bachelor of Business Management Degree graduating Magna Cum Laude
  • Twenty years’ experience in Human Resource and Industrial Safety Management serving the wellbeing of all individuals
  • Community Leadership serving as Chairman Township Government, Rural Fire and Ambulance Boards, Church Boards, Local Food Pantry Volunteer, Township Fire Department Volunteer and Fire Department Secretary, Part-Time School Bus Driver and WI Class A CDL 

Goals:

  • Continue to encourage reliable, efficient Green Energy as a power supply source including Dunn Energy Cooperative Member’s solar and wind generation
  • Lead by example to inform and educate Coop Members on Peak Demand saving incentive (Smarthub) to even out the demand for electric energy
  • As a DEC Board Member I would seek the information needed to maintain and improve the present level of service, plus help Dunn Energy Cooperative continue to be a leading energy provider moving into our children’s future