Bill Conine named interim president, CEO of Arkansas Electric Cooperatives
Bill Conine has been named interim president and CEO of Arkansas Electric Cooperative Corp. and Arkansas Electric Cooperatives Inc. He replaces Duane Highley, who recently accepted the position of CEO of Tri-State Generation and Transmission Cooperative in Westminster, Colo.
Conine currently is the CEO of Petit Jean Electric Cooperative of Clinton.
The boards of directors of Arkansas Electric Cooperative Corp. and Arkansas Electric Cooperatives have begun a nationwide search for the next president and CEO. Highley, who had served in the position since November 2011, will succeed retiring CEO Mike McInnes at the Colorado cooperative. Tri-State is a nonprofit association with 43 member electric cooperatives and public power districts in four western states. The leadership transition at Tri-State will take place April 5.
The Electric Cooperatives of Arkansas comprise 17 electric distribution cooperatives; Arkansas Electric Cooperatives, a Little Rock-based cooperative that provides services to the distribution cooperatives; and Arkansas Electric Cooperative Corp., a generation and transmission cooperative. The distribution cooperatives provide electricity to nearly 500,000 homes, farms and businesses in Arkansas and surrounding states.