In December, Allen Albers announced he would be retiring and would not seek reelection for his Board seat. Al has been a longstanding member of ECI REC’s Board of Directors, with 35 years of service. His current term would have concluded in June 2022.

Al was first elected to the Board in 1985. During his tenure, he has served as Vice President and Secretary/Treasurer. For 16 years, he has been ECI REC’s representative on the Central Iowa Power Cooperative (CIPCO) Board of Directors.

Al decided to run for the Board of Directors in 1985, after being approached by his uncle, who was retiring from his seat for District #3. Al had been a member of the Benton County Electric Cooperative Association for six years at the time. He served for 10 years on the Benton County REA Board, before the cooperative merged with Buchanan County REC in 1995 to become East-Central Iowa REC.

“There are challenges and responsibilities that come with being on the ECI REC and CIPCO Boards,” said Al. “I’ve witnessed a lot of changes at both the distribution and the generation and transmission levels. I always enjoyed the discussions we had, as the ultimate goal of both Boards is the betterment of the membership—whether that’s the nearly 7,900 ECI REC members or CIPCO’s 13 member-owned electric cooperatives.”

Last year, Al retired from his farming operation—470 acres of corn, soybeans, oats, and hay near Keystone. He and his wife, Ruth, who is a retired teacher, continue to live on the farm and enjoy staying active. He looks forward to retirement, but he will miss the camaraderie that comes with serving as a Director.

“As an independent farmer, being on these Boards was a great opportunity to meet and become friends with different people who were all trying to accomplish the same things,” said Al. “It’s been like an extended family that I’m really going to miss.”

From everyone at ECI REC: Thank you, Al, for your 35 years of dedicated service! You will be greatly missed—we wish you all the best!