Board member James O’Brien recently received the Credentialed Cooperative Director certification from NRECA. NRECA is the national service organization for the 900 electric cooperatives in the United States.

Board member training
Board members receive training to understand their roles and responsibilities and to have the knowledge and skills to govern Butler Rural Electric Cooperative. Board members attend training courses to learn about board governance, financial decision-making, strategic planning, and current and emerging issues.

Credentialed Cooperative Director
The Credentialed Cooperative Director curriculum consists of five courses that provide the basic knowledge and skills required for co-op board members. James earned the certificate after completing five courses and successfully completed a learning assessment for each course.

James is the board member for District 9, which includes Fairfield and Ross townships in Butler County and Colerain and Crosby townships in Hamilton County. He lives in Ross Township and has been a board member for three years.

James earned a bachelor’s degree in electromechanical engineering from Miami University and an associates degree in electromechanical technology from Southeast Community College. He is employed at Tallgrass Energy as a field engineer.

In his free time, James likes spending time with family and enjoying the outdoors. He also likes helping his wife with her bakery business and his father-in-law with his heating and cooling business. James and his wife, Sarah, have three daughters.

Congratulations, James!