Meet the 2025 Candidates

District 1

This seat represents portions of Prior Lake, Savage, Burnsville, Credit River, and Elko-New Market. The incumbent is unopposed.

Deborah Erickson | Savage | Years as MVEC member: 22 Spouse: Vern

Describe education, occupation, and community involvement:

• Financial Advisor Market Financial, New Market Bank
• Presented testimony to the MN State Senate on behalf of Minnesota Rural Electric Cooperatives. 
• Obtained Cooperative Credentialed Director and Cooperative Board Leadership Certification.
• 2017 -2026, elected by my cooperative peers across the country to serve as Director for the National Cooperative Services Corporation (NCSC). This is a national board comprised of 15 members. NCSC provides financing to electric cooperatives and rural telephone and broadband entities. Serving on this board has provided an in-depth perspective of our rapidly changing energy environment. This allows me to bring back concepts and ideas to share with MVEC Board and Staff.
• Hobbies: enjoying the outdoors with my family, reading and travel.

Goal as a Director:
My goal as a director is to serve the needs of MVEC’s member-owners. Putting our members first means ensuring they have reliable affordable energy as the top priority. This has become increasingly more complex in the past few years as our nation is undergoing an energy transition, along with new regulations and mandates. As a director, I will prioritize that MVEC maintains its strong financial position. That we offer programs which educate and enable our member-owners to manage their energy consumption efficiently. Serving as an MVEC Director, I take my fiduciary responsibility seriously and work to further the relationship of trust and confidence between MVEC and its member-owners. I believe in the cooperative business model and am committed to our members and the communities we serve. It has been a privilege to serve on the MVEC Board and it is my pledge to use my experience to represent the best interest of our members. I would appreciate your continued support, and I thank you for your vote!

Deborah Erickson Campaign Contributions Report

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District 2

This seat represents portions of Carver, Hennepin, Sibley, and Scott counties. One of the three following candidates will be elected to a three-year term.

Greg Boe | Chanhassen  | Years as MVEC member: 4.5  | Spouse: Debra

Occupation and Experience:

Over 30 years of local government experience, including serving as the Environmental Services Department Manager at Carver County, and a major program manager with Scott County Environmental Services. Also worked in manufacturing and retail sales.

Education:

• Master’s Degree in Public Administration, MSU – Mankato
• Graduate Certificate in Public Management, MSU – Mankato
• BS Degree in Environmental Science & Biology, Minor in Chemistry, MSU – Mankato
• AA Degree in Electronics, Willmar Vocational Technical Institute – Willmar

Community Involvement and Hobbies:

• •Served in the Minnesota State Legislature – House of Representatives – and on the Energy Finance and Policy Committee. Observed interactions between the State of Minnesota, power companies, and electric cooperatives.
• •Elected to serve three terms on the Chaska City Council.
  • Appointed to the Minnesota Municipal Power Agency (MMPA) Board of Directors.
  • Learned about MISO (analyzing and reacting to real-time conditions of our power grid), maintaining and updating infrastructure, strategic planning, and various challenges associated with power generation, transmission, and stability of the grid.
• Served on Chaska and Carver County Planning Commissions, South West Transit Commission, Homeowners Association Board of Directors, etc.
• Member of local Lions Club, Knights of Columbus, and Sons of the American Legion.
• Lifelong weather enthusiast – log weather data and track statistics, share information through social media posts and reports to local media outlets and the National Weather Service.

Goals as a Director:  

• Continue providing safe and reliable energy to our customers, both residential and business.
• Maintain stable pricing in spite of regulatory and inflationary pressures – keep our rates low.
• Invest in our employees and our physical infrastructure.
• Remain flexible as MVEC considers new power generating and storage technologies.
• Track our strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats with ongoing strategic planning.

Personal Statement: With a lifelong passion for public service and environmental stewardship, I am dedicated to creating a positive impact in our community. I believe my experience will be helpful as MVEC prepares for future challenges and opportunities. I am committed to ensuring that our community benefits from safe, reliable, and affordable energy. Your vote will help me to champion these goals for all of us. Thank you.

Greg Boe Campaign Contributions Report

Robert Lindberg | Victoria | Years as MVEC member: 3

Occupation/Education/Community Involvement/Hobbies:

• Bob had been in executive and leadership roles for over 30 years.
• He served as Director, of Human Resources and subsequently Vice President of Administration with Time Warner Cable, Minnesota Division. He was responsible for HR, Payroll, Safety, Security, Facilities, Risk Management, Training, and Contract Review and Compliance.
• He oversaw the growth in the business from 250 employees to over 600 FTE.
• He was most recently employed as Director, HR Shared Services U.S. with RBC (Royal Bank of Canada). His team of 47 FTE served at its peak nearly 15,000 employees in 46 states.
  Other employment and experiences prior to the above periods include:
• Employee Services Supervisor for an electric, gas and water utility in Wisconsin. Superior Water, Light and Power company is a wholly owned subsidiary of Minnesota Power and subsequently Allete. At time of his employment from 1980 until 1990 SWL&P had 6,000 customers, 140 employees at its peak, and a union represented by the IBEW. In this role Bob:
  • Built effective written and oral communications program implemented company-wide
  • Expanded the HR model to one fully integrated with the business.
  • Assisted in the administration of the Labor contract
  • Oversaw the company’s benefit and retirement programs.
• Cited by the IBEW Local as the single biggest contributor to improved union-management relations following the only strike in the utility’s then 100-year history which preceded his hire by only a few months.
• Elected City Councilor for the City of Superior, Wisconsin, 1988-1990 prior to relocating to the Twin Cities for career opportunity.
• As City Councilor involved with zoning committee, planning committee and labor relations committee.
• Served on the Labor Relations Committee with interaction with four union locals (2 AFSCME, 1 Teamster and 1 Professional Firefighters Locals) as well as non-union employees.
• Co-chair of the City’s long-range Water-front Task Force partnering with The Waterfront Center, Washington, D.C. towards the development and preservation of the miles of the city’s water frontage along Lake Superior and the St. Louis River.
  In essence he has had over 40 years of progressive HR experience in both the military and private sector. His experiences ranged from working in education (secondary and post-secondary), city government, state government, utility industry, telecommunications, and financial services.
• His career had found him working primarily as an HR generalist in every aspect of the HR profession until his last appointment in the HR operational role.
• Bob loves the outdoors and spends as much time in the environment as possible.
• He is a widower with two adult children.
• USAF veteran
• MA Master of Arts: Public Policy and Administration University of Wisconsin, Madison
• BA Bachelor of Arts: Secondary Education University of Wisconsin, Superior
• Bob retired in 2019 after more than 45 years of service.

Goals as a Director: I would like to bring my years of experience to MVEC to build upon its current success in delivering its service to its customers. I firmly believe and corporate history has proven that those companies that survive and thrive have employee allegiance built through respect in their policies, practices and overall employee relations. I believe I can both contribute to the current state and along with other Directors improve upon it. In this effort effective and transparent communication is paramount.

I also believe that given the territory served by MVEC is exploding in population which I do not foresee mitigating, that my other experiences in the municipal environment will help in building those relationships MVEC must have, maintain and improve upon with the communities which are part of or border on the MVEC footprint.
Ensure the sourcing and delivery of services to MVEC members while protecting the environment.

Robert Lindberg Campaign Contributions Report

Joseph Yetzer | Green Isle | Years as MVEC member: 1 | Spouse: Samantha

Occupation/Education/Community Involvement/Hobbies:
I attended Holy Family High School in Victoria graduating class of 2014. After Highschool I attended South Dakota State University in Brookings South Dakota before entering my professional career. I currently work for Lano Equipment as a Grade Control Specialist assisting customers with heavy civil construction GPS and Grade control. Outside of work I am involved with the Carver County Fair in Waconia as a Fair Board Director since October 2017. Beyond my occupation and community involvement my wife and I together with her Parents and another family maintain a Cow Calf Shorthorn cattle operation between Green Isle and Hamburg, MN. My other Hobbies include hunting and fishing!

Goals as a Director: If elected to the Board of Directors for Minnesota Valley Electric Cooperative, my goals will focus on ensuring reliability, sustainability, and strong community engagement. I will prioritize improving infrastructure reliability while exploring sustainable energy solutions. Financial stability and transparency will be a key focus, as I work to maintain a sound financial foundation while ensuring clear communication with members about rates and resource allocation. I am committed to fostering stronger ties with the community through educational programs that help members take advantage of energy-saving opportunities. Additionally, I will advocate for innovation, embracing new technologies like smart grids to improve service, sustainability, and affordability. Above all, I will ensure that the concerns and needs of our members guide all decisions, making sure their voices are heard and their best interests are at the forefront. Together, we can build a cooperative that provides reliable, affordable, and sustainable energy, benefiting our communities for years to come.

Joseph Yetzer Campaign Contributions Report

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District 3

This seat represents portions of Scott, Le Sueur, Rice, Blue Earth, and Waseca counties.

There is a vacant position for the Board Director. Pursuant to Article III, Section 3 of the Bylaws, if there are no qualified member nominations, the Board shall appoint a director from the relevant district to serve until the next Annual Meeting of the members. Members may not nominate an individual during the business meeting on April 8, 2025, to run for election during the Annual Meeting.