Chris Ryan, Cuivre River Electric Cooperative’s (CREC) manager of member services and IT was recently selected to serve as the president of the Mid-State 8 organization. The group is comprised of member service and communication employees who represent eight Missouri distribution cooperatives that receive their power from the transmission cooperative, Central Electric Power Cooperative (CEPC). This is the second time Ryan has served in the role; he was previously appointed as president for the group in 2002.  

As president, Ryan is in charge of conducting meetings, securing relevant programs and speakers, fostering communication among the eight co-ops that belong to Mid-State 8, and emceeing the annual Department of Economic Development (DED) Breakfast, at which DED attendees learn more about Missouri co-ops and spend time with co-op employees from across the state.

Ryan has been with CREC for 24 years and has served as a member services representative, marketing specialist, and his current position of manager of member services and IT. He is also a coordinator and presenter of the Mid-State 8 New Employee Orientation, which is held twice a year for any new employee at any of the eight cooperatives or CEPC, to provide a better understanding of what a cooperative is and how cooperatives are different from investor-owned utilities or municipalities.