Guided by cooperative bylaws, the Cuivre River Electric Cooperative (CREC) board of directors appointed Tim Welker as the new board director for its St. Charles County District #3 seat. The position became vacant toward the end of 2024, following the departure of Board Director Dale Anderson, who decided to resign for personal reasons.

Per the cooperative’s bylaws, the board of directors is allowed to appoint a qualified member to serve out the remaining portion of the unexpired term of a board director who has vacated the seat. Welker, who has been a CREC member since 1996, will serve until the term expires in August 2027, at which time he will have the option to run for another term representing his district in the cooperative’s annual election.

Because Anderson resigned shortly after being re-elected to his board seat in August 2024, CREC contacted the candidates who had run against Anderson in the 2024 election to learn who was still interested in serving as the St. Charles County District #3 board director. Those candidates interested were reviewed by a board committee. Welker was selected and then approved by the board of directors. He began his service at the January 2025 board meeting.

Welker is a retired information technology executive, having served with companies such as Hallmark Cards, Anheuser-Busch (A-B InBev), Maritz Motivation Solutions, and Nortek Air Management Foundation. He believes that the board should focus on a stable energy supply as demand increases, scalability of new technologies, maintaining a high-quality employee workforce and leadership team, and monitoring and responding appropriately to government regulations and cybersecurity threats