A “Then and Now” story of The Dream That Came True for Rural Residents will be presented by Pioneer Rural Electric Cooperative’s Nanci D. McMaken. She will speak on Sunday, Nov. 20, at 2 p.m. at the Champaign County Historical Society at 809 East Lawn Ave. in the museum meeting room.
Nanci joined the company in 1982 overseeing a department of 12, developing and implementing strategic marketing and communication programs. Pioneer has created excellent member service experiences with its member-customers and promotes strong community and government relations, as well as member involvement in legislative affairs. Nanci is responsible for governance issues in adherence to Pioneer’s Code of Regulations and acts as CEO in the absence of the President. She serves on the Strategic Communications Advisory Committee of Ohio’s Electric Cooperatives, and on the Marketing Committee of Buckeye Power. She is a member of the Touchstone Energy Brand Strategy Committee, and has also served on several communication and marketing task forces on both the state and national levels.
Earlier this year, McMaken was recognized nationally as a Brand Champion of Touchstone Energy. In 2001, she received the Edgar F. Chestnutt award for best total communications program and she became a Certified Cooperative Communicator in 1991. She is a 2005 graduate of the NRECA Management Internship Program.
In a career that has spanned nearly 35 years at Pioneer, Nanci has been a driver in her electric cooperative. The co-ops goal was not merely to keep pace with the enormous changes in technology, member expectations, electric service capabilities and so many other areas of the industry, but rather to ensure that Pioneer lived up to its name and led the way toward change for the benefit of its members. In her community, Nanci serves in several capacities with the YWCA Piqua, has served in her church and with many other associations and causes over the years as well including efforts to end human trafficking. Nanci and her husband, Luther, have two grown children.
She will discuss the dream that came true for farmers and rural residents with the creation of Pioneer Electric Cooperative in 1935 and will highlight milestones in its more than eight decades of progressive service to rural member-consumers in Champaign and ten other counties on November 20th at 2 pm at the Champaign County Historical Society Museum at 809 East Lawn Ave, Urbana. The program is free and open to the public.
