As a leading electric cooperative, REC is intensely focused on the members it serves. With rapid change in the industry, REC is committed to positioning itself to expand the services offered to consumers and enhance member experiences. To shape the co-op’s response to increasing consumer expectations, REC has recently selected Tracey Steiner as Chief Engagement and Consumer Officer. Steiner will succeed David Koogler, Senior Vice President of Member Service and External Affairs, who will retire from REC in January 2022.
In this role, Steiner will serve as the executive leader of member services, communications and public relations, and regulatory affairs and economic development. Steiner will prioritize community and stakeholder engagement to further the goals of the Cooperative, as well as engage with the membership to shape Cooperative programs, offerings and quality outcomes.
REC President and CEO John Hewa said, “Tracey joins our team with nearly three decades of diverse experience with the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA). Tracey is a nationally recognized co-op network leader with expertise in the industry focused on communications, training, marketing, and regulatory policy. We look forward to Tracey’s contributions in serving the REC membership.”
Steiner’s career at NRECA is multi-faceted and represents a unique alignment with REC’s needs. Her work at NRECA included serving as Manager of Publications and Special Projects Marketing, and later joining the Government Relations team as Senior Corporate Counsel. In this role she advocated for electric co-ops across key federal regulatory issues. During Steiner’s tenure as Senior Corporate Counsel she also advised the Touchstone Energy Cooperative board and staff, helping to shape the Touchstone brand which has grown to more than 700 co-ops today. For nearly a decade, Steiner has served as NRECA’s Senior Vice President of Education, Training and Events. In this role, she has led a team educating thousands of co-op directors and employees across the nation and shaped the Association’s world-class events. Steiner’s strategic leadership in this area has ensured that the educational curriculum, value proposition and knowledge transfer for co-ops are forward leaning and advancing member-consumer interests into the future.
Steiner is recognized as a purpose-driven leader who brings great knowledge diversity and depth of expertise to REC. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Journalism from the University of Maryland College Park and earned her law degree from George Washington University.
