In January, my six-year-old nephew and I went to Disney World. It was his first time and mine. We were only there for a few days, but it was one of those rare times in life when you’re completely aware of how special and fleeting the moment is. He and I spent those days completely in the here and now, completely in the present, and fully embracing the moment.

Leadership transitions often cause stress, uncertainty, and organizational anxiety. But, as I reflect on the leadership transition at Cherryland, I’m mindful of the Disney lesson to embrace this moment, experience it fully, and celebrate it.

Tony announced he would retire from the co-op 320 days ago after 20 years of service to our members and community. I’ve had the privilege of working alongside him and learning from him for 10 of those years.

Tony has dedicated his entire career to serving electric cooperatives across the country. He is passionate about the mission of electric cooperatives and deeply committed to championing the needs of rural communities. As he wraps up his service to Cherryland in the coming months, his service to America’s electric cooperatives is only ramping up. We are lucky to have Tony at the helm of our National Rural Electric Cooperative Association board in the coming years.

It has been a true privilege to be part of this amazing team at Cherryland. Together, we have built this cooperative to be the best in class. Our members enjoy best-in-state electric reliability while paying electric bills that are consistently more than 15% lower than our neighboring investor-owned utility. That commitment to our members shows; we lead the nation for member-consumer satisfaction and loyalty.

Through our partnership with Wolverine Power Cooperative, we’ve built an industry-leading 62% carbon-free power supply portfolio and built a well-rounded power supply strategy that has protected our members from price volatility in the energy markets.

As we sit in this moment of leadership transition, we have so much to be proud of and so much to celebrate.

As I look forward, I see significant opportunities. I also see a few challenges our cooperative needs to be prepared to meet. Our industry is undergoing a significant and transformational change as we incorporate more renewable energy, utilize more distributed resources to balance the electric grid, and prepare to deliver more electricity to our communities than ever before in order to support electric vehicles.

We will meet those challenges through investments in technology and through advocacy at the state and national level for smart, grid-enhancing infrastructure improvements that keep the lights on and keep electric bills affordable.

In the coming months, I’ll use the pages of this magazine to share with you more details about this energy transformation and how we can position this cooperative and our rural community to lead the way.

But for today, I hope you all join me in celebrating how far we’ve come and how well-positioned we are to meet the challenges of the future.