Career details: Northern Electric Cooperative, Inc.

Northern Electric Cooperative is one of the more than one thousand rural electric cooperatives across the country, which serve the electric utility needs of rural America.

Member communications director — Miki Tolle was responsible for and managed all cooperative and member communications' activities, which included a monthly newsletter, annual report, public and media relations, annual-meeting planning and expo, annual member power-plant and coal-fields tour, youth activities and annual Black Hills youth camp, special promotions, company brochures, advertising, and promotions.

Miki Tolle was tasked with revamping the existing company newsletter, which she renamed, re-designed, and launched under a completely updated look and feel. Tolle wrote and edited, provided layout and design, and worked with the off-site graphic designer.

Miki Tolle served as the cooperative's annual member power plant and coal-field organizer and tour guide for ten years; and was one of the first to serve on a team of other member-cooperative personnel to develop and organize the annual rural electric youth camp and serve as, not only the charter, but subsequent youth camp counselors. She also organized and was charged with the first and subsequent cooperative annual meeting vendor and supplier expos held prior to each annual meeting where she set up and tended an expo booth.

Miki Tolle functioned as the primary media contact to local newspaper, TV, and radio stations, and wrote articles for local newspapers. Working with the member-services division, the state and other cooperatives, Tolle served as the cooperative's dual fuel coordinator (a program for members who participated in using a combination fossil fuel and electricity for their heating and water-heating needs).

Additionally, Miki I secured car titles as collateral for loans given to consumers for installation of these systems. My version of the cooperative's "Twas the night before Christmas" poem was not only published in the cooperative newsletter, but was also in the statewide publication, a newsletter in Pennsylvania and read by Paul Harvey on his nationally syndicated radio show.