CEO, North Carolina Electric Membership Corp.
Joe Brannan is Executive Vice President and Chief Executive Officer of the North Carolina Electric Membership Corporation. With nearly three decades in the utility industry, he has a diverse range of experiences, including strategic planning and execution, energy innovation, risk management, energy trading, power supply operations, engineering and resource acquisitions.
PUF's Steve Mitnick: Joe, as the leader of one of the largest cooperatives, what is the biggest issue on your mind?
Joe Brannan: Our industry is going through a tremendous evolution. Much has changed over the past three decades, and that transition is continuing. Leaders within North Carolina's twenty-six electric cooperatives are focused on understanding trends in the industry, advances in technology, and how those changes are impacting the expectations of those we serve. We need to learn how to harness those changes to derive benefits and identify where there are risks.
This transition is affecting every level of the electric system. We've already seen increased complexity in the way power is generated and transmitted at large scale, and now change is taking hold downstream in the way power is distributed to consumers. And even in how consumers manage their electric use. Technology is enabling the evolution. Innovation is the driver.
Electric cooperatives are local power providers that are owned and governed by those they serve. As not-for-profit utilities, our mission is to provide the best service we can to our members, and ultimately, put solutions in place that improve their lives and help our communities thrive.