Chris White joined the electric utility industry when he was elected to the Yellowstone Valley Electric Cooperative Board of Trustees in 2022, and he became an NWPPA trustee last May. He has worked at Albertsons for 37 years and is a store director for the grocery chain. In addition to his leadership roles with YVEC and NWPPA, White also serves as a Yellowstone County commissioner and is on the board of the Montana Electric Cooperatives’ Association.

What are the current challenges at your utility?
YVEC is facing challenges related to the growing presence of data centers and the need to manage rates effectively. With increasing costs, we are also facing rate increases.

What do you see as the current challenges in the industry?
The main challenges for public power include keeping up with power demands and the issue of dam breaching that threatens a major source of clean, renewable, and affordable energy in our region.

How does NWPPA help your utility and the industry with these challenges?
NWPPA keeps their fingers on the issues affecting public power and chimes in as needed.

Any hobbies outside of the public power world?
Golf. I play right-handed and left-handed and have some clubs of each side in my bag.