Rachel Morse joined the Chugach Electric Association Board of Directors seven years ago. She has served as chair, vice chair, and currently acts as treasurer of the board. She was elected to the NWPPA Board of Trustees in 2023. Morse’s career is in nonprofit leadership. She has served as a consultant for organizations in transition, executive director of a wildlife rehabilitation organization, assistant vice chancellor in alumni relations at University of Alaska Anchorage, and development director for Rural Alaska Community Action Program. She has also served as interim CEO/executive director for numerous organizations. Currently, she works in federal grant compliance for the Alaska Municipal League and in fundraising for Alaska Public Media. She holds a Master of Business Administration and Master of Science in natural resources.
What are the current challenges at your utility?
We are one of five public utilities in Alaska’s Railbelt, an isolated grid that serves the state’s most populous region. This group includes four co-ops and a municipally owned utility. Collaboration on generation and transmission is essential. Due to limitations in the local gas supply, we are transitioning to importing liquefied natural gas from outside Alaska to meet a portion of our future gas needs. This shift adds complexity, as liquefied natural gas represents a different line of business. Every decision we make involves significant investments, which will ultimately impact costs for our members. Therefore, it is crucial that we get this right.
What do you see as the current challenges in the industry?
How to successfully transition to a greater mix of generation and ease our dependence on fossil fuels without compromising reliability and while keeping public power affordable.
How does NWPPA help your utility and the industry with these challenges?
Being an NWPPA trustee is a great opportunity for me personally to learn more about what other utilities and leaders in the industry are doing and how others in public power are tackling similar challenges. The trainings and conferences NWPPA offers our staff have been amazing and very relevant.
Any hobbies outside of the public power world?
I’m an avid hiker and runner. When not working or hanging out at home, I’m usually off on a mountain trail somewhere.
