Art Thayer, MECA’s energy efficiency programs director, was elected May 21 to the Midwest Energy Efficiency Alliance (MEEA) Board of Directors.

“This partnership with the Alliance will help our electric co-ops because it is the largest voice advocating for change in energy optimization targets and policies – especially policies that don’t recognize the member-owned uniqueness of co-ops and how they operate,” Thayer explains.

The MEEA is a nonprofit group of state and local governments, energy utilities, research institutes, manufacturers, energy service providers, and advocacy groups working to advance energy efficiency in the 13 Midwestern states. It supports programs, policies, education, training and emerging technologies that produce significant regional energy efficiency investment, energy and cost savings, economic growth, and enhanced environmental preservation.

Thayer notes that MEEA is the largest organization of its kind in the region and partners with the U.S. Department of Energy, the EPA, and other agencies to accelerate energy-efficiency in the Midwestern economy. The Association’s annual Midwest Energy Solutions Conference has also become a popular professional and business networking event, Thayer adds.