Bill Cherrier
Executive Vice President and CEO

Since 2017, Bill Cherrier has served Central Iowa Power Cooperative as its Executive Vice President and CEO. With more than 35 years of experience in the utility industry, Bill brings a wealth of experience to the organization having previously served as the Chief Planning and Finance Officer for Colorado Springs Utilities, Manager of Finance and Development at Alliant Energy Generation and General Manager, Generation Business Operations at IES Industries. 

Bill’s leadership guides CIPCO through an ever-changing utility landscape in a way that allows the organization to provide safe, affordable and reliable energy to CIPCO member distribution systems. He believes that providing service is at the heart of our mission as cooperatives. 

Bill earned his bachelor’s degree in accounting from Loras College in Dubuque, Iowa, and is a certified public accountant.

Andrew St. John
Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

Andrew St. John joined the CIPCO Leadership Team in 2016. As Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, he is responsible for overseeing the accounting and finance operations of CIPCO, financial risk mitigation, and investment strategy and portfolio oversight. In addition, Andrew oversees the financial activities of subsidiary organizations and serves as Vice President and Manager of CMA Ventures, Inc., a private investment firm wholly-owned by CIPCO with a mission to make profitable and strategic growth capital investments in the Midwest, with a preference for Iowa-based companies.

Andrew is an Iowa licensed CPA and member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Iowa Society of Certified Public Accountants. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Accounting from the University of Northern Iowa.

Dan Burns
Vice President of Utility Operations

Dan Burns assumed the role of Vice President of Utility Operations in 2018. Dan and his team are responsible for the planning, engineering and operation of CIPCO’s generation and transmission system. They are also responsible for CIPCO’s safety and compliance programs, as well as the segmented ownership of railroad and pipeline assets.

During his more than 25 years at CIPCO, Dan has witnessed many industry changes, including the changes that brought open access to transmission and the development of energy markets, both of which had major impacts on CIPCO. His focus has always been to provide the most reliable electric service to CIPCO’s members at the lowest possible cost. Dan’s experience and vision help to strategically position CIPCO to take advantage of the many challenges the industry will face in the future.

Dan received his Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from Iowa State University and is a licensed Professional Engineer in the state of Iowa.
 

Kendra Graves
Vice President of Portfolio Strategy and Planning

Kendra Graves was promoted to Vice President of Portfolio Strategy and Planning in 2020. In this role, she assumes responsibility for CIPCO’s resource planning, negotiation of power purchase agreements, power supply cost projections, wholesale power billing and other endeavors that develop and support CIPCO’s planning goals and strategic decisions. Kendra and her team also undertake load forecasting and risk management considerations, data analysis, and resource adequacy responsibilities. 

Kendra graduated with high honors from South Dakota State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in mathematics and physics. 
 

Paul Hofman
Vice President of Information Technology

Paul Hofman began his career with CIPCO in 2012 as Vice President of Information Technology. As leader of the IT team, Paul oversees and executes the development, implementation, and ongoing maintenance of new technology; security, and business policies for the Information Technology structure; and ensures compliance with all laws and regulations. 

His 25 years of experience have been focused on partnering IT services with businesses across several industries: manufacturing, insurance, financial services, investments, and utilities. 

Paul graduated with high honors from Northwestern College in Orange City, Iowa, with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Computer Science.
 

Memorea Schrader
Vice President of Human Resources

Memorea Schrader stepped into the role of Vice President of Human Resources in 2019, a position in which she and her team provide vision, leadership, and direction for the human resources activities of CIPCO including strategy development, culture and change management, talent management/succession planning, organizational design and development, recruitment and retention, employee engagement, performance management, employee/labor relations, total rewards, training and development, policy development, and employment law compliance. 

Memorea earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Management from the University of Northern Iowa and Master of Science in Adult Learning and Organizational Performance from Drake University. She is a graduate of Leadership Iowa.

Kerry Koonce
Vice President of Communications & Corporate Relations

Kerry joined CIPCO in 2015 with over 20 years of experience in communications, marketing, government relations and community development. As Vice President of Communications & Corporate Relations, Kerry Koonce leads a team responsible for the strategic direction, development and management of communications, member services, government relations and economic development. This includes focusing on how CIPCO communicates and interacts with internal and external stakeholders. In addition, Kerry and her staff support public relations, public policy, events, and member programs. The team also provides support for community outreach and for activities supporting corporate citizenship and industry relations.

Kerry graduated with honors from Drake University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and Communications.