Keven Groenewold, the longtime CEO and general manager of New Mexico Rural Electric Cooperatives and a “true, authentic leader” for co-ops in the state, died Oct. 6. He was 65.

Groenewold retired last year from the New Mexico statewide association in Santa Fe after leading it since 1997—a period marked by rapid technological advances and shifting energy markets, which posed significant challenges to co-ops.

Co-op leaders remembered Groenewold “for being relentless in pursuit of priorities that improve the quality of life for people in rural communities,” said NRECA Chief Operating Officer Jeffrey Connor. “He was a true, authentic leader for electric cooperatives in New Mexico.”

By leveraging his considerable political skill and reputation with state lawmakers, Groenewold helped exempt co-ops from potentially harmful provisions in several pieces of legislation, including renewable mandates.

“We had a lot of successes in New Mexico, thanks to Keven,” said NMREC Director Chuck Pinson. “We were trusted when we walked into the Capitol building” in Santa Fe.

In the yearlong debate surrounding the federal Energy Policy of 2005, which eventually exempted co-ops from industry deregulation, Groenewold was particularly effective in working with U.S. Sens. Jeff Bingaman and Pete Domenici, then the chairman and ranking member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee.

“Keven was involved pretty much from day one,” said Barry Hart, former CEO and executive vice president of the Association of Missouri Electric Cooperatives. “He was so instrumental on this issue for NRECA and the nation’s co-ops and was successful in convincing [the senators] to support changes to protect co-ops.”

Before Groenewold joined the statewide association, he was an electrical engineer at the New Mexico Public Utility Commission from 1990 to 1997. Past honors include the T. Burke Hayes Award from the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Power Engineering Society.

Kit Carson Electric Cooperative CEO Luis Reyes said Groenewold “planted the seeds that co-ops should get involved in economic development” and other areas to better serve members. “I give him credit for assisting us and creating the framework for co-ops to follow when they were ready,” Reyes said.

Co-op leaders are also remembering Groenewold’s generosity of time as a mentor and source of support and counsel locally and nationally. Mora-San Miguel Electric Cooperative’s Les Montoya met Groenewold about seven years ago when he became head of the Mora-based co-op after serving as San Miguel County manager. Montoya was brand new to the industry.

“I didn’t know a lot about co-ops, and he took time out of his schedule to visit with me and give me pointers on things I should focus on,” said Montoya. “He said, ‘Les, you have people on staff with the technical expertise, and you have what it takes to lead based on your past experience as an administrator. Focus on those strengths and recognize those in the field and what they're doing. And things will work out for you.’”

Groenewold is survived by his wife, Yolanda, son, Jeffrey, and daughter, Alexandra.