Sheldon C. Petersen retired governor and CEO of the National Rural Utilities Cooperative Finance Corporation (CFC), discusses his co-op journey, and projections about the future of the cooperative movement.
Sheldon Petersen served as Governor/CEO of CFC for 26 years from 1995 until his retirement in 2021. He began his career in the rural electrification program in 1976 as staff assistant for Nishnabotna Valley REC in Harlan, Iowa. He later served as general manager of Rock County Electric Cooperative Association in Janesville, Wisconsin in the early 1980’s.
Petersen joined CFC in 1983 as an area representative providing financial management and consulting services to CFC members in the states of Minnesota, Wisconsin, Montana, and the Dakotas. In 1990, he moved to CFC headquarters where he held various management positions. Petersen also served as the CEO of two CFC affiliated organizations targeted to the financial needs of the electric cooperatives and rural telecommunications companies and cooperatives. He continues to serve as board member of the Homestead Funds, a position he has held since 2005. Homestead is a mutual fund complex with roots in rural America.
The 2023 Everything Co-op List: Vernon Oakes’ Picks for Heart, Mind, Body, Soul, and Community
For nearly 10 years, Vernon Oakes, Everything Co-op’s founder and host, has dedicated himself and the show to promoting the cooperative model to build economic resilience, expand employment, and provide dignity of work and home. It does this by highlighting and amplifying the work, products, and services of cooperatives, their members, and their allies.
This year we are proud to expand those efforts by offering a thought-fully curated list of products and services from the cooperative community centered around five categories, each mirroring Vernon’s interests – Heart, Mind, Body, Soul, and Community. These categories embrace a wide variety of items that reflect the cooperative ethos of mutual support, sustainability, and community welfare.
We’re inviting the community to help select these products and services. If you provide a product or service that you would like to highlight or if you are a customer of a product or service, please feel free to submit them. (Submit Link)
