CDS is governed by a 13-member board of directors, with all members drawn from and morally accountable to the cooperative community of the Upper Midwest. Board member selection is guided by a governance policy encouraging diversity that reflects the cooperatives and communities in MN, WI and IA. A majority of our board is composed of women and persons of color.
The Board recently re-elected Alison Deelstra as our board chair, and Collie Graddick elected vice-chair. Both have served several years on our board. Alison has spent much of her professional career working with rural electric cooperatives as a staff member of the MN Rural Electric Assn. and most recently as regional vice president of the National Rural Utilities Cooperative Finance Corporation. Collie literally grew up in the cooperative community: his father was a vegetable grower and board member of the West Georgia Farmers Cooperative; Collie attended many board meetings with his father. He currently works with the MN Dept. of Agriculture, and supports cooperative work through Community Table Cooperative.

