Ag & Energy Program Specialist
Cory’s background in utilities, entrepreneurship and cooperative management brought him to CDS as the new Ag and Energy Specialist. Growing up in rural Southwestern Wisconsin (Prairie du Chien), he left to attend UW-Madison, majoring in Human/Environment Relationships in Geography. His most recent role was as the first Executive Director of SolarShare Wisconsin Cooperative. In that capacity, he helped to grow the cooperative, garnering over $1.8 million in investment in the first four years. These funds have been used to invest in solar projects across Wisconsin. While at SolarShare, Cory also spearheaded efforts to develop one of the nation’s first K-12 Agrisolar (Agrivoltaics) programs. He is a proud member of Wisconsin’s Farmers Union and staunch supporter of farmers and producers.
Prior to working at SolarShare, Cory was an entrepreneur and served as a Utility Services Representative serving five rural municipal utilities in South Central Wisconsin. He is eager to share his expertise in renewable energy, energy efficiency and business development with people and always eager to learn more in these fields.
Cory lives with his wife Susan and two children in South Central Wisconsin in rural Evansville. The family also has two springer spaniels and enjoys spending time outdoors, fishing, hunting and foraging. Cory’s interests outside of work include cooking, sausage making, and other various forms of charcuterie as well as watching his beloved Bears beat the Packers. Yes, you read that right, he grew up in Wisconsin as a Bears fan. Needless to say, being a Bears fan has helped build resilience, and a never-ending sense of optimism.