Darren Schauer, General Manager and CEO of GVEC, was honored with the 2024 National Rural Electric Cooperative Assn. (NRECA) J.C. Brown CEO Communication Leadership Award during the NRECA’s CEO Close-Up event held in Phoenix, Arizona, on January 9, 2024.
First presented in 2004, the NRECA J.C. Brown award recognizes a co-op CEO or general manager who is committed to advancing communication at the cooperative and in the overall electric industry. It is named in honor of the late editor and publisher of RE Magazine, J.C. Brown, who led the publication from 1973 to 1993.
NRECA represents the interests of nearly 900 distribution, generation, and transmission cooperatives serving 42 million people per year in 48 states. GVEC is a member of NRECA and benefits from the membership through political and public policy advocacy, outreach and employee benefits. NRECA is a national voice for GVEC and other cooperatives on issues important to local-level communities across rural America.
Since becoming GVEC General Manager and CEO in 2003, Schauer has been a driving force behind the cooperative’s commitment to effective communication and collaboration across all sectors. Under Schauer’s leadership, GVEC has embraced a dynamic 5-year business plan that transcends departmental silos and aligns goals with purpose at all levels within the organization. This style of plan promotes accountability, transparency, consistent communication and regular performance tracking. Numerous metrics, benchmarks and guardrails ensure GVEC is routinely measuring up to the needs of the membership now and in the foreseeable future.
In addition to his internal communications leadership, Schauer currently is a Board Member of the National Information Solutions Cooperative (NISC), Texas Broadband Now, Board Chairman of the Gonzales Housing Authority and Board Treasurer of the Gonzales County Health Foundation. He is also a past recipient of a Glassdoor Employees’ Choice Award, ranking among the nation’s top 50 CEOs in the small and medium business category with an impressive 97% approval rating.
“I am honored to receive this award and appreciate the NRECA Council of Rural Electric Communicators for this recognition. I share this milestone with the good people I’ve had the opportunity to learn from, work with, and represent in my 30 years in the industry. Great achievements are only possible when you have a solid team around you. I am blessed to have one of the best supporting me and the members of GVEC.”
Pictured: General Manager and CEO Darren Schauer (right) receives the 2024 NRECA J.C. Brown CEO Communication Leadership Award from NRECA CEO Jim Matheson (left) during the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association’s CEO Close-Up event held in Arizona this year. Photo by: Stephen Bell/NRECA
