City of Pella Electric Distribution Superintendent Luke Rolffs was among 24 utility professionals to earn leadership certification through the LEAD Course, a program offered by Missouri River Energy Services (MRES).

LEAD – short for Leadership, Excellence and Development – is an advanced training program focused on the critical skills, awareness and perspective that drive success in municipal utility leadership. Participants completed four two-day sessions over the past year with coursework covering communication, collaboration, change management, accountability, learning from failure and applied leadership.

“Workforce development is a strategic priority for MRES and a top concern for our members,” said Matt Schull, president and CEO of MRES. “Developing strong leaders within our member utilities is essential to ensuring a reliable and resilient power supply for the communities we serve, and I congratulate this year’s class on taking a significant step forward in their leadership journey.”

“Luke’s commitment to leadership development reflects the values we strive for at Pella Municipal Electric Utility,” said Electric Director Nate Spurgeon. “He brings a high level of emotional awareness to his role, which strengthens team dynamics and fosters a culture of trust and accountability. Investing in our people strengthens our team, enhances service reliability, and ensures we continue delivering safe, dependable power to our community.”

MRES is a not-for-profit joint-action agency providing wholesale electricity and energy-related services to 61 member municipalities in Iowa, Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota.