Everything Co-op has dedicated the entire month of September to interviewing the 2023 Cooperative Hall of Fame Inductees. The fourth interview of this tribute will be with Sheldon C. Petersen, retired governor and CEO of the National Rural Utilities Cooperative Finance Corporation (CFC). Sheldon and Vernon will discuss his co-op journey and projections about the future of the cooperative movement. Be sure to Tune in at WOL 1450 AM, 95.9 FM or WOL Livestream on Thursday, September 28 at 10:30 am EDT for Everything Co-op to listen to his powerful life story.
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 1976 as a 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 Minnesota, Wisconsin, Montana, and the Dakotas. In 1990, he moved to CFC headquarters and held various management positions. Petersen also served as the CEO of two CFC-affiliated organizations targeted to the financial needs of electric cooperatives and rural telecommunications companies and cooperatives. He continues to serve as a board member of the Homestead Funds, a position he has held since 2005. Homestead is a mutual fund complex with roots in rural America.