President Trump announced on Feb. 5, 2018, his intent to nominate Kenneth Johnson of Missouri to be the administrator of the USDA Rural Utility Service.

Johnson serves as the general manager and CEO of Co-Mo Electric Cooperative and president for Co-Mo Connect in Tipton, Mo. Co-Mo Connect is the first to deploy a fiber-to-the-home network to all of their members without federal or state funding, providing gigabit internet, video and voice services to nearly 16,000 subscribers.

Johnson is a director and past president for Central Electric Power Cooperative, a director for the Association of Missouri Electric Cooperatives and served on the executive and legislative committees. Johnson was general manager for Twin Valleys PPD in Nebraska after beginning his career with the Nebraska Public Power District.

He earned an undergraduate degree from Kearney State College, and is a graduate of the NRECA Robert I. Kabat Management Internship Program. Ken grew up on a farm near Edgar, Nebraska.

Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue applauded Trump’s intent to appoint Johnson. 

“As President Trump pursues his comprehensive agenda of infrastructure improvements like increased broadband access for rural communities, adding Ken Johnson to the USDA team is exciting,” Perdue said in a media statement. “Ken’s experience with rural utilities, including real success in expanding access to high-speed Internet, will serve us well as we strive to increase prosperity across rural America.” 

Source: The White House, USDA

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