News

Liebe takes over the reins at Cooperative Network

Tom Liebe is the new president and CEO of Cooperative Network. The organization has more than 400 member cooperatives in Wisconsin and Minnesota.  He succeeds Bill Oemichen who retired last month.

Liebe has more than 20 years’ experience in government relations, advocacy, and trade association management.  He comes to Cooperative Network from his position as senior vice president of advocacy with the Wisconsin Credit Union League. Prior to The League, he worked with Broydrick and Associates, the largest lobbying firm in Wisconsin, and served as a legislative liaison with the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection.

Liebe spent five years as a legislative and research assistant in the Wisconsin Legislature, during which time he worked for rural legislators and served as clerk of the Assembly Committee on Natural Resources.

He says his first job is to listen to his board members and the member cooperatives. To take the vision of the board and implement it to better serve the membership.

There are challenges: for one thing the constant mergers and acquisitions in today’s business climate. The organization also has to deal with the political ebbs-and-flows in Madison, St. Paul and Washington but he stresses Cooperative Network will work with whomever is in office.

Liebe says CN has a very professional, sophisticated, experienced staff which wants to see the cooperative agenda advance.

He talks about his background and his goals: