UDWI REMC Names Shane Smith as New CEO
The Utilities District of Western Indiana REMC has named Shane Smith as its new Chief Executive Officer. The UDWI REMC Board of Directors selected Smith after a national search process to replace Doug Childs who will retire this summer after nearly eight years with the cooperative.
Smith currently serves as the UDWI Chief Operating Officer and has nearly 28 years of experience at the cooperative, including serving as an engineer, Manager of Engineering and Manager of Operations and Engineering prior to being named COO in 2020. In his current position he directs all strategies related to the operation and design of the cooperative’s electrical system, economic development, and key account relationships.
Smith is licensed as a Professional Engineer in the State of Indiana, and is a Certified Key Account Executive through the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA.) He received his Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from the Indiana Institute of Technology in 1997 and Masters of Business Administration from Xavier University in 2022. Smith is a native of Greene County and currently resides near Switz City with his wife Kelly.
As CEO, Smith will advise and assist the Board of Directors in the development of strategy, policies, budgets and contracts. He will also oversee the day-to-day operations, foster member relations, and ensure that the activities and operations of the cooperative are conducted in accordance with the bylaws, policies, mission and goals.
“The board is extremely pleased to select Shane Smith as our new CEO. We utilized our partnership with Hoosier Energy to conduct a nation-wide search, which resulted in more than 60 applications, 30 resumes reviewed and ranked by the team, 14 phone interviews, and three in-depth interviews. Shane’s years of experience, his intimate knowledge of this co-op and its members, and his focus on strategy will allow him to hit the ground running as he leads UDWI into the future,” said UDWI Board President Melinda Hendrix.
“We want to thank Doug Childs for the eight years he spent with us. Doug came into the CEO position during a very difficult time, and through hard work, determination, and dedication to UDWI, has led us to a much better financial position and has improved morale and working conditions at the co-op,” added Hendrix.
Under Childs’ leadership UDWI embraced an unprecedented level of transparency across all areas of the cooperative, increasing members’ access to information and improving communications. Members also saw two base rate decreases that were made possible through strong financial stewardship— all while maintaining an aggressive vegetation management program and increased system upgrades. Last year, Childs led the team to redefine the cooperative’s mission, values and strategic plan, ensuring that system improvements, the needs of the members, and a strong focus on economic development will remain the top priorities for UDWI. In 2021, Childs formed strategic partnerships with Smithville Communications and SCI Fiber to address the lack of broadband and fiber access in the UDWI service territory. These partnerships have significantly increased connectivity for members, and are providing a cost-effective and efficient solution to one of the biggest challenges facing rural, southern Indiana. The latest initiative, launched in 2024 with Mainstream Fiber, will eventually give access to the majority of unserved and underserved UDWI members as part of the largest fiber expansion project ever undertaken in the area.
Smith assumes the CEO role July 1 and will continue the strategic work plan put in place during Childs’ tenure, which includes a strong focus on financial management, fiber expansion and economic development.
“I am truly humbled and deeply grateful for the trust that the Board of Directors has placed in me to lead the Utilities District of Western Indiana REMC into the future. We’ve made tremendous strides under the outstanding leadership of CEO Doug Childs, and I look forward to continuing to build on his legacy of an unwavering focus on serving our members and financial stewardship. It is a privilege to have the opportunity to lead the dedicated and talented employees of this cooperative. Together, we can continue to build on the progress we have already achieved,” said Smith.
Smith continued, “As we look ahead, we remain committed to our mission of Improving Rural Life. We will continue enhancing the reliability of our electric system; partnering with local economic development teams to foster job creation and elevate the quality of life for our communities; and supporting our broadband partners as they expand fiber-to-the-home projects. By collaborating with our partners, we can achieve much more than we could individually.”