Julie Turbin is KEC’s Vice President of Operations & Operational Services and has worked for KEC for 30 years.
Tell us about your career at KEC.
Throughout my career, I have held positions in various departments starting in the member service department. As a member service representative, I opened the mail and posted payments to member accounts. This was back in the day when everyone mailed in checks. I also helped members with new service requests and billing. I later transitioned into the accounting department, which led to a role as the purchasing agent in the operations department. From there, I became the assistant manager of operations, and for the past seven years, I have served as the vice president of operations.
What are you responsible for in your role now?
I’m responsible for overseeing the operations and operational services side of the cooperative. I manage both day-to-day operations and long-term planning, ensuring we have the resources needed to fulfill our mission. I also lead our vegetation management program. This role touches many departments, from the project technicians who design a new service to the crews who install and maintain it, and all the support staff in between who work to keep the lights on.
What are your organizational priorities right now?
My focus right now is on major organizational objectives for vegetation management, wildfire risk mitigation and system modernization. At KEC, we’ve implemented a comprehensive Vegetation Management Plan designed to identify and reduce vegetation that could threaten the safety and reliability of our electrical system. Under this plan, we assess our entire service territory every two years. These assessments include wildfire risk analysis, hazard tree identification, tree segmentation, height and health analysis, 3D vegetation risk scoring, and targeted recommendations for tree trimming.
In addition, our 2025–2029 Construction Work Plan outlines system modernization and wildfire mitigation strategies. This includes practical methods to reduce fire risk on both new and existing power lines. We’re hardening our system with upgraded equipment and design improvements—guided by engineering expertise and emerging technologies—to better withstand extreme weather and environmental conditions.
If there is one thing you’d like the average member to know about KEC, what would it be?
I want members to know that every decision we make at KEC is grounded in our mission—we don’t take that lightly. Our focus is always on providing exceptional service and reliable power at competitive rates. That mission isn’t just words on a wall—it guides our work every day.
What is the biggest challenge in your job?
Keeping up with the rapid pace of new construction and ensuring our infrastructure can support the associated increase in electrical load. Balancing system growth with reliability and long-term planning is a constant challenge.
What is the best part of your job?
The best part of my job is working with a dedicated team to take on what often seem like impossible tasks—and finding a way to make them work. Seeing those efforts come to life, especially on major projects like converting overhead lines to underground through FEMA funding, is incredibly rewarding. Watching a complex project come together from start to finish is what makes this work so fulfilling.
What’s your favorite thing about our area?
I’m a Coeur d’Alene native and have never lived anywhere else. One of my favorite things about this area is that while others travel here for vacation, I get to call it home. Every time I visit somewhere else, I’m reminded of how lucky I am to live in a place people dream of seeing.