Tom Liebe, senior vice president of advocacy for theWisconsin Credit Union League, was named the new president/CEO ofCooperative Network in Madison, Wis. Monday.

Cooperative Network is the nation’s largest all-cooperativenetwork and serves more than 400 Minnesota and Wisconsin memberorganizations, including credit unions and organizations from theagriculture, electric, senior housing, telecommunications andmutual insurance industries. The Wisconsin Credit Union League in Pewaukee and the MinnesotaCredit Union Network in St. Paul are members of the CooperativeNetwork.

Liebe will replace Bill Oemichen, who retired from the postearlier this month.

During his tenure at the Wisconsin league, Liebe wasinstrumental in developing an activist program of grassroots creditunion lobbyists that successfully advocated for pro-credit unionlegislation and rules.

Prior to joining the league 11 years ago, Liebe worked atBroydrick and Associates, the largest lobbying firm in Wisconsin,and served as a legislative liaison with the Wisconsin Departmentof Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection. He also spent fiveyears as a legislative and research assistant in the Wisconsinlegislature, where he worked with rural legislators and served asclerk of the Assembly Committee on Natural Resources.

“Cooperative Network has undergone significant transformationover the past decade, and we are looking forward to this new phasewith Tom on board,” Curt Eischens, Cooperative Network board chair,said in a prepared statement. “As demonstrated through his work onkey initiatives with the Wisconsin Credit Union League and in partnering with him oncredit union-related advocacy, we see a drive and ambition in Tomto re-energize our association and to positively lead it into thefuture.”

Liebe’s first day as president/CEO will be Nov. 9 at theCooperative Network’s annual meeting in Bloomington, Minn.

“It’s clear that cooperatives across Minnesota and Wisconsinprovide tremendous value and service to their millions of membersevery day,” Liebe said. “I am honored to lead Cooperative Networkand to partner with them to build and maintain effective, creativeand efficient advocacy and awareness programs in both legislaturesas well as the general public.”

Cooperative Network offers members services in governmentrelations, education and marketing, as well as technical servicesin farm supply, health, dairy marketing, consumer, financial,livestock marketing, telecommunications, electric, housing,insurance and worker-owned cooperatives.