BY ANN FOSTER THELEN
In the summer of 1976, Kathy Ryner boarded an airplane for the very first time.
Encouraged by her parents to apply, she wrote an essay explaining why she believed in the benefits of an all-electric home. The essay earned her a Government in Action Scholarship from Eastern Iowa REC, now Eastern Iowa Light & Power Cooperative, to attend the National Rural Electric Cooperative (NRECA) Youth Tour in Washington, D.C. For the teenager from Beaverdale Heights near West Burlington, the experience opened a world far beyond southeast Iowa.
Fifty years later, Kathy (Ryner) Wunderlich found herself walking the halls of Congress once again.
This time, she returned not as a student delegate, but as a director representing the very same electric cooperative that sponsored her Youth Tour experience decades earlier.
“It really did open me up to seeing things outside of our area and our school,” Wunderlich recalled of the 1976 trip. “It helped me understand leadership roles and made me feel that your voice matters.”
The Youth Tour experience left a lasting impression from the moment she arrived in Washington. During America’s bicentennial year, the Iowa students attended a congressional dinner with lawmakers. In addition, they met with President Gerald Ford in the Blue Room of the White House.
“They wanted to hear what we had to say,” Wunderlich recalled.
The trip introduced her to many experiences she had never imagined, from the Kennedy Center to national landmarks and new friendships with students from across the country.
Lessons that lasted a lifetime
But the greatest impact was less visible. Wunderlich said Youth Tour helped build confidence, encouraged leadership and reinforced the importance of community involvement.
“It gave me more of a leadership feeling that your voice is important and you are here to make a difference,” she said.
That lesson stayed with her throughout her career and community engagement. Wunderlich later owned and operated an outdoor power equipment business for 17 years while remaining active in Junior Achievement and local volunteer efforts.
Her path back to the cooperative came unexpectedly.
After purchasing her business, a former Eastern Iowa Light & Power Cooperative director encouraged her to run for the co-op board. Wunderlich said she initially questioned what she knew about electric cooperatives, 
but she accepted the challenge and was elected.
Now in her 13th year as a director, she has also served as board president and completed extensive leadership training through NRECA.
Returning to Washington as a co-op advocate
This spring, Wunderlich returned to Washington, D.C., for NRECA’s annual Legislative Conference, where co-op leaders from across the country met face-to-face with lawmakers to advocate for rural communities and electric cooperative members.
The discussions focused on issues important to rural electric cooperatives, including disaster recovery funding, permitting reform and infrastructure resiliency.
While much has changed since her first trip to Washington, Wunderlich said the spirit of the experience remains similar.
“You’re representing your members, and you feel honored to do it,” she said.
Today, Wunderlich continues encouraging students to apply for Youth Tour opportunities through their local electric cooperative.
She believes the program still offers young people something increasingly valuable: the confidence to step outside their comfort zone, engage with others and realize their voice can make an impact.
“No matter where life takes them,” she said, “those are things they can carry forward forever.”
Ann Foster Thelen is the editor of Iowa Electric Cooperative Living magazine.
