Foundry’s CIO has named Dairyland Power Cooperative as a 2026 CIO 100 Award Winner. For almost 30 years, the CIO 100 Awards have recognized innovative organizations that exemplify the highest level of strategic and operational excellence in information technology (IT). Dairyland Vice President & Chief Information Officer Nate Melby will accept the award on Dairyland’s behalf in August at the CIO 100 Symposium & Awards in Frisco, Texas.

"Dairyland is proud to once again be recognized as a recipient of Foundry's CIO 100 Award, alongside leading organizations from around the world," said Dairyland President & CEO Brent Ridge. "This achievement reflects the dedication of our IT team and the entire organization, who focus on innovative solutions every day to deliver value to our members."

Dairyland was named a CIO 100 Award winner in 2025 for its innovative use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to support its generation facilities and, in 2023, for its Systems Modernization program. This year’s award highlights Dairyland’s use of Agentic Artificial Intelligence, including the use of agents to support organizational effectiveness and ODIN, an Agentic AI implementation that provides safety-related recommendations and insights.

“The CIOs we're recognizing this year aren't just keeping the lights on, they're driving the business," said Richard Smith, Head of Event Content, CIO 100 Awards & Conference. "AI, data, security, cloud; it all lands on the same desk now, and the best CIOs have stopped treating them as separate problems. The 2026 class shows what it looks like when you get that right.”

Melby joined Dairyland in 2016. As Vice President & CIO, he is responsible for leading the strategy, development and implementation of information technology initiatives and systems to advance Dairyland’s business and operations strategies. Click here for Melby’s biography.