Montana-Dakota Utilities Announces Executive Appointments

Montana-Dakota Utilities Co. President and CEO K. Frank Morehouse announced today the appointment of Jay Skabo as vice president of electric supply and Nicole Kivisto as vice president of operations for the company. The appointments are effective Jan. 3, 2014. Montana-Dakota is a division of MDU Resources Group, Inc.

. “I am excited to announce these changes and to have two people with a wealth of experience fill these important roles,” Morehouse said. Skabo is currently vice president of operations for Montana-Dakota, a position he has held since October 2008. He joined the company in 2003 as an environmental manager and also served as manager of the company's Dakota Heartland/Great Plains Natural Gas region. Before joining Montana-Dakota, Skabo spent seven years as general manager of the Echo Mountain industrial waste management facility near Sawyer, N.D. He has also worked in various other roles in the environmental field. “Jay has a wealth of operations experience and his previous environmental experience will be instrumental in his new role,” Morehouse said. Skabo is a native of Dickinson, N.D., and has degrees in chemical engineering from the University of North Dakota and in chemistry from Dickinson State University. Skabo replaces Andrea Stomberg, who earlier announced her intent to retire on Jan. 3, 2014, after 23 years with the company. Kivisto is currently vice president, controller and chief accounting officer for MDU Resources Group, a position she has held since February 2010. Kivisto joined the company in 1995 and has held a number of positions of increasing responsibility, including controller. “Nicole brings to the table strong people skills and great leadership that she has exhibited inside and outside the company,” Morehouse said. “Her experience at MDU Resources will be a great fit with our operations team. It is a win-win opportunity for all involved.” Kivisto is a native of Beulah, N.D. She has a degree in accounting from the University of Minnesota-Moorhead and is also a graduate of the Carlson School of Management Minnesota Executive Program. She is a certified public accountant. The search for Kivisto's replacement is under way.