Hilmes joined Associated’s board of directors in January 2019, following his selection as executive vice president and chief executive officer of KAMO Power. His 25 years of experience with cooperatives includes 17 years as chief operations officer at KAMO, where he was instrumental in significant expansion and improvement of the high-voltage transmission system and building relationships with neighboring utilities; five years as a planning engineer at Associated Electric Cooperative; and three years as manager of engineering at Southern Illinois Power Cooperative.
He holds a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering and is a member of the Missouri Science & Technology Academy of Electrical & Computer Engineering.