McDowell was named CEO of NW Electric Power Cooperative in fall 2014 and joined Associated's board of directors in November 2014.
He has 21 years of diverse utility management and business operations experience. McDowell joined NW Electric Power Cooperative in 1998 and served as its director of operations. Since, he has worked closely with NW's distribution cooperative owners, other G&Ts, Associated, the Association of Missouri Electric Cooperatives, and the National Association of Rural Electric Cooperatives. He holds degrees in electrical and mechanical engineering, a master's degree in business administration, and is a licensed professional engineer in Missouri.