Inducted: 2005
A visionary within the electric cooperative movement for more than 50 years, no single person has had a greater impact on strong and effective cooperative governance and management than Bob Kabat. He served as the director of the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association's Management Services Department for 40 years, where he inspired a culture of cooperative education that still flourishes today.
Bob's legacy includes the creation of a flagship director education program for credentialing electric cooperative directors, the introduction of a service to help establish effective compensation plans, and the launching of the Legal Reporting Service periodical to apprise attorneys of emerging electric co-op issues. He also developed a university-based training program for electric co-op management, now called the Robert I. Kabat Management Internship Program, which graduates more than 60 students each year.
Bob was deeply committed to the establishment and success of NRECA's International Program, which has helped more than 70 million people in 49 countries. His dedication to the protection of consumer and cooperative rights further motivated him to share his considerable talents as a board member and activist with consumer-based organizations such as CARE, the National Cooperative Business Association, the Cooperative Development Foundation, the Consumer Federation of America, and the National Consumers League.