Sheldon Petersen is the CEO of the National Rural Utilities Cooperative Finance Corp. (CFC) and the Rural Telephone Finance Cooperative (RTFC). He joined CFC in August 1983 as an area representative where he provided financial management and consulting services to members in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Montana and the Dakotas.
In 1990, Sheldon moved to CFC headquarters where he held various management positions. He began his career in the rural electrification program in 1976 with Nishnabotna Valley REC in Harlan, IA. In November 1980, he became general manager of Rock County ECA, now Rock Energy Cooperative, in Janesville, WI. Sheldon serves as a director on the board of Homestead Funds, a family of publicly traded no-load mutual funds established in 1990 by the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association. He is also on the NRTC board.
A native of western Iowa, Sheldon received his B.A. degree in marketing from the University of Northern Iowa in 1975.