Build practical AI skills for the finance office — from foundational concepts through board report automation, advanced prompting, and team implementation. No coding or technical background required.
Most AI courses are built for a general audience. This track is built specifically for co-op and utility accounting and finance professionals — the examples, templates, and prompt formulas are drawn from actual utility finance work: variance analysis, board reports, rate strategy narratives, KPI communications, and management presentations.
The three courses progress from foundational through advanced, building skills you can apply immediately — starting with your first course. Works with any major AI platform: ChatGPT, Claude, Microsoft Copilot, or Google Gemini.
How large language models work, what they can and can't do, and how to use AI to automate reporting, analyze financial data, and protect sensitive information — no technical background required.
Prompt formulas that generate professional variance explanations, board reports, and management communications. Turn raw financial data into clear narratives for any audience.
Advanced prompting, prompt chaining, quality control frameworks, agentic AI workflows, and team implementation strategies — for professionals ready to move beyond the basics.
"I went from being intimidated by AI to making it part of my daily workflow. The courses build on each other perfectly, and the templates and checklists are exactly what I needed to get started with confidence."
The board report module alone was worth the price. I used the prompt formula from Course 2 the same week to draft our quarterly narrative — what used to take me two hours took twenty minutes."
"The AI governance and team rollout section in Course 3 is something I haven't seen anywhere else. We used the policy framework to get our board comfortable with the idea before we rolled out AI tools across the finance team."
Russ Hissom is a nationally recognized expert in utility accounting and ratemaking, with more than 35 years of experience helping electric utilities and cooperatives navigate FERC, RUS, FASB, and GASB accounting standards. As founder of UtilityEducation.com, Russ has built a comprehensive CPE curriculum drawing on decades of hands-on work with regulatory accounting, construction accounting, and rate case support for investor-owned utilities, public power, and electric cooperatives.
No. Course 1 starts from the beginning — how AI works, what it can and can't do, and how to get started. Each course builds on the previous, so you develop skills progressively.
The examples and templates are drawn from utility and co-op finance work — variance analysis, board reports, rate narratives, KPI communications. The skills transfer to any finance role, but the context is squarely in the utility industry.
Any major platform works — ChatGPT, Claude, Microsoft Copilot, or Google Gemini. The courses teach techniques that apply across platforms. Most offer free tiers sufficient for learning.
Immediately. Each course includes ready-to-use prompt formulas, templates, and implementation guides. Most participants use AI for real tasks within the first course.
Yes — 5.50 NASBA CPE hours total. Each course awards credits separately upon passing the final exam at 70% or better.
Email or call 608-628-4020. We welcome questions anytime.
