Board of Directors

Decosta Jenkins, Chair
President & CEO, Nashville Electric Service, Tennessee
Decosta has been at the helm of one of the largest public utilities in the U.S. for more than a decade. Before heading NES, he was the senior vice president and chief financial officer and secretary/treasurer to the Electric Power Board of Nashville and Davidson County. Prior to this, Decosta worked for 11 years with Deloitte assisting companies in accounting and auditing matters, mergers and acquisitions, and filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission including two initial public offerings. Decosta is a graduate of University of Tennessee with a Bachelor of Science in Accounting, and is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.

Jolene Thompson, Chair-Elect
President and CEO, American Municipal Power, Ohio
Jolene has worked with municipal electric systems for nearly 30 years and is the first woman to lead AMP, the multi-state nonprofit corporation, which owns and operates electric facilities that provide generation, transmission, and distribution of electric power and energy to 135 members in nine states. Before becoming president and CEO, Jolene oversaw government relations, environmental affairs, energy policy, compliance, public/media relations, energy efficiency/business development services, and human resources and served as the principal legislative contact for both AMP and the Ohio Municipal Electric Association, where she was executive director. Jolene has served as a member of the Transmission Access Policy Study Group Board of Directors and its Executive Committee. At the state level, she is a member of the Ohio Lobbying Association and was recognized in a survey of the Ohio lobbying community as one of the most effective female lobbyists. Before joining AMP, Thompson worked at Columbus Monthly magazine and Business First newspaper.

Colin Hansen, Vice Chair
Executive Director, Kansas Municipal Utilities, McPherson, Kansas
Colin has worked in the public power industry for over 26 years.  Since 2000, he has served as Executive Director for Kansas Municipal Utilities, the statewide trade association representing and serving 185 communities across Kansas on electric, natural gas, water, wastewater & telecommunications issues.  Under his guidance, KMU has grown nearly tenfold and recently opened the KMU Training Center to provide hands-on training to the next generation of municipal utility workers.  Prior to joining KMU, Colin worked for the Iowa Association of Municipal Utilities in a number of capacities including Assistant Executive Director.  Colin is a graduate of Iowa State University with a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering and Drake University with a Masters in Business Administration.  He is a member of the Board of Directors for the Mid-West Electric Consumers Association. 

Layne Burningham, Treasurer
COO/General Manager, Utah Municipal Power Agency, Utah
Layne has been with UMPA for 24 years, with 21 years in management positions.  Prior to his current position, Layne served as UMPA’s Chief Financial Officer & Power Resource Manager.  His experience includes power plant operations, contract negotiation and administration, power marketing, open access transmission tariff proceedings at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, power plant operations, issuance of bonds and other obligations of UMPA, and administration of all UMPA financial and accounting functions.  He is a member of the Colorado River Energy Distributors Association’s Board of Directors.

Coleman Smoak, Immediate Past-Chair
General Manager, Piedmont Municipal Power Agency, South Carolina
Coleman has been involved in the public power industry for more than 40 years. Before serving as general manager of the Piedmont Municipal Power Agency, he was the general manager of the Laurens, SC Commission of Public Works, a municipally-owned, combined utility system and member of PMPA. He is a former member of PMPA's board of directors and served as chair from 1989 to 1993.