The 2025 American Municipal Power, Inc. Annual Conference took place in Columbus, Ohio, Sept. 22-24 and provided attendees with a full schedule of educational sessions featuring industry experts.
The conference began with welcome remarks by AMP President/CEO Jolene Thompson, who spoke about AMP’s strategic priorities over the next five years, long-term grid reliability, the growth of data centers and the resulting effects on the grid.
Thompson then led a panel discussion on trends affecting public power and the electric industry with Scott Corwin, President and CEO of the American Public Power Association; Tom Falcone, President of the Large Public Power Council; and Jim Robb, President and CEO of the North American Electric Reliability Corporation.
Following welcome remarks and the opening panel, Mike Zenker, Managing Director of Energy Market Analysis at NextEra Energy Resources, provided an update on the state of the energy market.
Following that, the day continued with an economic outlook session on the key indicators shaping business decisions and investment strategies in the U.S. economy, led by Karl Russo, Principal at PwC; a session on the rise and adoption of artificial intelligence led by Branndon Kelley, Senior Vice President of Strategy and Innovation and Chief Strategy Officer at AMP; and a session on power supply, load forecasting and AMP’s Innovation Roadmap, let by Paul Beckhusen, Senior Vice President of Power Supply and Generation Operations and Chief Commercial Officer at AMP, Senior Vice President of Power Supply and Energy Marketing at AMP; and Joe Morris, Assistant Vice President of Innovation and Transformation at AMP.
Day two of the conference featured a session with two former Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) commissioners, Tony Clark, Executive Director of the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners, and Allison Clements, Principal at 804 Advisory. The former regulators provided unique perspectives on the current challenges facing regional transmission organizations (RTOs) and markets.
Following that, the conference was closed out with a session offering insights and updates on the latest activity in Congress, provided by Rob Talley, President of Talley & Associates.
In addition to the sessions and events, AMP held its General Membership Meeting and the annual AMP Awards Banquet on Sept. 23.
During the AMP General Membership Meeting, results were announced for a number of elections for 13 Service Group seats expiring in 2025 on the AMP Board of Trustees.
The AMP Member communities of Bedford, Bowling Green, Cleveland, Clyde, Coldwater, Ephrata, Hamilton, Paducah, Philippi, Versailles, Wadsworth and Westerville, and the Delaware Municipal Electric Corporation were re-elected to three-year terms. Following the General Membership Meeting, the AMP Board of Trustees met to elect officers for the coming year.
The following were re-elected to leadership positions: Chair – Dave Carroll, City of Paducah, Vice Chair – Brian O’Connell, PE, City of Bowling Green, Secretary – Edwin Porter, PE, City of Hamilton, Treasurer – Chris Monacelli, City of Westerville.
AMP Seven Hats Award
Don Harrod, Village Administrator for the Village of Minster, received the prestigious AMP Seven Hats Award, which was announced during the Awards Banquet on Sept. 23.
Initiated in 1984 to recognize utility managers who serve smaller communities, the AMP Seven Hats Award is presented annually to an official in a community of less than 2,500 electric meters.
Award winners show skill in seven areas: planning and design, administration, public relations, field supervision, accounting, personnel or employee direction, and community leadership. Read the full Seven Hats Award news release here.
Established in 2021, the AMP Service Distinction Award recognizes individuals, employees of Member public power utilities, partners or consultants who have made significant contributions to public power and support the mission, vision and values of AMP.
AMP Member community representatives submit nominations for the Service Distinction Award throughout the year, and the AMP General Membership approved a resolution honoring the following recipients during the annual AMP General Membership Meeting:
Lonnie Armbruster – Borough of Lehighton • Adam Brandt – City of Bryan
Jerald Clink – Village of Custar
Kevin Cornish – Village of Clinton
Stephen J. Garnick – City of Westerville
Jerry Gee – City of Tipp City
Bill George – City of Newton Falls
Tom Gray – Village of Monroeville
Nancy Harris – Borough of Ephrata
Tom O’Leary – City of Galion
Robert Patrick – City of Wadsworth
Tracy Reimbold – AMP, City of Newton Falls, City of Cuyahoga Falls
Andy Small – City of Napoleon
AMP Wall of Fame Inductee Announced
John Courtney of Courtney & Associates, a public utility consulting firm located in Findlay, Ohio, was announced as the honoree for the 2026 AMP Wall of Fame during the Annual Awards Banquet on Sept. 23.
Courtney’s firm specializes in providing professional advisory services to publicly owned utilities. Since 1981, he has advised numerous municipal, institutional and industrial clients on power supply and other utility-related matters.
In particular, he was directly responsible for the preparation of the feasibility studies that led to the re-establishment of a municipally owned electric system in the City of Clyde. A formal induction ceremony will be held for Courtney at a later date.
Throughout the conference, AMP also announced several awards given to AMP Member communities in the categories of electric system sustainability, innovation, public power promotion, safety and system improvement.
