Michael Avanzi is the General Manager of Kaukauna Utilities (KU) in Kaukauna, Wisconsin. He joined the multi service (electric and water) public utility in November 2021 and is responsible for overseeing a staff that serves approximately 17,000 customers. Since joining KU, the organization has been awarded nearly $5M in grants for innovative projects including a microgrid with battery storage, city-wide reverse osmosis water treatment system, advanced cybersecurity technology, replacement of all street lights with LEDs and more. Over the past few years under Michael’s leadership, KU was once again awarded the APPA RP3 Diamond level designation and the Smart Energy Provider (SEP) designation among other awards. Michael sits on the Executive Committee, Member Services Advisory Group and Personnel Committee for WPPI, KU’s joint action agency and wholesale power provider. Michael has not only gotten actively involved with WPPI but also MEUW, the state association for public power in Wisconsin, as a Board member, Chair of the Member Engagement Committee and Legislative & Regulatory Committee member. Michael is a graduate of WPPI’s Joint Action Leadership certification program and MEUW’s Utility Leadership and Fundamentals of Utility Management programs. He’s also gotten actively involved in the community serving on the City of Kaukauna Planning Commission and Industrial Park Commission.

Prior to joining KU, Michael was the Manager of Energy Planning and Innovation at Colorado Springs Utilities and had been with the organization since August 2016. He oversaw all long-term planning for the electric and natural gas T&D systems which each serve over 200,000 customers. Michael led the creation of the Sustainable Energy Plan which retired the downtown Martin Drake coal power plant by 2022, brought more renewable energy and the first battery energy storage to Colorado Springs, promoted the advancement of electric vehicles in the community and conceived the idea of an Advanced Technologies Campus - a future hub for innovation in the region.

Before moving to Colorado Springs, he worked for 12 years at Memphis Light, Gas and Water in his hometown of Memphis, Tennessee. Michael graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering from Christian Brothers University and a MBA from Union University. He’s a licensed Professional Engineer in the state of Tennessee.

During his 22+ years in public power, Michael has been a regular attendee of APPA functions including the Engineering & Operations Conference, Joint Action Conference, Legislative Rally and National Conference. Michael has also been involved in the Energy Transition Working Group for the past couple of years and was just recently selected to serve on APPA’s SEP Review Panel.