Agenda

When a crisis strikes, leaders are expected to respond with speed, clarity, and confidence—often in highly charged situations where instincts can work against effective communication. In today’s fast moving media environment, successful crisis communications requires a strategic approach focused on de escalation, trust building, and keeping stakeholders informed. This fast paced session provides practical guidance for managing high stakes situations before they spiral out of control. Participants will learn how to protect credibility, calm stakeholders, and maintain control of the narrative when it matters most.

Topics include:

• Establishing and maintaining control of the message
• Using social media to inform rather than inflame
• Working effectively with reporters during a crisis
• Navigating differences across TV, print, radio, and online media
• Responding when legal guidance conflicts with communication needs
• Communicating during extreme crisis events, including mass casualty incidents
   

Data centers can be a powerful engine for economic growth, but their development can also create significant challenges for utilities and communities. Gain clarity on who is showing up at the utility door -- from hyperscale cloud providers and AI developers to colocation operators and crypto miners -- and what it takes to move a project from first inquiry to energization.

Learn what a real project timeline looks like, how to structure agreements that protect existing ratepayers before infrastructure dollars are committed, and what utilities most commonly get caught off guard by. Explore how public power utilities are participating in community coalitions, engaging governing boards proactively, and communicating the economic benefits of new large loads to skeptical stakeholders.

Dive into a detailed case study of how one public power utility with more than a decade of data center experience structured its next phase of growth through a competitive RFP process — and what their partnership with a data center developer revealed about speed, credibility, and long-term operations.

Topics include:

• Understanding the data center customer landscape and what drives site selection decisions
• Planning for growth: what a real project timeline looks like and where utilities get caught off guard
• Structuring large load agreements that protect existing ratepayers from speculative load risk
• Building the coalition of the willing: engaging boards, communities, and regulators
• Analyzing and communicating the economic benefits of data center development
• Case study: Grand River Dam Authority's decade of operations and competitive RFP process

How you communicate directly impacts your credibility, influence, and leadership effectiveness. Whether you’re presenting to city council, briefing a utility board, speaking with customers, or sharing updates with your team, your ability to communicate clearly and confidently matters.

In this engaging, hands-on workshop, participants will learn a simple, practical framework for structuring effective presentations, along with techniques to improve confidence, clarity, and audience engagement. 
Through interactive exercises, individual work time, and live coaching, attendees will refine their own presentations and receive actionable feedback on delivery, body language, and message structure. Designed for utility professionals at all levels, this workshop equips participants with tools they can immediately apply to strengthen their communication, increase their influence, and represent their organizations more effectively.

Topics include: 

• Structuring clear, compelling presentations 
• Building confidence and managing nerves 
• Strengthening verbal and nonverbal delivery 
• Engaging audiences through storytelling 
• Preparing for high-stakes speaking situations 
• Improving visuals, pacing, and overall presentation flow 
• Practicing skills with live coaching and feedback

Welcome
Teresa Broyles-Aplin, President and CEO, Nashville Electric Service

CEO Address
Scott Corwin, President and CEO, American Public Power Association

Honoring Our Colleagues: Smart Energy Providers and Public Power Customer Satisfaction Awards
Applaud excellence in energy efficiency and sustainability with the 2026 Smart Energy Provider designees. Celebrate exceptional customer service as we recognize the winners of the Public Power Customer Satisfaction Awards.

Creating Superfans: How To Turn Customers Into Lifelong Advocates
We’re living in an experience economy. Customer experience drives over two-thirds of customer loyalty; more than brand and cost combined. Learn why it’s important for organizations of all kinds to consider every member of your team as part of the Experience Department, and how customer experience translates to competitive advantage. Walk through a memorable, five-step framework proven to create — and keep — superfans that you can take back to your utility.

Brittany Hodak is an award-winning author, entrepreneur, and customer experience expert who helps businesses turn customers into superfans. Her SUPER Model™ framework has empowered thousands of organizations’ employees to transform customers’ apathy into advocacy. When her debut book, Creating Superfans, was released, Forbes declared: “If you have customers, you need this book. Period.” A recognized authority on customer experience, Brittany has authored more than 350 articles for top media outlets, including Success, Adweek, and Inc.

It’s not just the channels of choice that have changed, how people are using and consuming social media has transformed in recent years. While now it is easier to create more accessible content and gauge users’ interest, the opportunities to criticize, organize opposition, and spread misinformation have increased. When a crisis hits, it will now play out on social media first. Gain a deeper understanding of the influence of social media and how you can leverage it to boost your organization and benefit customers, as well as how effective crisis management translates to managing a public social media presence.

Bring your list of hot topics and priorities in customer service to this lively discussion with your utility peers. Swap strategies and brainstorm potential solutions to mutual challenges.

Dive right into the top-of-mind issues on energy innovation and adoption, including addressing resource and workforce constraints. Join this peer driven discussion to exchange experiences and strategies that can help your utility move forward in a realistic, sustainable way. Topics include how to turn data-rich information into actionable insights, balancing grid modernization goals with budget realities, and responding to regulatory mandates that may outpace organizational capabilities.

Kick off the conference with an interactive peer discussion focused on your most pressing key accounts challenges that sets the stage for a collaborative and engaging conference experience. Exchange insights on managing large loads and navigating rate increases, share effective incentive strategies, and learn how fellow key account representatives are overcoming obstacles and delivering measurable wins.

Your customer portal works at 2 AM, when your lobby doesn't. Join Kissimmee Utility Authority and VertexOne for a countdown of the Top 10 customer superpowers that self-service unlocks, from paying a bill at midnight to reporting an outage without ever picking up the phone.

Dissect why key account programs often fail, highlighting common issues related to strategy, clarity, prioritization, relationships, and follow-through. Get practical guidance and tools to help you strengthen your approach, operate your program more strategically, and build stronger, more effective partnerships.

Gather with your utility communications peers to discuss the latest opportunities and best practices in your work, including tips for mobilizing utility advocates, keeping internal communications effective and engaging, and what measurement and metrics offer meaningful insight.

Improving revenue recovery while minimizing account write-offs starts with addressing issues upstream before they become harder to solve. Learn how utilities are identifying high-risk accounts earlier in the billing cycle, how proactive outreach efforts can be effective, and other ways your utility can leverage data analytics to prioritize collection efforts.

Nuclear energy is poised to be the backbone of an affordable, reliable, and clean energy system. Small modular nuclear reactors could be valuable assets for utilities to maintain grid reliability and support climate goals. Learn where this tested technology stands and what the utilities pursuing advanced nuclear projects have accomplished and what's on the horizon.

Community engagement can be one of your biggest reputation builders — but only if attending community events and ongoing outreach efforts match your team’s time, budget, and capacity with measurable impact. Review ready-to-use ways to measure success, discuss how to identify the right topics to engage on, and hear examples of how your peer utilities are building trust and sharing the public power story.

Explore how CPS Energy modernized its customer experience strategic indicators and learn about the utility’s journey to identify the true drivers of customer trust, as well as how to translate those insights into measurable improvements.

Last October, 11 public power utilities launched SmartHours, a program Vermont Public Power Supply Authority built with Bellawatt that gives customers an hourly price for home EV charging – letting EV drivers see tomorrow’s prices, manage their charging, and save. A year in, enrollment is modest, but those who joined have stayed engaged and do most of their charging off-peak, earning credits measured straight from the vehicle that go directly onto their monthly bill. The program strikes a rare balance for demand flexibility: full control for the customer, minimal effort to exercise it. What customers make of the experience is the part no dashboard can show. Join a fireside chat with public power peers on what participants did, what your customers would need to participate in a similar program, and what it takes for a small utility to turn customers into partners.

This session explores the evolving, two-way relationship between utilities and data centers, including a case study from Grand River Dam Authority about how they changed their approach to source the next phase of their growth.

The panel discussion will highlight how both partners work together to support growth, reliability, and long-term success. Attendees will gain insight into the needs, priorities, and expectations of each side, and how effective collaboration can drive strategic planning, infrastructure development, and mutually beneficial outcomes.

Discover how better meter data helps customer service teams resolve issues faster, reduce billing friction, and deliver a better customer experience.

Welcome

Board Chair Address

Honoring Our Colleagues: Key Account and Advanced Key Account Certificate Program Graduates
Congratulate the newest graduates from the APPA Academy's Key Accounts and Advanced Key Accounts Certificate Programs.

The Customer Conversation: Tips from the Front Lines
How do utilities communicate clearly and effectively with customers on the issues that matter most—from rates and outages to programs, services, community engagement, and the value of public power? Join a panel of your peers as they share how their organizations connect with customers across different audiences, situations, and channels. Through real-world examples and practical lessons learned, panelists will discuss strategies for simplifying complex information, addressing customer questions and concerns, communicating during challenging moments, and building trust over time. Whether you're talking with residential customers, business accounts, or community stakeholders, you'll leave with fresh ideas and proven approaches for making customer communications more clear, consistent, and effective.

Honoring Our Colleagues: Excellence in Public Power Communications 
Immerse yourself in visionary communication strategies that will leave you enlightened and motivated as we showcase the videos capturing the highest honors this year in the prestigious Excellence in Public Power Communications Awards.
 

Customers are looking for practical ways to better understand their bills and manage rising energy costs. This session explores how utilities can leverage customer data and targeted outreach to educate customers about energy-saving opportunities, improve digital engagement, and deliver programs that drive measurable results. Learn how leading utilities are turning insights into action to help residential and business customers reduce costs, increase energy efficiency, and build long-term trust.

Video is one of the most effective ways to make the public power story feel personal, whether you’re highlighting safety, reliability, community events, energy efficiency, or new utility programs. In this hands-on session, you’ll leave with a “grab-and-go” approach for planning, shooting, and publishing: simple shot lists, interview prompts, and practical guidance for capturing clear audio and great-looking footage quickly on the tools you already have. Share examples and proven tactics for helping shy frontline employees feel comfortable on camera — so you can feature authentic voices while staying on message and keeping production moving.

As customer expectations rise and utility call centers face increasing volume, artificial intelligence offers a practical path to faster, more accurate service. Get a peek into how public power utilities around the U.S. are leveraging AI-powered tools for functions including call routing, automated event categorization, and issue triage. Discuss where utilities are seeing success using these tools and how it can help reduce handle times, improve first-contact resolution, and free up staff to focus on complex customer needs. Review how to assess whether your utility is ready for AI and take away tips for implementation and adoption.

Utility energy efficiency programs — such as incentives, rebates, and weatherization — remain critical tools for managing peak demand while also enhancing the overall customer experience. Explore how you can leverage data from AMI, GIS, and other sources to gain a clearer understanding of customer demand and key contributors to peak load. Learn what data-driven insights can help evaluate demand savings potential, improve program impact, and deliver greater value to both the utility and your community.

Being a key accounts representative means serving as your utility’s trusted ambassador. Gain practical guidance and tips for how to represent your organization with confidence, professionalism, and strong business etiquette when engaging with your clients.

Mid-sized utilities face a hard truth: Your customers expect the same modern, secure payment experience they get everywhere else, but your budget and staff are stretched thin. See how Orange County Utilities worked with Selectron, a Convey Company, on a unified, omnichannel strategy that transformed both customer experience and back-office efficiency. OCU will share how residential and commercial customers use a multitude of channels to create profiles, securely store payment methods, and set up recurring, scheduled, or one-time payments, all without added strain on staff. Hear what results OCU achieved, including measurable savings on transaction costs and a significant reduction in field service visits driven by proactive outbound billing and delinquency notifications. Leave with a practical framework for evaluating payment and communication strategies that cut costs, ease staff burden, and build customer trust.

Your utility’s voice needs to work everywhere — on your website, social media, and emails — and maintain consistency whether attributed to an executive or subject matter experts. Dig into how public power communicators define tone, maintain consistency, and decide when it’s appropriate to be lighthearted in one moment and authoritative in the next — especially when shifting from everyday engagement to outage and crisis communications. Gain practical tips for brand voice governance, empowering SMEs, and using AI to support utility communicators (without replacing human judgement).

As customers continue to raise and face concerns on energy affordability, interactions between CSRs and customers over their monthly bills, or payment options when behind, can be increasingly stressful and strained. Walk through recent utility and ratepayer advocate case studies and discuss how to effectively and compassionately listen to customer challenges and work with them to manage bills and arrearages.

Utilities invest significant effort in designing programs, yet often lack insight into which customers are ready to participate or what will help them sign up. Explore how utilities of all sizes are using AI to gain customer intelligence to move beyond broad promotion toward smarter, targeted outreach. Hear what utilities have learned from pilot programs using AI-based tools to better identify customers for heat pump, EV rate, demand response, and other programs. Review considerations for effectively leveraging AI for customer program adoption to help your utility do more with less.

Find out how utilities are using smart rate design and pricing strategies for large loads to improve reliability, guide growth, and influence customer behavior — while remaining fair, simple, and competitive. Learn about tools to help you communicate the value of your rates, avoid under recovery and cross subsidization, evaluate contract options, and confidently price large load opportunities using real world lessons and proven frameworks.

Join your fellow communicators for a rapid-fire Q&A and brainstorming session to tackle your common challenges. Submit topics in advance to be sure you take home ideas you can try out right away.

Explore how to keep employees engaged and motivated amid frequent change and burnout from the day-to-day difficulties of a customer service position. Review ideas for effectively translating directives from senior leaders to your frontline teams and similarly supporting a feedback loop from your team to utility leadership.

Rapid growth in data center development — driven by AI and digital services — is reshaping electric load forecasts and raising concerns about affordability and system capacity, particularly for public power utilities serving rural areas. Examine findings from the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory on how battery energy storage systems deployed alongside data centers can help manage peak demand, reduce potential cost shifts, and defer or avoid expensive transmission, distribution, or generation upgrades. Discuss use cases where BESS can provide grid benefits such as cost effective peak shaving and reliability, and how to evaluate storage alongside alternative capacity solutions.

Learn what experienced key accounts representatives are doing to navigate common challenges in today’s evolving landscape. Hear which strategies have driven success in their utilities, and gain candid lessons and practical insights into what’s worked, what hasn’t, and what makes sense for your key accounts. Then discuss key takeaways and exchange ideas for strengthening your key account program and driving meaningful impact in small group roundtables.

Join us for a celebration of Nashville's boot-scootin' spirit, Southern hospitality, and the conference connections made along the way. Enjoy live music, sample local tastes, and spend time with friends and colleagues as we celebrate the relationships, ideas, and memories made throughout the conference.

Honoring Our Colleagues: Excellence in Public Power Communications

Celebrate winners of the Excellence in Public Power Communications awards, including the audience choice video award.

Breaking Through: My Journey to Becoming the First Female NFL Official

Sarah Thomas is a woman of many firsts—she was the first female official to ever work a major college football game, the first woman to officiate a bowl game, and the first to officiate in a Big Ten stadium. In 2021 she became the first female to officiate a Super Bowl. Now she’s sharing essential leadership lessons from her journey to the top of a male-dominated industry and vital insights on shattering the glass ceiling in the world of professional sports that can be applied to any field or industry. As an example of what’s possible if you believe, Sarah shows audience members how to break through in their own careers, from staying focused under pressure and creating change to managing work-life balance and being the best at what you do.