The Paducah Power System Board of Directors on May 11 promoted Cory Hicks as the utility’s new Chief Executive Officer to replace retiring CEO Dave Carroll. Hicks has served since last July as the Kentucky public power utility's Chief Strategy Officer. 

“Dave’s incredible leadership of PPS for the last nine years has positioned the utility well and significantly elevated our standing in the utility industry. My goal is to build upon that and proactively prepare us for growth and the challenges of our evolving industry,” said Hicks. 

Prior to Hicks’ arrival at PPS, he served as the Chief Strategy and Business Officer for Four Rivers Nuclear Partnership, Deputy Business Services Director for Fluor Federal Services and Chief of Staff for former Congressman Ed Whitfield in Washington, D.C.

He will begin his CEO role at PPS July 1. Hicks serves on the Board of Directors for Baptist Health Systems and Paducah Bank as well as the Governor appointed Kentucky Nuclear Energy Development Authority. 

Carroll came to PPS in 1998, serving as Business Director, Finance Director, and, for nearly a decade, CEO. 

His tenure at the helm of the utility has resulted in extensive recognition for PPS within the utility industry for reliability, safety, and operational excellence, PPS noted.

“I appreciate the opportunity given to me by the Board of Directors to lead during the past nine years and especially the hard work of our staff. I’m proud of the reputation, collectively, we’ve built within the industry. People know who we are because of our record, and that has opened doors to opportunities key to our strong financial footing,” said Carroll. 

Carroll pointed to measures taken in recent years to reduce debt, stabilize rates, and sell excess power capacity to other Kentucky communities as examples of those opportunities. 

Carroll said, “I’m particularly proud of the way we’ve been resourceful with our power generating assets to broker capacity/energy contracts with Henderson, Kentucky and the eleven cities in the Kentucky Municipal Energy Agency to provide them with a stable and cost- effective energy path while better matching our resources with our own needs. These types of deals have been and will continue to be important as Paducah Power faces rate and supply pressures that will multiply in our industry in the coming years.”

Carroll has served as the chair of the Board of Directors for both the Prairie State Generating Campus and American Municipal Power, General Manager of the Kentucky Municipal Power Agency and a member of the Board of Directors for the American Public Power Association.