The Middleton Electric Light Department (MELD) recently announced that MELD Commissioner and revered veteran lineman Kenny Rollins has been honored with the prestigious 2026 Person of the Year Award by the Northeast Public Power Association (NEPPA).
"This distinguished accolade is reserved annually for a stalwart who has demonstrated a lifetime of sustained, exemplary service and exerted a transformative influence upon their local utility, surrounding community, and the broader New England public power landscape," MELD, a Massachusetts public power utility, noted.
Commissioner Rollins’ "distinguished career in public service spans more than 47 years of unyielding devotion to the utility industry. Beginning his professional journey in Danvers, Massachusetts -- starting at Hunt Hospital before moving to the Danvers Water Department and subsequently completing his linewoker apprenticeship with the Danvers Electric Department."
Rollins joined MELD in June of 1990 as a First-Class Lineman.
“Ken Rollins has spent his entire career, and now his retirement, in service to public power and to the communities and colleagues who depend on it," said Mike Hyland, Executive Director of NEPPA. "From frontline linework and mutual aid deployments, to municipal governance as a commissioner, to mentoring the next generation of linemen as a trainer, Ken has given of himself at every stage. I can think of no one more deserving of recognition as Person of the Year.”
Over more than three decades of hands-on, frontline dedication to the craft in Middleton, Rollins advanced through key leadership roles including Crew Leader, Line Foreman, and Facilities Coordinator, safeguarding and fortifying the town's critical electrical infrastructure until his formal retirement from full-time linework in 2023.
"Throughout his tenure, Rollins epitomized the noble ethos of public power—a steadfast commitment to neighbors helping neighbors. He repeatedly answered the call to service during regional crises, deploying to orchestrate emergency grid restorations across New England," MELD noted.
"His altruism extended far beyond regional borders, encompassing multiple precarious storm restorations in Florida and two critical humanitarian deployments to St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands following Hurricane Marilyn in 1995 and Hurricanes Irma and Maria in 2017."
Undertaken on short notice and under grueling conditions, these missions demonstrated exceptional skill and supervisor leadership, cementing his reputation as an operator of rare fortitude and integrity. Rollins' profound legacy seamlessly bridges frontline operational mastery with high-level civic governance and professional education.
He initially lent his technical wisdom to the broader region by shaping utility policy and strategic direction as an elected Commissioner for the Groveland Municipal Light Department for a decade from 2005 to 2014. In 2025, rather than stepping aside to enjoy a quiet retirement, Rollins answered the call of civic duty once more, earning election as a Commissioner for MELD and returning to guide the governance of the very institution where he spent so much of his working life.
Furthermore, as an esteemed part-time trainer for NEPPA, Rollins draws on his wealth of knowledge to deliver vital safety seminars and technical coursework throughout New England. His selfless dedication ensures that the lessons of his long career are passed on to advance the craft, a commitment previously honored when he was named part of the inaugural group to win the Henny Mutual Aid Service Award.
According to colleagues, few individuals embody the foundational spirit of public service as completely or as selflessly as Rollins.
From the hazardous frontlines of storm restoration and his multi-decade leadership in the field, to the strategic governance of local utility boards and regional training academies, he has given of himself at every stage, MELD noted.
Put simply according to peers, “Kenny truly represents the best of NEPPA and Public Power.”
Rollins is "a respected industry veteran whose influence extends far beyond any single utility, and MELD is immensely proud to celebrate his extraordinary legacy on this regional stage. Thank you Kenny for 47 years of public service," MELD said.
