The 2026 American Municipal Power Annual Conference took place in Columbus, Oct. 12-14, 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 shared highlights of AMP achievements over the past year, spoke about AMP’s strategic priorities over the next five years, discussed the pressure points facing public power and reinforced the benefits of joint action.
Thompson then led a panel discussion on industry issues featuring Jason Grey, Director of Utilities of Danville Utilities; Thomas Bergman, Village Administrator of the Village of Genoa; Guy Augustin, Director of Electric Operations of the City of Lebanon; and Andrew Spencer, Borough Manager of Zelienople Borough, who shared their perspectives on significant issues shaping the public power industry.
After 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; and Scott Milburn, Principal with Scott Milburn, LLC, shared strategic advice on the importance of having an updated crisis communications plan.
In addition, the first day of the conference featured a session on power supply planning over the next decade. In that session, Paul Beckhusen, AMP Executive Vice President of Power Supply and Generation Operations and Chief Commercial Officer, was joined by Craig Kleinhenz, AMP Vice President of Power Supply, and Kyle Schimley, AMP Assistant Vice President of Power Supply and Energy Markets. The three discussed integrated resource planning, industry and market changes, resource options, future scenarios, and more.
Day two of the conference opened with Steve Lieberman, AMP Senior Vice President of Transmission and Regulatory Affairs, moderating a panel discussion with representatives of two regional transmission operators (RTOs), Asim Haque, Executive Vice President, Government & Member Services at PJM Interconnection, LLC (PJM), and Todd Hillman, Senior Vice President, Chief Customer Officer, External Affairs at the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO) provided an overview of their organizations’ unique governance and shared their perspectives and insights on industry issues and trends.
The conference concluded with a session featuring Rob Talley, President of Talley & Associates, who offered insights and updates on the latest political and policy activity in Congress.
In addition to the sessions and events, AMP held its General Membership Meeting and the annual AMP Awards Banquet on Oct. 13.
AMP Service Group Board Seats and Board Elections
During the AMP General Membership Meeting, results were announced for elections to the At-Large seats on the AMP Board of Trustees expiring in 2026. The AMP Member communities of Cuyahoga Falls, Marshall, Napoleon and Wellington 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 elected to leadership positions:
• Chair – Brian O’Connell, PE, City of Bowling Green
• Vice Chair – Edwin Porter, City of Hamilton
• Secretary – Jonathan Greever, Village of Wellington
• Treasurer – Chris Monacelli, City of Westerville
AMP Seven Hats Award
Ben Sparks, Electric and Water Distribution Superintendent for the Village of Yellow Springs, received the prestigious AMP Seven Hats Award, which was announced during the Awards Banquet on Oct. 13.
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 fewer 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.
AMP Service Distinction Award
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:
• Ken Blue – Village of Prospect
• Jeff Brediger – City of Orrville
• Stacie Brown – City of Tipp City
• Johnnie Burns – Village of Yellow Springs
• Dave Carroll – City of Paducah
• Shawn Coffey – City of Lebanon
• Tom Guthrie – Village of Marshallville
• Bruce Haws – Borough of Ephrata
• John Linkey – Village of Bradner
• Kevin Maynard – City of Marshall
• Dawn Myers – City of New Martinsville
• Tim Stallard – Village of Lucas
2027 AMP Wall of Fame Inductees Announced
At the Awards Banquet on Oct. 13, Thompson also announced that the honorees for the 2027 AMP Wall of Fame would be all current and former AMP employees who have achieved 25 or more years of service since the organization was formed in 1971.
In addition, Thompson announced that Tom Wilson, a partner at Dinsmore & Shohl and AMP’s longtime bond counsel, would also be a 2027 AMP Wall of Fame honoree.
A formal induction ceremony will be held in 2027.
Throughout the conference, AMP also announced several awards given to AMP Member communities in the categories of Electric System Improvement, Member System Safety, Community and Workforce Development, and new individuals awards, including Managerial Excellence, and Rising Stars.
