Sue Kelly, President and CEO of the American Public Power Association, on Oct. 30 received the Paul E. Nordstrom Service Award from the Energy Bar Association at its 2018 Mid-Year Energy Forum in Washington, D.C.
The award honors and recognizes exemplary long-term service or a particularly significant example of public service to the community through the EBA, the Charitable Foundation of the Energy Bar Association (CFEBA) or the Foundation of the Energy Law Journal. The award was created in memory of Paul E. Nordstrom, a past president of the EBA and a motivating force in the organization of the CFEBA.
“As someone who represents public power interests in my day-to-day work life, she has been a role model to me for many years,” said Matthew Rudolphi, EBA President, in introducing Kelly.
“I have seen firsthand her leadership, integrity, and dedication,” Rudolphi told the audience of energy attorneys.
“And so when I heard from the nominating committee that Sue was their nominee, I was absolutely thrilled and when I went to each board for their vote to endorse Sue as our awardee” it was unanimous, he noted. Rudolphi is a shareholder and attorney with the Washington, D.C.-based law firm Duncan, Weinberg, Genzer & Pembroke, P.C.
Kelly said that the award “means a lot to me because EBA has been my professional organization of choice since I started doing energy work as a young lawyer in 1980.” She said that “those of us who are energy lawyers are privileged to have great careers,” adding that “what we do really matters.”
She said that “in some ways we’re very blessed and I think we need to take those advantages and accept the moral responsibility that comes with them to give back to our larger community, both in our nation and around the world.”
The CFEBA offers a vehicle to give back, Kelly noted. “Over the years, I’ve been involved in the CFEBA in many, many ways,” giving her the opportunity to see “the good work it does both domestically and around the world.”
Kelly is a former president of the EBA and a longstanding board member of CFEBA.
