Wes Kelley, President & CEO of Huntsville Utilities (Ala.) and Immediate Past Chair of the TVPPA Board of Directors, was selected to receive the 2022 Richard C. Crawford Distinguished Service Award (DSA). The award was presented during TVPPA’s 77th Annual Conference in Point Clear, Ala.
Established in 1980 and renamed in 2004 to honor retiring TVPPA President and CEO Dick Crawford, the award honors any CEO or General Manager of a TVPPA member system who has been active in TVPPA, as well as other Valley electric utility activities, and meets these criteria:
- Exceptional leadership and service contributions to TVPPA and to consumer-owned power locally and in the Tennessee Valley region;
- Unusual devotion to duty;
- Recognition by the nominee’s peers;
- Contribution to the betterment of the community and the Tennessee Valley region.
Rodney Boyd, General Manager and CEO of McMinnville Electric System and last year’s DSA recipient presented Kelley with TVPPA’s highest honor, noting his advocacy for the public power model and steady and insightful leadership of the association through some of the most challenging times in its history. He described Kelley as “creating a culture of doing the right thing,” and described his steadfast demeanor and tendency to “be kind and talk softer,” especially when entering difficult conversations or discussing topics that involve change.
“His commitment to service and leadership excellence is not just known here in the Tennessee Valley, but it has been recognized at the national level,” said Boyd, noting that Kelley is a past recipient of APPA’s Mark Crisson Leadership and Managerial Excellence Award. “He is a leader of leaders and this year’s Distinguished Service Award honoree.”