Jeff Matthews – Winchester Utilities

In the fall of 2020 when Winchester Utility System General Manager Roger Caldwell announced his retirement, Human Resources Manager Jeff Mathews faced the daunting challenge of hiring a new leader for the small municipal utility located in the southern reaches of Middle Tennessee. While Mathews had been with Winchester US for almost two years, he was still relatively new to the public power industry. “I had never led a search like this before and no one else on staff or on the board at that time had been through an executive search before,” said Mathews.

In the process of working on his Utilities Human Resources certification with TVPPA’s Education & Training department, it occurred to Mathews that he might take further advantage of his company’s TVPPA membership and lean on staff expertise to guide him and his utility through the executive search process. “It seemed like a good idea to get guidance from subject matter experts who know the ins and outs of this industry, the executive search process, what to look for in a leader, and where to start.” Mathews reached out to TVPPA President & CEO Doug Peters who then connected him to Danette Scudder, executive vice president of member services and strategic relations. Soon Danette and TVPPA’s Director of Human Resources Bernadette Martin got to work with Mathews and Winchester US creating a plan to help them identify the highest quality candidates and guide them through the interview process.

Conducting a search at the height of the pandemic added a layer of complexity to an already arduous process, but Mathews says TVPPA staff helped provide a framework that allowed the utility and its board of directors to navigate the search with ease.

“Finding a new general manager, it’s a pretty big deal. And as I mentioned, everyone who had been here the last time Winchester hired a GM had retired. Not only did we need someone advising us who understood the search process, but also someone who knows the importance of recruiting great candidates and learning about their management style. TVPPA staff helped us ask the right questions and set us up for success,” said Mathews.

Mathews has advice for anyone who, as he once did, has to hire their own boss. “It won’t be easy. Find someone who knows this industry and how to conduct an executive search. Take your time and make sure you’ve got the right candidate, one who will model leadership skills and establish a positive culture… and oh, by the way, here’s TVPPA’s number.”