NASHVILLE, Tenn.—NRECA honored co-op leaders with five prestigious awards at PowerXchange this week. Here’s a look at their accomplishments:

President’s Award

Tony Campbell, the outgoing president and CEO of East Kentucky Power Cooperative, won the President’s Award for his outstanding leadership contributions to rural electrification and to the nation, his state and his community.

Among Campbell’s most high-profile accomplishments was an invitation to speak about energy policy at the White House in April 2025.

“Tony’s recent appearance at the White House was not a celebration of politics—it was a validation of persistence,” wrote Alan Ahrman, EKPC’s board chairman, in recommending Campbell for the award.

“For years, he raised concerns about the consequences of energy policies that ignored baseload realities. He didn’t seek the spotlight, but he refused to stay silent while the needs of rural Kentuckians were being overlooked.”

“Tony has been a strong champion of electric reliability, sounding the alarm about threats to the electric grid and stressing the importance of always-available generation resources that are critical to keeping the lights on,” said NRECA President Mike Partin.

“He has consistently carried this message to the White House on behalf of electric co-ops nationwide and to numerous elected officials. Electric co-ops are better today because of Tony’s dedication, and I commend him for his steadfast dedication to the cooperative family.”

Campbell, who will retire from the co-op in June, is currently serving as an adviser to new EKPC President and CEO Don Mosier.

“For over 90 years, electric cooperative leaders have been on the frontlines, defending the interests of America’s rural electric consumers,” Campbell said. “Today, the fight is as important as it has ever been.”

“I’m honored and humbled to receive this award,” he said. “I would like to accept this award for the many electric cooperative leaders across this nation who have joined me in this vital fight to protect reliability and affordability for millions of Americans.”

Electric Cooperative Purpose Award

Coos-Curry Electric Cooperative in Oregon and Sulphur Springs Valley Electric Cooperative in Arizona won this award, which recognizes co-ops that work with their members to make lasting improvements to their communities’ quality of life.

“Coos-Curry Electric and Sulphur Springs Valley have demonstrated the highest level of commitment to their members,” Partin said.

“Under CEO Brent Bischoff’s leadership, Coos-Curry’s Beacon Broadband subsidiary is well on its way to bringing fast, reliable internet service to every member in its diverse service territory, no matter how remote. When big broadband providers looked the other way, CCES leaned in.

“Sulphur Springs Valley proved equally dedicated to its membership, helping to mitigate the impacts of global energy market volatility on its members while ensuring the co-op’s financial stability. The effort paid off—literally—for SSVEC’s members, reinforcing their trust and engagement as a community.”

In 2020, Coos-Curry Electric’s Board of Directors “set the visionary standard to make fiber broadband service available to every cooperative member” in a rugged area where 20% of its members had no internet access, said Bischoff.

“Since then, Coos-Curry Electric and Beacon Broadband have worked tirelessly to make that vision a reality. The challenges have been monumental, like building the fiber network through the highest inflationary period in 40 years. 

“Conversely, the rewards have been inspiring, like connecting our 5000th member/customer, a former Air Force fighter pilot raising his young family on his historic family homestead and large cranberry farm.”

In 2022, when surging global fuel prices threatened the economic well-being of its members, SSVEC took action to provide financial relief by reducing its Cooperative Fuel Bank by more than $8 million and lowering the Wholesale Power and Fuel Cost Adjuster surcharge.

“The impact of SSVEC’s actions has been felt throughout the communities it serves,” Maren Mahoney, director of the Arizona Governor’s Office of Resiliency, wrote in a letter in support of the co-op’s nomination.

“Not only did the surcharge reduction offer immediate economic relief, but it also strengthened the qualify of life for … their members and reinforced the cooperative’s role as a trusted community partner.”

SSVEC CEO Jason Bowling said, “when fuel costs spiked, our members felt it first and trusted us to respond.”

“Together with our employees, partners, regulators, and sister co-ops, we aligned around a practical solution that delivered relief and restored stability. We are better prepared today because of that cooperation, and the experience proved that when co-ops move together, we can overcome any challenge.”

Curtis Wynn Diversity Champion Award

This award, named in honor of former NRECA President and current SECO Energy CEO Curtis Wynn, was presented this year to Kevin Short, general manager of Anza Electric Cooperative in California, and Amy Hausman, human resources administrator at Holy Cross Energy in Colorado.

In addition to recruiting a diverse workforce and creating an inclusive environment, Short’s “commitment to uplifting disadvantaged communities is inspirational,” said Jessica Nelson, general manager of Golden State Power Cooperative, in a nomination letter.

“Through his partnership with the Santa Rosa Band of Cahuilla Indians and GRID Alternatives, Anza Electric Cooperative successfully obtained a grant to install a community solar project on tribal land,” Nelson said.

“The project provides clean energy and bill savings to approximately 38 qualified low-income co-op members within their service territory. The innovative partnership with GRID Alternatives also provided job training to members of the Santa Rosa Band of Cahuilla Indians.”

Partin said Short “exemplifies the purpose of this award and is a true champion of diversity at Anza Electric Cooperative and in the Anza community.”

“He has consistently demonstrated his commitment to fostering a diverse and inclusive workforce, developing talent from underrepresented groups, and achieving pay equity. His work will have a lasting impact on his community and the cooperative family.”

Short said he was “totally taken by surprise with this award.”

“I'm honored and humbled by this, and at the same time I'm so very proud of our team here at Anza and the things that we've accomplished for our members and employees over the years.”

At Holy Cross Energy, Hausman has led the co-op’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee since its formation in 2021.

“Amy and the committee have helped us focus on all dimensions of diversity, not just race and gender but also origin, culture, religious or political belief, and any other way it might be expressed,” said co-op President and CEO Bryan Hannegan.

Nearly a third of HCE's membership speaks Spanish, and the co-op recognized that it was not serving that group as well as its English-speaking members and communities, Hannegan said. "Since then, new employment opportunities have prioritized bilingual capability, the HCE website and social media have been translated entirely into Spanish, and focused community outreach has been undertaken in the hopes of creating an authentic dialogue with these members who have not been well-served in the past.”

Under Hausman’s leadership, HCE “has made significant strides in advancing the co-op’s vision of a diverse and equitable workplace where everyone feels welcomed and valued,” Partin said.

“Amy recognizes that diversity is a core strength and has dedicated herself to fostering an inclusive culture to better serve Holy Cross’ diverse members and communities.”

Hausman said she has been proud to serve as chairperson of the co-op’s DEI committee.

“Through the initiatives of this committee, and with the support of our Board of Directors and senior staff, we have fostered a workplace culture that values these principles and has increased our employees’ understanding that greater diversity and equity not only make all of our employees feel welcome and valued, but also make our co-op more innovative and able to better serve our diverse members and communities.”

Haggard Award

Cally Peterson, editor of North Dakota Living, won the 2025 George W. Haggard Memorial Journalism Award, which recognizes the year's outstanding statewide magazine for overall quality and for supporting the national objectives of electric co-ops.

This is the first Haggard award for Peterson, who became the editor of North Dakota Living, the magazine for the North Dakota Association of Rural Electric Cooperatives, in 2019.

“We were so excited to receive the news the 2025 Haggard Award was coming home to North Dakota for the first time in 20 years,” Peterson said.

“The team, along with our local cooperatives and co-op communicators, pours so much into this publication each month, so getting recognized for that important work feels really good.” 

One contest judge called North Dakota Living “truly the gold standard in locally produced electric cooperative journalism. From an interview with the newly minted governor to a series of articles on the challenges co-ops face in providing reliable and affordable power, this publication has something for everyone and keeps member-owners informed on major issues impacting our industry.”

Stephen Bell, NRECA senior vice president of Communications, noted that “reliable” and “trusted” were the top words used by readers to describe the publication in a recent readership survey.

“That reputation helps North Dakota’s cooperatives across the board and has led to North Dakota Living being one of the standard-bearers of co-op magazines,” he said.

International Award

Dan Waddle, the recently retired senior vice president of NRECA International, won the International Award for his long service to rural electrification around the globe.

“Under Dan’s leadership, NRECA International has implemented successful, sustainable, scalable electrification programs that improve education, health care, safety, and economic opportunities in communities across the world,” Wes Waller, board chairman of the Minnesota Rural Electric Association, wrote in a letter nominating Waddle.

Partin said Waddle’s 30-plus years of service to NRECA International “was marked by true compassion for people around the world who had yet to experience the benefits of electricity.”

“Thanks to Dan and the NRECA International team, millions of people now have power,” Partin said. “I’m grateful for his work and excited about the future of the program.”

Waddle called the award “a touching acknowledgement of 34 years of service to NRECA and to our community of electrification partners in countries where I was fortunate to serve.”

“I worked on projects in Latin America, Southeast Asia, South and Central Asia and in Sub-Saharan Africa—all of which provided scores of opportunities to connect with government officials, policymakers, electrification program managers and, most importantly, with rural community members with whom we partnered,” Waddle said. “It has been the opportunity of my lifetime to add to the legacy of the NRECA electrification program.”

Blake Whitney and Dan Riedinger of NRECA contributed to this report.