ATLANTA—NRECA honored a top co-op communicator and other industry leaders with awards at PowerXchange this week. Here's a look at the winners and their accomplishments:

International Award

Oregon Trail Electric Cooperative CEO Les Penning received NRECA's International Award for helping organize a 10-member crew from Oregon to electrify a small Guatemalan village in 2023.

During the two-week project, the crew built 2.8 miles of primary line and 1.8 miles of secondary line and brought electricity to 40 homes. Penning also put together a team that included OTEC member-owners to perform service projects for the community, including providing Spanish-language children's books through Dolly Parton's Imagination Library and building playground equipment for two schools.

Penning facilitated the project as chair of the Oregon Rural Electric Cooperative Association's Guatemala committee. ORECA partnered with NRECA International on the effort.

“Les was the driving force behind the project from beginning to end," said outgoing NRECA President Tony Anderson. “Throughout the effort, he demonstrated his personal unwavering commitment, and that of Oregon's electric cooperatives, to improving peoples' lives. Through this work, Les created a blueprint for any statewide organization that wants to help bring electricity to those who can only dream of it."

The project is “one of the best things the statewide has done in our 82-year history," ORECA Executive Director Ted Case said.

Penning said the award “is really celebrating the thousands of people who have committed their time, talent and resources to the global work of NRECA International since its formation in 1963. It is about the importance of demonstrating the power of the cooperative network across the United States and leveraging that capability internationally."

“These projects aren't only life changing and impactful for those receiving the gift of electricity, but equally impactful for growth and educational opportunities for the crews and everyone involved that make this possible," said Penning. “We stand on the shoulders of giants, let us continue to build on that foundation of success as 800 million people around the world remain in the dark."

George W. Haggard Award

Jeff McCallister, editor of Ohio Cooperative Living, won the 2024 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 win marks the third time in seven years that Jeff took home the Haggard for Ohio Cooperative Living, the magazine for Ohio's Electric Cooperatives.

“Ohio Cooperative Living exists for one reason: to help our member co-ops communicate with their own members," said McCallister. “Sometimes people can get a lot of conflicting information, so we just try to lay things out in an honest and forthright way so our readers can make sense of it, and they know they can trust it because it comes from the co-op."

“But all of our sister publications across the country do an amazing job of that, so to be selected from among them is a huge honor," he added.

One contest judge called Ohio Cooperative Living “an extremely strong publication with excellent writing, professional design and robust co-op content that doesn't shy away from complex technical topics and hard truths." Another noted that it's “one of the best-designed publications out there."

“Prior to their big redesign in 2017, Ohio had only won the Haggard once in the award's 60-year history," said Scot Hoffman, editor of RE Magazine and the NRECA liaison to the Statewide Editors Association. “Everything just seemed to click after that, and now they're consistently among the year's top publications. They've truly become one of the standard-bearers of co-op magazines."

Curtis Wynn Diversity Champion Award

Two new winners were also recognized for the Curtis Wynn Diversity Champion Award.

Greg Puckett, general manager of Surry-Yadkin Electric Membership Corp. in North Carolina, was honored for his leadership in the co-op's creation of a roadmap in 2023 to foster deeper connections across five key areas: workforce, workplace, community, marketplace and suppliers. As part of that effort, the co-op applied for and won a grant from the U.S. Department of Energy to make smart grid infrastructure upgrades benefiting 14 disadvantaged communities that it serves.

“Greg's unwavering commitment to investing in employee culture and fostering a supportive environment has truly made a difference at Surry-Yadkin EMC," Anderson said. “His strength as a leader is evident in his dedication to ensuring that everyone feels valued and extending that goodwill into his community."

Puckett said the co-op has focused on creating a safe and welcoming environment where everyone feels respected and empowered.

“This work is vital to ensure that all voices are heard and that resources are available to those who need them most," he said. “This award means so much to our team, whose commitment to embracing diversity and working together truly helps us serve our membership with excellence and integrity."

The second Curtis Wynn award went to Alyssa Clemsen Roberts, former president and CEO of New Hampshire Electric Cooperative. Her work to empower women and promote a well-rounded workforce helped NHEC be named one of the “Top Women Led Businesses" in New Hampshire in 2023.

“Alyssa's extraordinary leadership was instrumental in driving positive change and advancing NHEC's mission," Anderson said. “She created a culture in which every voice is heard and every individual feels a profound sense of belonging."

“Diversity in the workplace encourages innovative solutions," Clemsen Roberts said. “I'm also certain our employees and members deserve to feel valued."

“I am honored to be recognized by my former colleagues who submitted this award to the NRECA board for consideration. I'm also humbled the board selected me for this award."