ElectriCities Safety & Training Supervisor Receives Public Power Service Award

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The American Public Power Association (APPA) has honored Kenny Roberts, Supervisor of Safety & Training and mutual aid coordinator at ElectriCities, with the Harold Kramer-John Preston Personal Service Award. The award recognizes individuals for their service to APPA.

Roberts accepted the award on June 14 at the APPA National Conference in Nashville, Tennessee.

“I’m humbled and honored,” he said. “I’m thankful that I’ve been able to spend my entire career working in public power and helping public power communities serve the people who live there.”

Roberts began his career as a groundsman at Huntsville Utilities in Alabama and worked his way up to supervisor. He also served as mutual aid coordinator and as lead instructor for the utility’s apprenticeship program. Roberts retired after 30 years at Huntsville Utilities, but he wasn’t ready to leave public power.

“I wanted to keep contributing to our industry,” he said. “I’m a lifelong fan of public power and the value it brings to the communities it serves. I wanted to continue to serve public power

And that he did.

In 2017, Roberts joined ElectriCities. As Supervisor of Safety & Training, he works with nearly 100 municipalities in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia to help oversee and develop safety and training programs for their lineworkers. He also serves as the statewide municipal mutual aid coordinator, connecting crews who need help with crews who can help in the wake of disasters or other issues that damage electric systems.

Kenny Roberts accepts the Harold Kramer-John Preston Personal Service Award from Tony Cannon, chair of APPA’s Awards Committee and General Manager/CEO of GUC (left), and Colin Hansen, APPA board chair and CEO of the Kansas Power Pool (right). Photo courtesy of APPA.

Roberts has been a member of APPA’s Mutual Aid Working Group since 2011 and serves as a national regional coordinator. He served on APPA’s Reliable Public Power Provider Review Panel from 2013 to 2014, and he’s a former chair and vice chair of both APPA’s Safety Committee and Engineering & Operations Section. Roberts has served on APPA’s DEED board since 2015 and currently serves as vice chair. He is a member of the Public Power Lineworkers Rodeo executive committee and serves as Journeyman Master Judge, and he serves on the Safety Manual Revision Task Force.

“Public power is a culture—it’s a family,” Roberts said. “It’s not just a paycheck or a job. It’s service. It’s devotion and dedication to helping other parts of your family do a better job doing what they’re doing.”

From all of us at ElectriCities, thank you, Kenny, for your years of service and tireless dedication to public power. Congratulations on this well-deserved award!

 

Kenny Roberts with coworkers, friends, and family, left to right: Andy Fusco, ElectriCities Vice President, Member Services & Corporate Planning; Craig Batchelor, ElectriCities Manager, Safety& Training; John Worrell, GUC Director of Electric Systems; Kenny’s wife, Kathy Roberts; ElectriCities CEO Roy Jones.

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