First Recipient of PUF’s Owen Young Award
While an elementary school student in inner city Philadelphia, David K. Owens heard President John F. Kennedy's dramatic call for the U.S. to put a man on the moon. It changed the course of David's life. The young boy was attracted to math, science, engineering, and the idea of aiming high.
As an adult, Owens' career became a moon-shot ascension within the electric power industry. He rose from a challenging childhood to become one of the most respected voices in the electric power industry and a leader at the Edison Electric Institute, the industry's largest trade association.
In the process, he achieved many accomplishments, from shaping the modern response to storm disasters and cyber threats to mentoring and leaving a legacy of talent. He is responsible for policy innovations that will influence the industry for years to come.
Owens, sixty-eight years old, will retire in June as executive vice president of EEI, an organization he joined in 1980. In many ways, he has been a public face of EEI for decades, especially for regulators.
In a sign of the influence and respect he commands, Owens has received a send-off that is a tribute to both what he has done and how he's done it, as a skilled and thoughtful consensus builder.