Retired APPA CEO
Only two have received Public Utilities Fortnightly's highest honor, the Owen Young Award, named after the utilities industry's leader of the early twentieth century who distinguished himself in world affairs, and who also helped found this magazine. Retired Edison Electric Institute executive vice president David Owens was the first to receive the Owen Young Award, in June of 2017. And retired American Public Power Association CEO Sue Kelly was the second, in January of 2020. There's not yet been a third.
It is hardly a surprise therefore that the PUF team thought to call Kelly when seeking to do a portraiture of another successful and acclaimed industry leader for these pages. In her six or so years leading public power's association, she served simultaneously as a vibrant voice for the two thousand-plus government-owned electric utilities and as an inspiration to thousands of women and men throughout the utilities industry.
Kelly began her retirement in early 2020 intending to travel extensively, an untimely plan considering that the pandemic started then too. Forced like most of us to park ourselves inside, she stuck around to join the Board of Trustees of the North American Electric Reliability Corporation — affectionately known as NERC — in February of 2021.