|
Diversity, Discourse, and Disillusion
By Mike Hyland
Executive Director, NEPPA
I received a late evening phone call this week from one of my boys. He had just finished a music gig with his brother at a bar south of Annapolis, Maryland. As any parent knows – the heart jumps a bit when you receive phone calls from loved ones after 10 PM. Thoughts can jump to the worst possible scenario. I asked the normal dad question – “Is everything okay?”. His response – “Yes, I guess. Just chatting with a few of the musicians, and the murder of Charlie Kirk came up. Dad, what’s your take on all of this?” Bam, half asleep on the couch and now I’m asked to deliver fatherly guidance on recent events. Okay, deep breath. The dialog started, and it touched on so many things, from the fear of attending a large-scale event such as an Eagles game, to the question of will there be retaliation? When we finally ended the call (he was calling me on his drive home), I began to reflect a bit on the history of diversity, the discourse that can come along with it, and the disillusion to think that we live in a society that is without problems.
During our conversation we touched upon his question of ‘has this country ever been so divided?’. Big question. Deep answers are needed here and I’m not a scholar of history. Heck, I’m an engineer! However, I am worldly enough to know that what happened is horrible, but in no way was it isolated, and in no way is this murder new to our free society. I told my son that history tends to repeat itself if we don’t learn from it (I’m bad at memorizing quotes – but I think I got my point across). The famous writer Mark Twain said, "History doesn't repeat itself, but it does often rhyme". Spanish-American philosopher George Santayana wrote "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it".
So how does NEPPA tie to all this and why would I write such a Newsline? I know you all think I’m losing my marbles or standing on a soap box to show off my politics. I assure you that the former is still in question, and the latter is not my desire. I’m simply pointing out that regardless of the business we are in, politics, history, and human nature provide an intersection with our everyday world. Politics is unavoidable, whether it be in Washington DC, or your local state capitol. Politics affects all of us, from decisions on EV’s to decisions on natural gas generation. We don’t always agree with each other, and sometimes things don’t go our way. History cannot be rewritten, whether it is the murders of Charlie Kirk, Melissa Hortman, Martin Luther King, the Kennedy’s, Abraham Lincoln or Julius Ceasar himself. These events are harrowing, and they will forever change us.
So, this takes me to - human nature. We tend to like it when people agree with us. Sounds right. I like to surround myself with people that agree to go to my favorite vacation place, my favorite restaurant for lunch, and do the work I want them to do. Perfect!! But is it? Absolutely not. Doing things differently, thinking differently, analyzing problems from a different angle can many times lead us to a new and possibly better outcome. But it takes acceptance. This is a hard concept to swallow. If not acceptance, then at a minimum – tolerance.
In 1965, the US House of Representatives had 10 women, 6 black men, and one Asian woman. 295 Democrats to 140 Republicans. The US Senate was 100 percent white with only two females. 68 Democrats to 32 Republicans. I’m probably not going out on a limb when I write that NEPPA’s first board in 1965 was 100 percent white men as well.
Fast forward to 2025 as we celebrate 60 years of growth and experience - and boy, how the US Congress has changed. We now have 67 Black members, 52 Latino, 24 Asian, and 4 Native Americans serving in Washington DC, and 28 percent of congress is female. All the categories one can point to are up from previous administrations and this trend doesn’t seem to be stopping. And where’s NEPPA on this? Well, our gender diversity breakdown is now 24 percent female, two of which serve on our Executive Committee. Is congress perfect? Is NEPPA perfect? Is my desire to have my way and surround myself with like-minded people perfect? Nope. None of us are even close.
And that’s the journey. That’s the beauty of our time on earth. Realizing that we are different, it's okay that we are different, and we cannot resort to divisive destruction that I cannot explain to my own son on his ride home. We can do better. You can do better. I can do better.
October 21st to 23rd, NEPPA will host its 3rd Energy Connect Conference down in Natick, Massachusetts. This new conference is gaining its sea legs, and you might want to jump on board and attend or send someone from your utility. Great speakers and sessions await! AI, Customer Service, Cyber Security, Key Accounts, Generational Differences, and more. I want to highlight one session that ties to this Newsline and that the NEPPA team is very excited about. It's our "Diversity Panel: Sharing Our Stories, Challenges and Finding Support/Guidance". No, we won’t fix everything through just one panel, but this is a journey that needs to begin and end with tolerance and dialog. Come be part of that dialog!
Cheers,
-Mike
| | Upcoming Training & Events | | Register Now - Don't Miss this Event! | | |
Energy Connect Conference
September 21-23, 2025
The Verve Hotel - Natick, MA
| Energy Connect is a great way for public power professionals to share ideas, build connections and gain resources. Speaker topics range from customer service insights and business leadership, to energy innovation and IT. We have some exciting educational sessions, roundtables, networking opportunities, sponsor exhibits, and more planned for this year! | | | | |
Metering II
September 23-25, 2025
8:00 am - 3:00 pm
NEPPA Training Center Littleton, MA
| | |
Underground Residential Distribution (URD) Program
September 30 - October 2, 2025
8:00 am - 2:00 pm
NEPPA Training Center Littleton, MA
| | | | | |
Substation II Program
October 7, 2025
8:00 am - 2:00 pm
NEPPA Training Center Littleton, MA
| | |
Tactical Tuesday
October 14, 2025
2:00 pm - 3:00 pm
Held Virtually &
Free to NEPPA Members
| | | | | |
Industry Day
Hosted by SEL
October 15, 2025
8:00 am - 3:00 pm
NEPPA Training Center
Littleton, MA
(Free to NEPPA Members)
| | |
General Foreman Roundtable
October 16, 2025
8:30 am - 1:00 pm
NEPPA Training Center
Littleton, MA
| | | |
General Foreman Roundtable
October 16, 2025
8:30 am - 1:00 pm
Littleton, MA
Energy Connect Conference
October 21-23, 2025
The Verve Hotel
Natick, MA
Substation II Program (Session II)
October 21 – October 24, 2025
8:00 am - 2:00 pm
Littleton, MA
Substation II Program (Session III)
November 4 – November 7, 2025
8:00 am - 2:00 pm
Littleton, MA
| | |
Substation II Program (Session IV)
November 18 – November 21, 2025
8:00 am - 2:00 pm
Littleton, MA
60th Anniversary Celebration*
November 3, 2025
NEPPA Training Center
Littleton, MA
Annual Membership Meeting*
December 4, 2025
AC Marriott Hotel
Worcester, MA
*Registration not yet available.
| | Federal Funding: Congress Struggles Toward CR After Pocket Rescission; House Prepares to Consider FY26 Energy and Water Bill… | | |
Tax Policy: Trump Releases Guidance on Wind and Solar Tax Credits…
| | Wind Energy: Commerce Department Launches Investigation into Wind Turbine Imports; Trump Administration Halts Construction of Offshore Wind Projects… | | MMWEC Legislative Team Pushes Public Power Agenda on Beacon Hill | | (Pictured above: MMWEC’s Jim Leydon testifying) | | |
August 27, 2025 - Ludlow, MA - Since the beginning of the new legislative session in January, MMWEC’s government affairs team has been busy developing and advocating for its legislative agenda. Throughout the early months of the session, MMWEC’s legislative team reviewed hundreds of proposed bills, and even submitted a couple of their own, to develop a legislative agenda. As the legislative process continues to play out, MMWEC has continued its public power advocacy. In fact, MMWEC staff have testified both in person, in front of the Massachusetts Legislature’s Joint Committee on Telecommunications, Utilities, and Energy (TUE), and in writing.
| | RMLD Welcomes Interim General Manager
Paul Heanue | | |
August 28, 2025 - Reading, MA - The Reading Municipal Light Department (RMLD) and the RMLD Board of Commissioners (Board) announced that Paul Heanue will serve as interim general manager, effective August 25, 2025. Heanue brings decades of utility experience, including 10 years as general manager for Hingham Municipal Lighting Plant.
"We are excited to have Paul on board as we move forward with the search for a new general manager," said RMLD Board of Commissioners Chair Pam Daskalakis. "His broad background and extensive electrical utility knowledge will be an asset to RMLD during this time of transition. The Board is confident in the direction we are heading and excited about working with Paul for the next few months."
“RMLD has a solid reputation for exceptional service and for providing reliable, low-cost, and increasingly non-carbon energy to its customers," said RMLD Interim General Manager Paul Heanue. "I am excited to work with such a talented and dedicated team, and to serve the communities of Lynnfield Center, North Reading, Reading, and Wilmington while the Board conducts its search for a permanent general manager."
| | MMWEC Announces Retirement of CEO Ron DeCurzio, Appointment of Tom Barry | | |
Pictured on the left: (left to right) MMWEC Chairman of the Board Mike Flynn, Ronald DeCurzio and Wakefield Municipal Gas and Light Department General Manager and MMWEC President Peter Dion.
Pictured on the right: Ronald DeCurzio's successor Tom Barry, MMWEC's current Director of Energy Markets.
| | |
September 8, 2025 - Ludlow, MA - Massachusetts Municipal Wholesale Electric Company (MMWEC), the Commonwealth’s designated joint action agency for municipal utilities, has announced a change in leadership of the organization.
After nearly 30 years of service to MMWEC, CEO and Secretary Ronald C. DeCurzio is retiring effective September 22, 2025. The MMWEC Board of Directors has announced his successor is Tom Barry, MMWEC’s current Director of Energy Markets.
DeCurzio joined MMWEC in 1997, and was appointed CEO in 2008. Previously, he served as MMWEC’s Chief Operating Officer, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer. In addition to his role at MMWEC, he sits on the boards of the Massachusetts Municipal Light Department Wind Energy Cooperative, the Berkshire Wind Power Cooperative Corporation and the Massachusetts Clean Energy Cooperative. He is also a member of the Board of Directors at the Northeast Power Coordinating Council (NPCC), a member of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Global Warming Solutions Act (GWSA) Implementation Advisory Committee, and a member of the Massachusetts Energy Transformation Advisory Board. Prior to joining MMWEC, DeCurzio had 15 years of treasury experience in areas such as debt restructuring, portfolio management, banking relations and cash management, at the New York Power Authority, and other organizations.
| | Keeping you Connected... Events & Opportunities | | American Public Power Association's Annual Conference Coming to Boston, MA in 2026 | | |
When: June 26 - July 1, 2026
Where: Boston, MA (Conference location and hotel TBD)
About the National Conference
The APPA National Conference is your time to reconnect, recharge, and power up for the future at the nation’s premier gathering of public power leaders. Join us and explore how changing policy, technology, and lifestyles are reshaping the energy industry and how that impacts your community. Engage with visionaries and experts, exchange strategies and solutions with other public power leaders and policymakers, and discover tools for your future success. Join us to plug in to the experience, innovation, and leadership of your national public power community.
Who Should Attend
Connect with public power’s leaders for ideas and insights at the National Conference:
-General managers and CEOs
-Senior managers, rising stars and future leaders
-Mayors
-Governing board members
-City council members
-Policy and strategy makers
-Industry partners and vendors
-Consultants and subject matter experts
| | | | S.O.R.T for a Safer Work Environment | |
September 2025 - The acronym S.O.R.T. is a tool that can help remind us to take steps to address hazards and create a safe work environment. S.O.R.T stands for Stop, Observe, Recognize, and Take Ownership. Taking ownership means more than just communicating the hazard to the other people in the work area. Stop work if necessary and get the right people involved to address the hazard correctly.
Read More
| | | | |
