Brian O’Connell, the utilities and infrastructure director for the City of Bowling Green, has been elected by the AMP Board of Trustees as chairperson of the AMP organization.
The 2026 American Municipal Power Inc. Annual Conference took place in Columbus, last week, and provided attendees with a full schedule of educational sessions featuring industry experts.
The conference began with welcome remarks by AMP President/CEO Jolene Thompson, who shared highlights of AMP achievements over the past year, spoke about AMP’s strategic priorities over the next five years, discussed the pressure points facing public power and reinforced the benefits of joint action.
Mike Zenker, managing director of Energy Market Analysis at NextEra Energy Resources, provided an update on the state of the energy market; and Scott Milburn, principal with Scott Milburn, LLC, shared strategic advice on the importance of having an updated crisis communications plan. In addition, the first day of the conference featured a session on power supply planning over the next decade.
Following the general membership meeting, the AMP Board of Trustees met to elect officers for the coming year. The following were elected to leadership positions:
- Chair – Brian O’Connell, PE, City of Bowling Green
- Vice Chair – Edwin Porter, City of Hamilton
- Secretary – Jonathan Greever, Village of Wellington
- Treasurer – Chris Monacelli, City of Westerville
Established in 2021, the AMP Service Distinction Award recognizes individuals, employees of member public power utilities, partners or consultants who have made significant contributions to public power and support the mission, vision and values of AMP.
AMP Member community representatives submit nominations for the Service Distinction Award throughout the year, and the AMP General Membership approved a resolution honoring recipients during the annual AMP General Membership Meeting. Among those being honored was John Linkey of the Village of Bradner.
