NWPPA Honors 2025 Annual Award Winners
(May 27) On May 22, at Northwest Public Power Association’s 85th Annual Conference and Membership Meeting in Santa Rosa, California, NWPPA presented the following awards to seven individuals and one member utility.
Life Member Awards
Recognizes policymakers and managers who have retired or will soon retire from NWPPA member utilities and have made notable contributions to the association and public power.
For 12 years, John Burns served as president and CEO of Golden Valley Electric Association in Fairbanks, Alaska, retiring in June 2024. His leadership brought stability and vision to Alaska’s electric grid as his team tackled the unique challenges of the Railbelt region. Beyond GVEA, Burns also served on critical committees such as the Railbelt Reliability Council and the Intertie Management Committee. His legal expertise as Alaska’s attorney general from 2011 to 2012 provided him with exceptional insight into power generation needs.
The journey Ron Davis has had with Emerald PUD began before the PUD was even a utility—when it was just a vision for better service and lower rates. He joined the PUD’s board in 1981, helping guide the utility through its 1983 switchover to a working utility. He served through 1994. In 2012, he returned to the board and stayed on as director through the end of 2024. In all, Davis served nearly 25 years—always advocating for affordability, energy efficiency, and clean energy solutions.
Throughout his 33-year career in the electric cooperative industry, Mark Stallons has consistently embodied the core values of the cooperative movement while spearheading initiatives that positively impact communities. Stallons’ career began in 1991 at Coles-Moultrie Electric Cooperative, where he quickly rose in the ranks. He went on to work at other cooperatives and assumed the role of CEO at Valley Electric Association in 2020. Among his many achievements, Stallons helped Valley Electric build a state-of-the-art fiber network, advocated for policies benefiting the co-op and its members, created a culture of excellence, pioneered renewable energy programs, and led strategic partnerships.
Jefferson County PUD General Manager Kevin Streett joined the utility industry 40 years ago, spending his college summers at Boise State University working on line crews. He continued working in public power and, in 2012, became employee No. 1 of Jefferson PUD’s electric division. As electric superintendent, he built the entire operations team from the ground up during the utility’s transition from a small water utility to a comprehensive water and electric service provider. He became general manager in 2019. Under his leadership, Jefferson PUD has expanded its reach and services and undertaken a visionary project to offer high-speed fiber broadband to thousands of rural customers.
Jim Malinowski was recognized with a 2025 Life Member Award and the 2025 John M. George Public Service Award. His contributions are highlighted under the following John M. George Public Service Award section.
John M. George Public Service Award
Acknowledges a policymaker’s remarkable service to public power.
First elected to the Clark Public Utilities Commission in 2012, Jim Malinowski brought decades of industry experience and a deep commitment to serving the public. Over two six-year terms, he championed reliability, affordability, and innovation—ensuring customers received exceptional service while planning for a sustainable energy future. Malinowski’s influence extended beyond Clark County through his leadership with the Energy Northwest Board, where he helped shape regional energy strategy and supported the development of small modular reactors to meet growing carbon-free energy needs.
Paul J. Raver Community Service Award
Honors an individual or organization for leadership in enhancing the role of electric systems in achieving community betterment of a city, county, state, or region.
Each December, Fall River Rural Electric Cooperative lights up the holidays—not just with power, but with community spirit and hope. In 2024, the co-op’s seventh annual Stuff the Trailer food drive rallied support across its Idaho and Montana service territory—gathering more than 12,000 pounds of non-perishable food and over $3,000 for local pantries, including $2,000 directly from the co-op. Fall River also invited local high school seniors to join in with the second Senior Class Food Drive Challenge, creating friendly competition between local schools and helping build lifelong habits of giving back.
William “Bill” McCrorie Distinguished Service Awards
Celebrates individuals who have served the interests of public power and NWPPA in an outstanding manner.
For 43 years, Paul Lau has shaped SMUD’s industry-leading initiatives through environmental leadership and innovative customer programs. As SMUD CEO, he spearheaded the 2030 Zero Carbon Plan—the most ambitious carbon reduction goal of any large utility in the U.S. Lau’s leadership secured funding for Smart Grid Sacramento and clean energy research. He also led SMUD to become the first publicly owned utility to join California’s Energy Imbalance Market and developed the California Mobility Center. His commitment to equity brought solar and storage technologies to underserved communities through the nation’s first SolarShares and StorageShares programs and pioneered the first electric school bus program.
For 28 years, Barbara Trout has exemplified exceptional service and leadership on the Tillamook PUD Board of Directors. During her tenure, she served as board president seven times. She has been an active member of the Oregon PUD Association, working in partnership with PUDs across the state to influence legislation, regulation, and policy that advances public power’s mission. She has also been an active member of the American Public Power Association and NWPPA, taking educational courses, attending business meetings, and participating in community service projects.