OMPA board members honored with 7 Hats Awards

Oklahoma Municipal Power Authority (OMPA) board members Robert Johnston and Jim Greff each were honored by the American Public Power Association (APPA) at its national conference with the Larry Hobart 7 Hats Award on June 14 in Phoenix.

The award was created in 1966 to recognize utility managers who serve in the nation’s smaller communities and whose variety of management responsibility extends well beyond those of a manager in a large system with a larger staff. Only electric superintendents or managers of APPA member utilities serving 2,500 meters or less are eligible.

Award criteria is based on accomplishments in planning and design, administration, public relations, field supervision, accounting, human resources and community leadership.

Johnston, who is Vice Chairman on the OMPA board, has been serving municipals in Oklahoma for 34 years. He has been the City Manager at Frederick since 1993, and is a past president of the Oklahoma Municipal League. In 1997, he simultaneously served as president of the Municipal Electric Systems of Oklahoma, as well as the president of the City Management Association of Oklahoma. He joined the OMPA board in 2004 and, in 2010, was a recipient of the Ray Duffy Personal Service Award.

Greff, who joined the OMPA board in 2014, has served the City of Prague for 35 years. He has spent the last nine as City Manager, after previously serving as Water and Wastewater Superintendent, Public Works Director and Assistant City Manager. He also has served on the local volunteer fire department for the last 27 years. In 2011, he received the Marvin-Hicks Middleton Meritorious Service Award, and, in 1999, was honored with the Citizens of the Year award in Prague. He serves on numerous regional boards, including the Lincoln County E-911 Trust Authority, the Central Oklahoma Regional Transportation Planning Organization and the Route 66 Community Partners.

Created in 1940, the APPA represents not-for-profit, community-owned electric utilities that power homes, businesses and streets in nearly 2,000 towns and cities, serving approximately 48 million Americans.

The Oklahoma Municipal Power Authority (OMPA) is a municipal wholesale power and transmission service supplier owned by 42 municipal electric utilities. OMPA provides economies of scale in power generation and related services to support community-owned electric utilities. The members of OMPA serve approximately 250,000 Oklahomans.