National awards recognize service to industry and contributions to their communities
Two Florida public power leaders and one Florida public power utility earned national honors for their contributions and service to local customers. Recognized today by the American Public Power Association (APPA) were Mona C. Clark (Utility Board Chair for Keys Energy Services), Mark McCain (recently retired Vice President of Member Services and Public Relations for Florida Municipal Power Agency), and the Kissimmee Utility Authority (KUA).
Mona Clark received the Spence Vanderlinden Public Official Award, which recognizes elected or appointed local officials who have contributed to APPA’s goals. Clark has been active in public power, Keys Energy Services and APPA for 18 years. She has served on the Keys Energy Services Utility Board since 2004, was the first elected female board member in the utility’s history and is currently serving as its chairperson.
Clark is an active member in APPA and regularly attends APPA’s National Conference and the APPA Legislative Rally. She is a dedicated governing board member, who has devoted much of her life to becoming an expert in the industry. Those efforts have made her an effective leader and advocate for public power.
Mark McCain received the James D. Donovan Individual Achievement Award, which recognizes people who have made substantial contributions to the electric utility industry with a special commitment to public power. Recently retired from the Florida Municipal Power Agency (FMPA), McCain is a staunch supporter and advocate for public power, serving Florida’s public power utilities and APPA for 35 years. During his tenure as FMPA’s longest-serving employee, he served on 12 APPA committees and held leadership roles at FMPA and on Florida Municipal Electric Association (FMEA) committees.
KUA received the Sue Kelly Community Service Award, which recognizes utilities for their “good neighbor” activities that demonstrate commitment to the local community. KUA has supported local nonprofit organizations and activities through its Community Sponsorship Program for 26 years. The creation of its Good Neighbor Round Up Program in 2013 has provided emergency utility bill payment assistance to customers in need. The utility also provides free home energy audits.
In 2021, despite the pandemic, KUA participated in more than 17 community events, including the city’s Fourth of July celebration, free movies in the park, blood drives, children’s art contests and more. The utility offers student scholarships through the Education Foundation of Osceola County and provides its 40-square-foot “Big Grill” free of charge to schools, churches, nonprofits and community organizations within its service area.
The Florida public power award recipients were nominated by FMEA, FMPA and KUA, respectively, and selected as the winning entries by APPA. They were among 23 individual winners and eight utility winners this year. APPA is the national trade association representing more than 2,000 public power utilities nationwide.
Florida Municipal Electric Association
The Florida Municipal Electric Association (FMEA) represents the unified interests of 33 public power communities across the state, which provide electricity to more than 3 million of Florida’s residential and business consumers.
Florida Municipal Power Agency
Florida Municipal Power Agency (FMPA) is a wholesale power agency owned by 31 municipal electric utilities. FMPA’s mission is to provide low-cost, reliable and clean power plus value-added services for FMPA’s owner customers that benefit their communities and customers. The 31 members of FMPA serve nearly 2.7 million Floridians and employ more than 3,700 people.
