Following a distinguished career that saw him rise from a city engineer in Ohio to helm the nation’s largest public power joint action agency (JAA), Marc Gerken has joined the staff of Hometown Connections, Inc. He retired recently after serving for twenty years as president and chief executive officer of American Municipal Power, Inc. (AMP), one of the six joint action agencies that co-own Hometown Connections. Prior to his retirement from AMP, Mr. Gerken served as AMP’s representative on the Hometown Connections Board of Directors. His position on the Hometown staff is Executive Advisor/Strategy and JAA Relations.
Following 20 Years of Service as President & CEO of American Municipal Power, Inc.
Mr. Gerken began his career as a civil engineer working extensively in the public sector on infrastructure projects and joined AMP in 1998 as vice president of business and operations. Until recently, he served on the National Hydropower Association (NHA) Board of Directors (having served as president from 2013-2015) and is a past chair of the Prairie State Generating Company Management Committee. He previously served as co-chair of the NHA CEO Council and chair of The Energy Authority. He is also past chair of the American Public Power Association Board of Directors and previously chaired the Public Power, Inc. Board of Directors. He is a member of the Large Public Power Council CEO Group. In addition to serving on the Hometown Connections staff, Mr. Gerken is providing consulting services to AMP in support of the chief executive officer and board.
“It is an extraordinary honor to welcome Marc Gerken to the Hometown Connections staff,” said Board Chair Randy S. Howard, General Manager of the Northern California Power Agency. “Marc has dedicated his career to combining the resources of public power utilities to develop new business opportunities and technologies that improve the delivery of reliable, safe, and cost-effective electric service to their communities. He has been an invaluable member of the Hometown team at the Board level, and we look forward to Marc helping our staff develop Hometown’s next generation of advanced metering, cybersecurity, and other managed services.”
“Hometown Connections has long benefitted from Marc Gerken’s leadership as we have worked to steer community-owned utilities though challenging times,” said President & CEO Tim Blodgett. “We feel privileged to have him join our staff of industry professionals dedicated to providing the management consulting and innovative technology solutions that will preserve the value of public power far into the future.”
About Hometown Connections, Inc.
Hometown Connections, Inc. is a national, non-profit utility services organization specializing in the unique challenges facing community-owned utilities. For more than 20 years, our expert team has helped over 900 utilities to transform their processes and systems. Hometown Connections works with utilities of all sizes, facilitating access to technology and services from industry-leading companies and consultants. Hometown offers solutions to develop each area of the utility business: operations, cybersecurity, business strategy, customer care, finance, and workforce. Hometown Connections, Inc. is co-owned by the Alabama Municipal Electric Authority, American Municipal Power, Inc., Great Lakes Utilities of Wisconsin, Missouri Public Utility Alliance, Northern California Power Agency, and Vermont Public Power Supply Authority. Visit www.hometownconnections.com.