Back to Blog

Randy J. Cornelius Honored with Lifetime Achievement Award

Former General Manager and current Board Member, Randy J. Cornelius was honored by his peers with the Northwest Public Power Association (NWPPA) Life Member Award on May 20, 2015 during the association’s Annual Conference and Membership Meeting in Anchorage, Alaska. Cornelius earned the distinction for his 40 years of service in the electric utility business and his significant work on behalf of public power.

About his award, Cornelius said, “I’ve enjoyed my career in public power and have done everything from sweeping the floors to constructing line and managing utilities. I had the good fortune of leading an amazing organization in OPALCO and am grateful to Foster Hildreth who took over the reins. I have confidence in his ability to lead us successfully through the next set of challenges facing the industry—so much so, in fact, that I’ve signed back on as a Board member to support him and enjoy the ride.”

Cornelius began his utility career as a teenager working in a warehouse, became a Journeyman Lineman and then earned his BS degree in Electrical Engineering at Oregon State University. While in Alaska, Cornelius worked extensively on the Blue Lake Hydro Dam and also represented the City & Borough of Sitka before federal and state regulatory agencies for the legislative affairs in his role as electric utility director for the City & Borough of Sitka. Cornelius has worked closely with BPA, Northwest River Partners, and served on various boards including WRECA, ARECA, Southeast Intertie, and NWPPA.

NWPPA is an international association representing and serving consumer-owned, locally controlled utilities in the western US and Canada. NWPPA presents this award to retiring or retired policymakers and managers from member utilities for work performed on behalf of public power.

You may also like...

island way

OPALCO Renewable Energy Community Meetings Recap

A few weeks ago, the OPALCO team held a series of community meetings about local, renewable energy. The meetings were held at all three major islands to engage co-op members … Read more
tidal power

Rosario Strait Tidal Energy Project Update

September 30, 2025 is the last day to make public comments on the Rosario Tidal Energy Project as part of the public process with a pilot Draft License Application (DLA) … Read more

Find OPALCO back at their headquarters starting September 29

During the summer months, OPALCO worked on a critical maintenance project for the Eastsound headquarters. The roof of OPALCO’s 1970s built Eastsound headquarters office had reached the end of its … Read more