David Leathers, former Jamestown Board of Public Utilities general manager, is pictured.

BOSTON, Mass. – David L. Leathers, recently retired Jamestown BPU general manager, received the Alan H. Richardson Statesmanship Award during the American Public Power Association’s National Conference held recently in Boston.

The award honors public power leaders who work to achieve consensus on national issues important to public power utilities. Leathers served 18 years as general manager of the BPU while also serving as president of the New York Association of Public Power for three years following earlier service as vice president and treasurer. Leathers has been active with APPA through service on the APPA Board of Directors and in executive leadership events. He regularly contributes to high-level federal policy discussions, including having served on APPA’s CEO Climate Change and Generation Policy Committee.

“I am so very thankful for my years of service to the Jamestown BPU, to our customers, to all the outstanding, committed, and talented employees, and to the JBPU Board Members,” Leathers said. “Having membership and active participation in both the New York Association of Public Power and the American Public Power Association (APPA) provides significant benefits on an ongoing basis to the utility and the JBPU staff. I appreciate the APPA recognition and award for my contributions on behalf of the JBPU.”

Leathers has also been honored by the New York Power Authority for helping secure a long-term hydropower contract that runs through 2040.

In 2020, the APPA named Leathers as a recipient of its national Mark Crisson Leadership and Managerial Excellence Award, which honors two managers annually out of 2,000 American public power electric companies. The award is named for a former President and Chief Executive Officer of APPA. The accolade honors two managers annually out of 2,000 American public power electric companies who raise their organizations to new levels of excellence; lead by example; and inspire their employees and staff to improve processes, services and operations.