Kris Sellstrom

Jamestown native Kristofor G. Sellstrom has been named the next general manager by the Board of Public Utilities to succeed current General Manager David L. Leathers, who will retire in January 2026.

Sellstrom is a lifelong Jamestown resident and a New York-licensed professional engineer. He has dedicated nearly 14 years to the BPU in progressively senior leadership roles, having most recently served as Deputy General Manager – Electric.

“I am honored to be entrusted with this responsibility and look forward to working closely with the Board, employees and the community to build upon the BPU’s long history of service and innovation,” said Sellstrom. “Together, we will continue positioning Jamestown as a leader among municipal utilities across New York state and the country.”

Sellstrom began his BPU career in 2011 as a junior engineer, progressing to electrical engineer in 2014. In 2018, Sellstrom was promoted to senior electrical engineer and energy and gas resources manager, and earned his professional engineer license in New York state. He worked as the Electric Division’s transmission and distribution manager before his June 2024 promotion to deputy general manager – electric.

Sellstrom earned his Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from the University of Vermont and his Master of Business Administration from Pennsylvania State University – The Behrend College.

Sellstrom is a board member of the Chautauqua County Chamber of Commerce and the Chautauqua Watershed Conservancy. He previously served as co-chair of both the Jamestown Renaissance Corporation and the Jamestown Young Professionals, assisted the Chautauqua County United Way and volunteers with the Holiday Valley Ski Patrol. The Jamestown Chamber of Commerce honored him as the Young Community Leader of the Year in 2016 and he is a Boy Scouts of America Eagle Scout.

Nationally, Sellstrom was the chair of the Customer Connections Energy Innovation Planning Committee for the American Public Power Association (APPA) and served as a member of the APPA Smart Energy Providers Committee. In 2024, he appeared as one of three speakers in an APPA webinar regarding “Public Power Lessons Learned from the Department of Energy Grid Resilience and Innovation Partnership Program.”

A graduate of Jamestown High School, Sellstrom is married to Simone Sellstrom. The couple has three sons.

“On behalf of the board, we are pleased to announce that after an extensive search and interview process that included both internal and external candidates, Kristofor has been selected to follow Dave Leathers as BPU General Manager upon Dave’s retirement in January 2026,” said Gregory Anderson, BPU board chairman. “We have complete confidence in Kristofor’s ability to lead this utility into the future. Having already served as deputy GM, we feel that he has a unique set of skills and experiences that will serve him well. We look forward to working with him and his staff.”

Leathers has been the BPU’s general manager since March 2008 and, before that appointment, had served as interim general manager and deputy general manager for the electric division. He began working for the BPU in December 2005.

Leathers is president of the New York Association of Public Power and is a member of the American Public Power Association (APPA) national board, executive committee and CEO Climate Change & Generation Policy Committee. In 2020, the APPA named Leathers one of two recipients of its national Mark Crisson Leadership and Managerial Excellence Award, which honors two managers annually from 2,000 American public power electric companies.

In his previous NYAPP role, Leathers was honored by the New York Power Authority (NYPA) as one of two primary NYAPP leaders participating in the negotiations between NYPA, NYAPP and the Municipal Electric Utilities Association of New York State. His work helped to secure a new, long-term contract extension with NYPA for hydropower commitments through September 2040, on behalf of the organizations and the municipal and cooperative electric customers of New York state.

In Jamestown, Leathers volunteers as co-president of the Jamestown Center City Development Corporation (Northwest Arena) Board of Directors. He was honored as JCC Alumnus of the Year in 2017 and as the Chautauqua County Chamber of Commerce Person of the Year in 2009. A Chautauqua Leadership Network graduate, Leathers is a former board member of the Manufacturers’ Association of the Southern Tier. He and his wife, Shelly, reside in Jamestown. The couple has two grown children and two grandchildren.

“I want to pay tribute to David L. Leathers who precedes me in this position,” Sellstrom said. “Dave’s leadership has guided the Jamestown BPU through significant growth and modernization. He has served as a true mentor to me in my time at the utility, for which I am deeply grateful.”