Steve Rentfrow, Angie Luna and Ed Moon Win Prestigious APPA Awards

Steve Rentfrow, former general manager of the Crisp County Power Commission in Cordele, received the James D. Donovan Individual Achievement Award. The award recognizes individuals who have made significant contributions to the electric utility industry and to public power.

Steve spent nearly half a century working in the electric utility industry, with 45 of those years dedicated to public power. He started at the commission as a project engineer before being promoted to manager of engineering and later becoming general manager in 1994. Among his most significant accomplishments at the helm of the commission were leading the reconstruction efforts after Tropical Storm Alberto in 1994, which caused $8 million of damage to the county’s hydro facility, and leading recovery efforts from Hurricane Michael in 2018.

Steve recently completed a term on APPA’s Board of Directors after many years of service. And in July, he completed 27 years of service on the MEAG Power Board of Directors.

Angie Luna, deputy city manager – Power & Public Works, for the city of Acworth, received the Robert E. Roundtree Rising Star Award during the American Public Power Association’s National Conference in Nashville. The award is a scholarship presented to future leaders in public power. Angie will receive a stipend to travel to one of APPA’s conferences or training programs to advance her education and development in public power.

Angie has been on a rapid career trajectory since starting her service in public power in 2013. She joined Acworth Power in 2019 after serving at the Fort Valley Utility Commission and the city of Norcross in Georgia. As a director, and now deputy city manager, she has taken the initiative to participate in all city-sponsored leadership development programs. Angie currently oversees an operating budget of more than $14 million and 41 full-time employees.

She leads the city’s emergency preparedness leadership team and has significantly improved policies and communications with other city departments to ensure that the city is prepared for any crisis that could potentially disrupt service. She has also taken the initiative to apply for federal funding that enables the city’s first step toward the utilization of smart meters. Angie continuously strives to grow professionally as a public power leader.

Ed Moon, city manager of the city of West Point, received the Larry Hobart Seven Hats Award. The award recognizes managers of small utilities serving fewer than 2,500 meters. These managers have a very small staff and must assume multiple roles. The seven hats they must wear are: planning and design, administration, public relations, field supervision, accounting, human resources, and community leadership.

Ed has served cities in Alabama and Georgia and has 34 years of local government service recognized by the International City Management Association. In his current position, he led the City of West Point’s efforts with Kia Motors and six tier-one suppliers to bring 4,500 new jobs and $2.5 billion in investment to the city. He also managed the city’s efforts to revitalize the downtown area, eventually attracting Point University to locate its main campus in a vacant facility in downtown West Point.

Ed manages eight department directors, public works, police, fire, community development, administration, economic development, and recreation. He heavily focuses on human resources and has created many positions and started the community development department.