Ron Carlton – Carroll Electric Cooperative
Ron is known by many for his selflessness and qualities of servant leadership. He has demonstrated his commitment to his community countless times, including when he helped to educate and protect his neighbors when oil and gas businesses began approaching them with payouts for drilling leases. Ron recognized the need to educate himself and others on how these gas and oil businesses operate and the ways in which their leases work, and quickly started a group to help farmers strengthen their negotiating power.
During this time, Ron drafted a contract that was shared with locals and hosted educational meetings for locals to teach them how to invest their money and grow their profits, resulting in some Carroll County landowners multiplying their assets tenfold. Many of these landowners have since made large charity donations or investments in infrastructure improvements, further benefiting the community and all who live within it. Today, Ron continues to sacrifice his time by offering support and advice to those who need it.
Joe Conrad – Butler Rural Electric Cooperative
Joe Conrad has long made his home in rural Morgan Township, Ohio. One hot summer about ten years ago, he grew frustrated with the limitations of his gas-powered mower. The constant repairs, engine noise, gas usage and exhaust fumes caused Joe to look for a better approach.
While researching, Joe was surprised to discover outdoor power equipment, especially mowers, produce high amounts of harmful emissions and operate inefficiently. Joe put his entrepreneurial spirit to work and set out to build a quiet electric lawn mower that produced zero emissions, had minimal routine maintenance, and paid for itself in fuel savings. From this dream came Mean Green Mowers, a company that offers a one-of-a-kind mower, which produces zero emissions through the use of electricity over gasoline and oil. The Conrad family has benefitted its community through their commitment to implementing new technologies for a cleaner, safer and more sustainable tomorrow.
Susan Davis – South Central Power
Susan truly embodies what it means to be a servant leader in her Highland County community through her compassionate and selfless nature. In 2012, she and her family established “Soles for Students,” a non-profit that provides shoes and socks to local children in need. Susan has developed a relationship with local schools, where she provides vouchers for counselors to give children, which they can use in exchange for new shoes at one of three stores within the community. Every year, Soles for Students provides over $15,000 in shoes, which puts new shoes on the feet of more than 300 local students each school year.
In 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Susan recognized the desperate need for personal protective equipment within her community and worked with educators to access 3D printers at universities that would produce shields for health care providers. This effort provided face shields to more than 10 hospitals and numerous other health facilities, and, with the help of donors, Susan raised over $11,000 to fund their initiative.
Kevin Dennis – Buckeye Rural Electric Cooperative
Kevin’s passion for helping others is demonstrated every day through the live-saving and life-changing services offered at Field of Hope (FOH), a treatment center for men, outpatient only, and women, outpatient and residential, seeking recovery and freedom from drug and alcohol addiction. His vision for the FOH was born from experiences as Kevin, his wife Sandy, and his family were impacted directly, which has led them to work relentlessly to show women being served by FOH that their lives are precious, and recovery is achievable.
Alongside members of their church, community partners, and the state of Ohio, Kevin and the FOH Board of Directors received through gifts and grants enough money to purchase and restore a vacant high school building and 46 acres of property within their community. Today, Field of Hope offers hope and refuge for more than 30 women seeking its services and has expanded its footprint to two residential facilities, a full size gymnasium, meeting rooms and office space for 22 full-time employees and four part-time employees. The success rate of women who finish their individualized recovery programs is more than 90 percent, which is significantly higher than most other programs of its kind. "The Field of Hope - Where life change happens everyday!"
Nikki Lude – South Central Power
Nikki is a recognized leader in Monroe County and selflessly gives her time and talents to encourage economic development within her rural, Appalachian community. She is a wife, mother, business owner and steadfast advocate for her community.
Nikki is actively involved in several organizations, including the Monroe County Community Foundation, Kiwanis Club of Woodsfield, the Monroe 4-H Endowment, Hoops for the Heart, and the Monroe County Port Authority. As a founding committee member and volunteer for the Monroe County Community Foundation, Nikki has helped to lead the growth of the Monroe family of funds to nearly $1.5 million. Most recently, Nikki worked to collect gifts for the Foundation for Appalachian Ohio’s available “match” program and was instrumental in securing more than $225,000 in donations from local organizations for the $1 for $1 “match” effort. Additionally, Nikki has applied her business and financial expertise to help shape and guide the direction of the Monroe County Port Authority as it expanded from a start-up organization to owner and developer of several properties throughout the county.
Curt Stauffer – Holmes-Wayne Electric Cooperative
Curt has long recognized the important role that law enforcement plays in his Wayne County community and felt called to show his support for the sacrifices they make. When he became aware of the need for a law enforcement chaplain at the Wayne County Sheriff’s Office, he underwent the training necessary to fulfill the position. Curt became a licensed minister in 2014 and began volunteering as staff chaplain for Wayne County officers.
In his role, Chaplain Stauffer accompanies deputies on patrol calls and can often be found making hospital and home visits, and providing counseling services to officers and their families. To better understand and assist with the duties of the deputies and officers, Chaplain Stauffer completed the Ohio Peace Officers Training Academy in 2017 and, in addition to his work at the Wayne County Sheriff’s Office, he now serves at regional and state levels as a member of ASSIST 77, which is a critical incident stress management support team, and on the Buckeye State Sheriff’s Association Chaplain Committee. Chaplain Stauffer invests more than 50 hours per month in volunteer ministry to law enforcement deputies, officers, staff, and their families.
