SRP Council Division 5 District & Association
John has more than 23 years of public utility experience including 14 years working with rural electric cooperatives. After completing his MBA in Strategic Planning and Finance at the university of Arizona and Thunderbird, he began his career in the utility industry working nine years at Salt River Project (SRP). While working at SRP John also taught microeconomics at Mesa Community College for five years. He was recruited to work for the National Rural Utilities Cooperative Finance Corporation (CFC) where he consulted with electric cooperatives across the country on financial, strategic and governance matters. Between 2014 and 2023, John ran Penry Consulting working directly with electric cooperatives across the country and conducting workshops on behalf of the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA). As of May 2023, John is once again an employee of CFC. Rural electric cooperatives have democratically elected directors based on one member, one vote where even renters have a say. SRP is based on one acre, one vote, and you must own the land.
John believes that for SRP to truly be a steward and leader of the community, it must be guided by people who are looking to the future and not the past. Our history of dependence on greenhouse gas emitting power generation in a region where we get 360 days of sun every year does not make sense for the future. Conserving our water supplies and becoming less dependent on thermal generation go hand in hand as most all traditional generation that emits carbon also uses lots of water, our most precious resource. As our recent summer heat waves have shown us, the path that we’ve been on for the last several decades must be changed so that our children might continue living in the valley of the sun.
John lives in Tempe, Ariz. with his wife, Beth. They have four children and three dogs.
