Leading with a Community-Focused Approach to Public Power

Don Harrod Video

A Career Built on Community Service

“Being a small public power community goes back to that community focus,” said Don Harrod, Village Administrator for the Village of Minster. “We try to share that with all our employees — that the residents of the Village of Minster elect the Village Council who make the decisions about the electrical department, and it makes those decisions about what projects we do. … Everything goes back to strengthening the community.”

Since he began working for the Village of Minster more than three decades ago, Harrod has had a sharp focus on community-driven service. He has dedicated his career to helping shape Minster into the community it is today. Harrod’s responsibilities are numerous, as they often are for leaders of small communities. He has guided infrastructure projects forward, assisted with budgeting, pushed forward utility improvements, undertaken economic development projects, and all manner of other things, big and small.

Harrod was recognized for his outstanding work when he was named the AMP Seven Hats Award recipient in 2025. In June of this year, his dedication was further recognized when he received the American Public Power Association’s (APPA) Larry Hobart Seven Hats Award. Both awards honor the work of people who serve communities with fewer than 2,500 meters and whose management duties often require them to wear multiple hats, hence the name, the Seven Hats Award.

While Harrod was honored to have received these two awards, for him, the recognition is simply a reminder of what the village has collectively achieved.

“Receiving the Seven Hats Award meant a lot, especially coming from the recommendation of the village council and the mayor,” Harrod said. “I didn’t go into public administration to receive achievements and things like that. But it’s is nice to know that what we have accomplished has made an impact on people and that we are recognized for that impact.”

That focus on community and teamwork has defined Harrod’s career and reflects the broader values of public power. In his mind, public power is more than just a service; it is an extension of the community itself. It is neighbors serving neighbors and local leaders making the best decisions they can to directly benefit the people they serve.

It is an ideal that extends well beyond the confines of the word “utility.”

Having grown up in the public power community of Wapakoneta, and then working his first job out of college for the Wapakoneta Electric Department, Harrod learned long ago that public power and community service are two sides of the same coin. Today, he strives to lead with that knowledge, recognizing that keeping the lights on for the community is more than just a metric.

“We are neighbors, we are friends with everybody out in the community,” Harrod said. “It is important for us to make sure their electric is on at all times. We care about them, so it matters.”

That commitment to community and service earned Harrod some of the highest honors that AMP or the APPA can bestow, and it is a reminder that public power is about more than just electricity.

Public power is about relationships with customers. Public power is about service to the community. Public power is about showing commitment to and taking pride in all the work you do.

In short, much like Don Harrod, Public Power Is Community Focused.

Watch the video above to learn more about Don Harrod’s work in the Village of Minster.

About the Campaign

Throughout 2026, AMP plans to feature AMP Members and the benefits of public power by spotlighting the relationship between municipal electric utilities and their communities through the Public Power Is Community Focused multimedia campaign. The campaign will produce a series of videos, stories, social media posts and graphics aimed at raising awareness of the value and impact of public power. The campaign will highlight community benefits, such as reliability, local control and reinvestment by showing real stories of how public power supports education, businesses and community groups.