June 22, 2021 — Faith Willoughby, Chalmers Town Manager and Indiana Municipal Power Agency (IMPA) commissioner, has been named a winner of the American Public Power Association’s (APPA) Larry Hobart Seven Hats Award. This prestigious honor was awarded to Willoughby on Tuesday, June 22 at APPA’s 2021 National Conference in Orlando, Florida.
       This nationwide award recognizes managers who serve in smaller communities and whose variety of management responsibilities extends well beyond those of a manager in a larger system with larger staff. The award is only given out to a select few whose systems serve 2,500 electric meters or less. Recipients of this award must fill multiple roles in their community, excelling in seven distinct categories: planning and design, administration, public relations, field supervision, accounting, human resources, and community leadership.
       As Town Manager, Willoughby leads with excellence in all these categories. Willoughby oversees all of the town’s operations, including the community’s water, storm water, wastewater, and electric utilities. Under her leadership, Chalmers recently upgraded its wastewater treatment plant to improve capacity, prevent leaking, and update the disinfection method from a chemical system to a state-of-the-art UV light method. Faith has also worked to improve the town’s electric reliability by organizing a utility pole replacement project that is currently ongoing. She has managed town finances to purchase new playground equipment for the community park in the last year and is currently working to get a splash pad built for families in town.
       Willoughby also serves on the Board of Directors for the not-for-profit Alliance of Indiana Rural Water to represent her district, working to ensure that its citizens have access to safe drinking water and a clean environment. She has traveled as far as New York City and Washington D.C. to represent the town of Chalmers and advocate for rural community funding at the federal level. Faith is truly passionate about serving communities like Chalmers and ensuring that they have access to the resources they need to thrive.
       “IMPA is thankful to have such a strong ally in Faith,” said Raj Rao, President and CEO of IMPA. “Her tireless advocacy for public power safeguards municipally-owned utilities here in Indiana and across the United States. We are so glad to see Faith honored with the Seven Hats award—it is certainly a fitting acknowledgement.”