Montrose, CO — Effective August 1, Kent Blackwell was named Interim CEO of Delta-Montrose Electric Association. Blackwell joined DMEA in 2018 as its Chief Technology Officer (CTO), where he has directed all Elevate operations, including construction, plant design, network engineering, products and services, and sales. He has worked in the telecommunications industry for more than 32 years, with 22 of those specifically for cooperative broadband utilities.
“Over the past four years with DMEA, I’ve had the honor of helping guide the organization through a time of monumental growth and change. It’s an even greater honor to be selected by our board to help lead our cooperative and our dedicated employees through this new transition. I’m confident that together we will continue providing safe and reliable service to our members," said Blackwell.
"As we move into the next chapter of leadership for DMEA, it was important to the board to select an interim leader with legacy knowledge and experience from within DMEA and both of our industries. He will begin his role immediately to allow for the transfer of knowledge between him and Alyssa Clemsen Roberts," said DMEA Board President Kyle Martinez.
DMEA will also work with the experienced executive search firm, CarterBaldwin, to perform a national search for the co-op's next CEO. CarterBaldwin specializes in executive recruiting and has more than 100 years of combined experience on their partnership team. They have been recognized among the Top 40 search firms in the nation and named by Forbes as one of America's best executive search firms.
"We anticipate our search to begin shortly and are committed to finding the most qualified candidate to serve as DMEA's next CEO. We are thankful for Alyssa's leadership over the past year and want to express our continued gratitude for her assistance during this transition," said Martinez.
Blackwell takes the helm at DMEA during a critical juncture as the cooperative awaits the final decision on the development of the 80-megawatt Garnet Mesa Solar array and kicks off the construction plan for more than $20 million in broadband grant awards.
"DMEA and Elevate are no strangers to change. We will continue to push forward on our initiatives to bring more affordable energy and high-speed internet to our communities. Over the next few months, I hope to provide both stable leadership and support to our employees as they continue doing what they do best," said Blackwell.
