PEABODY — Peabody Municipal Light Plant (PMLP) Manager Charles “Chuck” Orphanos has been honored with a Northeast Public Power Association (NEPPA) Distinguished Service Award.
“This came as a total surprise to me and I had no idea it was coming,” Orphanos said. “To be recognized by my peers and by NEPPA and others in the industry is a great honor. To say I am pleased is a huge understatement.”
NEPPA Executive Director Bonnie Biocchi commended Orphanos for his integrity and for putting “his heart into everything he does.” She added that he has always been generous and ready to offer his time to help anyone in need.
“Although Chuck is required to be on call 24/7 to address and respond to regular light plant business and emergency situations, he never gets flustered or impatient with staff and sets a great example of a servant leader,” said Biocchi. “Chuck provides leadership, motivation, and direction and works to establish operating policies and procedures that will benefit future PMLP ratepayers.”
Birocci recalled an incident when Orphanos demonstrated quick thinking and commanding demeanor, which helped to save the life of a PMLP employee who was attending a meeting at the light plant.
“Chuck used his NEPPA training in AED (automated external defibrillator) and CPR to prevent a tragedy,” Biocchi said.
Orphanos credited the members of his PMLP team, who sprang into action when the victim went down.
“This whole team reacted exactly as it had been trained to do in an emergency,” Orphanos said, referring to executive assistants Patti Sears and Barbara Previte, and Bryan Howcroft, the assistant manager.
“We undergo training — provided by NEPPA — annually, and this was textbook,” he said. “When you take the training, it’s one of those things that you hope you never have to use. But when you do, you can’t put a price on it.”
Orphanos grew up in Lynn and graduated from English High School. He earned a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Northeastern University in 1988 and started working as an electric-distribution engineer at Danvers Electric in 1989. He was later promoted to a supervising engineer.
After purchasing a home in Peabody, Orphanos started working at PMLP, where he has been for the last 20 years; he started as a senior engineer, was later promoted to an assistant manager, and in January of 2019 he started his current position as the manager of the plant.
Between these roles, Orphanos has an engineering career that has spanned 32 years.
Orphanos is a member of the Massachusetts Municipal Wholesale Electric Company (MMWEC) Board. He is a past recipient of the MMWEC Impact Award; he was one of four recipients of this award. James F. Collins, Jr. of Norwood Municipal Light Department, Charles Clinch III of Middleton Electric Light, and Daniel Flynn of NEPPA are the other past recipients of that award.
