CEO’s Message – January 2026

From 2025 Successes to 2026 Possibilities

I’m not really into New Year’s resolutions. I kind of feel like we should try to be the best versions of ourselves every day, rather than waiting for a calendar page to turn to resolve to be nicer, lose weight, exercise, meditate, read … whatever.

Having said that, it’s natural to reflect at the end of each year and think about the year to come. How will it shake out? What accomplishments will we enjoy? What fun things will we do? What changes may come? What challenges might we face?

We enjoyed a very successful year in 2025. We passed legislation to assist our members. We met our budget targets. We completed all the elements of our strategic plan. We engaged meaningfully with state and federal policymakers. Our training and professional development offerings skyrocketed. We communicated creatively and effectively. We produced 2 highly attended and popular events. We remained a cohesive team.

Many of the same elements will be in play in 2026. We may not pursue legislation at the Arizona Legislature, but we’ll work hard to ensure any ideas that would negatively impact co-ops are held at bay. Our training and professional development schedule is chock-full of great opportunities. We’ll continue to forge ahead with the Arizona Corporation Commission to ease regulatory burdens for our co-ops. We’ll do our best to influence good policy in Washington, D.C. We’ll produce great events and continue to be engaged and effective communicators.

But this year also will bring changes for Grand Canyon State Electric Cooperative Association and me. I will only be in this role for the first 4 months of 2026. Beginning in May, I will ride off into the sunset, for what I hope will be an enriching next chapter of my life in retirement. I’ll write more in later editions of Currents about that. For now, the GCSECA team and I will focus on working hard for our members while navigating a path that we know will take a different turn in the spring.

While 2026 will look different than past years, in many ways I expect it to be the same. GCSECA has a dedicated and talented cadre of professionals who are laser-focused on our mission to provide excellent services to our members. That won’t change in the first 4 months of 2026, nor do I expect it to for the balance of the year and beyond.

Dave Lock
CEO