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Some people do more than lead. They lift everyone up.
That’s how one person describes 30-year communications veteran Lydia Walters, vice president of communications at the Electric Cooperatives of Mississippi. She is Pioneer Utility Resources’ 2025 D’Avanzo Communications Leadership Award winner.
“We’re proud to honor Lydia’s lifelong dedication to mentorship, community service and leadership,” Pioneer CEO Michael Shepard said. “This award, named for our friend Dave D’Avanzo, recognizes unsung heroes—the women and men who work tirelessly to create a better community for all of us. That’s Lydia.”
Walters was surprised with the award at her statewide association office the day before the announcement was made at Pioneer’s Cooperative Member Meeting in May.
“You don’t win an award working in a silo. The whole team played a role in this,” Walters said.
Pioneer’s D’Avanzo Communications Leadership Award honors individuals for outstanding service to Utility Pioneers. Nominations focus on:
- Communication skills
- Industry leadership
- Mentorship
- Community service
Walters joined the co-op network in 1995 as a communications specialist for Dixie Electric Power Association, an electric distribution co-op in Laurel, Mississippi. Over her storied career she worked at Cooperative Energy, a generation and transmission co-op. She then worked at East Mississippi Electric Power Association and rejoined Dixie EPA before moving to the statewide association in 2021.
No matter the role, she consistently demonstrated exceptional communication skills, industry leadership and a passion for community outreach.
“Lydia doesn’t just lead—she lifts people up,” said a colleague in one nomination. “Her entire career has been marked by a quiet but powerful commitment to helping others grow, both professionally and personally.”
Setting a Digital Standard
At ECM, Walters oversees communications strategies for 26 cooperatives, ensuring they are equipped with the necessary tools and training to effectively engage a shared community of more than 800,000 Mississippians.
Her department coordinates—and celebrates!—statewide youth programs. Before students can go to the nation’s capital for the Washington Youth Tour, they head to Mississippi’s capital, Jackson, for ECM’s Cooperative Youth Leaders program. Several days each February are packed with team building activities, meeting state lawmakers, adventures in the Mississippi State Capitol building and sessions on etiquette. Want to see how it works? You can follow the fun on the program’s Facebook page.
“Our youth program is one of the things that I am most proud of,” Walters said.
The program won a 2023 NRECA/Council of Rural Electric Communicators Spotlight on Excellence award for rebranding and digital strategies.
She also works with Steven Ward, editor of Today in Mississippi, the statewide magazine, to lead the team in dynamic storytelling. Each month web-based storytelling complements the print edition, and video highlights from magazine features spur social storytelling. The magazine’s website won a 2024 NRECA/Council of Rural Electric Communicators Spotlight on Excellence award for Best Web-based Project.
Under her leadership, ECM partnered with Pioneer and Powerful to develop several innovative digital resources, including the Legislative Roster app, Co-ops Connect MS, a broadband education platform and Co-ops Vote MS.
The Legislative Roster App allows users to find their statewide elected officials and their state’s senators and representatives in seconds. Besides profiles and maps for lawmakers and their districts, users can find out which legislators sit on Senate and House committees and follow the progress of proposed bills through each session.
The Legislative Roster app won a 2025 NRECA/Council of Rural Electric Communicators Spotlight on Excellence Award for Most Innovative Use of Digital Engagement.
“We’re proud to be setting the standard for digital innovation in the cooperative community,” Walters said.
Want to learn more? Here are the case studies:
A Lifetime of Service
Walters’ story of service extends beyond Mississippi.
She mentors storytellers nationally through NRECA’s Certified Cooperative Communicator program, initially as a board member and now as a teacher.
Since 1996 she’s been an active member of the Public Relations Association of Mississippi, cultivating a culture of excellence in storytelling, inspiring others to elevate their communication strategies and connect more deeply with their communities.
“Lydia’s legacy isn’t just in the publications she’s improved or the websites she’s developed—it’s in the people she has mentored, empowered and inspired,” added another peer in a nomination submission.
Her community roots are deep, too, with 25 years of service in various roles for United Way of the Pine Belt Region, local chamber of commerce roles and as a board member for the Association for Excellence in Education and the Mississippi Council of Cooperatives.
The Dave D’Avanzo Communications Leadership Award
The award is named in honor of longtime communicator Dave D’Avanzo, who was known for always giving, helping and making other people better.
During a cooperative career spanning nearly four decades, D’Avanzo worked at four utilities: Umatilla Electric Cooperative, in Hermiston, Oregon; Claverack Rural Electric, in Wysox, Pennsylvania; Midstate Electric Cooperative, in LaPine, Oregon; and, most recently, Lane Electric Cooperative, in Eugene, Oregon.
He earned top communicator honors for his exceptional work and dedication serving his cooperative on Ruralite magazine. D’Avanzo died in 2020 after a long battle with cancer.
Nominees are evaluated based on communication skills, industry leadership, mentorship and community service.
To be eligible, nominees must have at least 10 years of combined service time employed at telcos, electric utilities, broadband providers, statewide associations or industry vendors and must work at a Pioneer-member utility or broadband provider in a communications or marketing role. Nominations are accepted each spring at pioneer.coop/award.
About Pioneer Utility Resources
Pioneer is a not-for-profit communications and marketing cooperative based in Hillsboro, Oregon. Formed in 1956, it provides agency-style communications services to consumer-owned utilities and affiliated organizations in 46 states. Marquee products and services include 11 consumer magazine brands reaching more than 1.47 million U.S. utility households. The cooperative also provides broadband marketing, social media engagement, responsive website design and hosting, podcast production and custom communications services. Pioneer is built to share member stories.
Pioneer also owns Efficiency Services Group, which specializes in energy-efficiency program support and installation services primarily in the West, and NewsData, which publishes industry-leading, independent newsletters covering the utility sector in California and the Pacific Northwest. Pioneer is also the largest shareholder in General Pacific, a Fairview, Oregon-based electric supply company. Learn more at pioneer.coop.