The Oklahoma Municipal Power Authority Board of Directors recently approved of the hiring of a new legal counsel for the Authority.

William T. Denning joined OMPA at the start of 2025. He was a partner at Newbold Chapman & Geyer in Colorado at the time of his hiring. There, he served as general counsel for state entities, as well as two electric cooperatives in the state. Denning has extensive experience advising boards on governance matters and has assisted clients with contracting, regulatory compliance and open records law, among  others.

Before joining Newbold Chapman & Geyer in 2020, Denning was Director at Miller Stratvert in New Mexico where he assisted in securing right of ways for a $285 million transmission line project. Denning’s legal career began in 2005 shortly after graduating with a Doctor of Jurisprudence from Texas Tech University.

Bennett to lead Member Services

Michelle Bennett has also been named Manager of Member Services at OMPA, following Jennifer Smith’s appointment to Assistant General Manager. Bennett has spent more than 24 years in the electric utility industry, most recently as Program Portfolio Manager at CLEAResult Consulting, where she was involved in developing and implementing energy efficiency programs to reduce operational costs for customers. Bennett previously served as both Energy Services Manager and Key Account Executive with the City of Edmond.