President & CEO
Kevin M. Gaden has been in the electric utility business since 1987 in various operational, power marketing and executive leadership roles.
Gaden serves as President & CEO and oversees the operations of the Illinois Municipal Electric Agency (IMEA), the Illinois Public Energy Agency (IPEA) and the Illinois Municipal Utilities Association (IMUA). He has held that position since January 2012.
Currently, Gaden serves on the Management Committee of Prairie State Generating Company (PSGC).
PSGC is comprised of a two unit 1,600 megawatt coal-fired power plant and adjacent underground
coal mine. IMEA has an ownership share in the overall project, which is one of the cleanest coal-fired
generating facilities in the U.S.
Before coming to the IMEA, Gaden served as the Director of Wholesale Electric Operations of the
Municipal Energy Agency of Nebraska (MEAN), which is the wholesale electricity supply organization
of Nebraska Municipal Power Pool (NMPP Energy). Prior to becoming MEAN’s Director of Wholesale
Electric Operations, Gaden served in many functions in his tenure at NMPP Energy, including Director
of Energy Supply, Manager of Key Accounts and Director of Technical Services.
While at MEAN, Gaden actively participated on various national and regional committees and boards.
These roles included being the President of the WAPA - Loveland Area Customers Association and as
chair of the Rocky Mountain Reserve Group Board. On the national level, Gaden served as National Chair
of the American Public Power Association’s Energy Services Subcommittee in 1995, as the National
Chair of the APPA Energy/Customer Services & Communications Section in 1997 and as chair of the APPA’s
Demonstration of Energy-Efficient Developments (DEED) Program Board of Directors in 2004-06. He was once again Elected to the APPA Board in 2012.
Gaden holds a B.S. degree in construction management from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and holds a
Master’s degree in community and regional planning from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
