Previous Story
Peavey willing to serve as CUC chief
Dallas M. Peavey Jr.
Dr. Dallas M. Peavey Jr., who is currently the acting executive director of the Commonwealth Utilities Corp., said he is willing to serve the position in a permanent capacity, but it would depend on the discussion and negotiation.
Peavey, who is the deputy director for CUC’s electric power systems, said in an interview Tuesday that the CUC board has yet to offer him the executive director’s position, but he is eligible for the position in terms of qualifications.
Two court directives from the U.S. District Court for the NMI—called stipulated orders—require CUC to hire qualified individuals in key positions, including the executive director.
The minimum qualifications for the executive director post are to have a master’s degree in management, engineering, finance, or public administration; or a bachelor’s degree in engineering and registration as a professional civil, mechanical, or electrical engineer; and 10 years of senior management experience in utility operations.
In 2017, then-governor Ralph DLG Torres and the CUC board petitioned the federal court to temporarily waive the qualification requirements in the stipulated orders in order to hire Gary P. Camacho as executive director, which is how Camacho got the post. He recently resigned after Gov. Arnold I. Palacios stated that he intends to have Camacho replaced.
Last Feb. 21, CUC board chair pro tem Janice A. Tenorio designated Peavey as acting executive director until further noticed.
Peavey has over 42 years of experience in the utilities industry. Prior to coming here in late 2022 to work with CUC as deputy director for power generation, he was the chief operating officer for the second largest power and water company in Africa and has also worked in the United States. Saipan Tribune learned that Peavey previously worked as chief executive officer for the Egbin Power PLC in Nigeria. He also worked as CEO of the Holley-Navarre Water System in Florida.
When asked how he learned about the CUC deputy director’s position, Peavey said his wife and children at the time were from the Republic of Palau and that the CNMI is a big brother of Palau. He did not elaborate.
