Two Jamestown BPU Employees Promoted

Cory Allen, Aaron Mason

Two Jamestown Board of Public Utilities employees have been promoted.

BPU General Manager Kris Sellstrom announced at the board’s recent meeting that Cory Allen has been appointed to the position of BPU Deputy General Manager – Electric. Allen fills the job vacated by Sellstrom’s promotion to General Manager. In addition, Aaron Mason has been named Power Plant Manager, assuming the duties Allen held before his promotion.

Allen brings 15 years of experience in utility operations, power generation and electrical engineering to the position. He joined the utility in 2011 as a Junior Electrical Engineer and advanced through increasing levels of responsibility, including Electrical Engineer IV and Power Plant Manager.

In his most recent post as Power Plant Manager, Allen oversaw all operations and maintenance of the electric generating station, including capital and operating budgets, capital projects, environmental compliance and employee management.

Before entering the public utility sector, Allen served in the United States Navy as a Cryptologic Systems Operator and later as an instructor at the Naval Security Group Activity in San Diego. His military service included curriculum development, secure network administration and support for intelligence operations, earning multiple commendations for performance and leadership.

Allen holds a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering with a minor in Computer Engineering from Pennsylvania State University – The Behrend College. His technical background includes power plant operations, DCS and PLC programming, historian systems and cybersecurity fundamentals.

Active in the community, Allen has volunteered since 2019 as Scoutmaster for Boy Scout Troop 162 in Jamestown. He has also dedicated many years to coaching youth soccer. He and his wife Misti live in Lakewood and are the parents of a daughter and son.

Aaron Mason has been tapped as the Power Plant Manager of the Samuel A. Carlson Generating Station. Hired as a BPU Mechanical Engineer in 1999, Mason was closely involved in the installation and commissioning of the GE LM6000 gas turbine, Deltak Heat Recovery Steam Generator and associated equipment. Mason assisted in guidance for equipment maintenance, repair and troubleshooting. He was also responsible for Continuous Emissions Monitoring Equipment, pollution control equipment and all associated Federal and State reporting.

Leaving the BPU for private sector experience in 2009, Mason returned to the utility in 2023 as a Mechanical Engineer, directing a crew of four skilled mechanics, three skilled electricians and a utility worker, in maintenance and upgrades to the power plant.

The new Power Plant Manager received a Bachelor of Science in Physics from the SUNY Fredonia and a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the State University of New York at Buffalo. He holds a Civil Service Mechanical Engineering certificate and is the father of two daughters.