OPD5’s Omar Vallejo Completes NRECA Leadership Program

OPD5 Line Operations Mesquite Foreman Omar Vallejo has completed a rigorous leadership development program offered by the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA). He has become the first OPD5 employee to complete the NRECA Supervisor and Manager Development Program (SMDP).

Designed for employees responsible for leading others, the SMDP focuses on developing the leadership skills, knowledge and abilities needed to hire and develop employees, manage performance, build effective teams, communicate successfully and make sound decisions. Completion of the program requires 20 credits of coursework.

Vallejo began the program in 2023 after being encouraged by OPD5 management to pursue additional training in leadership and management. At the time, he was not yet serving in a supervisory position with the district.

“Our management offered it to us, if we wanted to take some classes in supervising and mentorship,” Vallejo said. “They saw something and wanted to develop and help out my leadership skills. Of course, it cost the district some money to send me through the program. So I was very appreciative of that investment that was made in me.”

Vallejo completed the first portion of the program at Coop-U, an NRECA educational event held annually. That year it was in South Carolina. In the years since, he has continued working through the program’s requirements through online NRECA courses, all while maintaining his regular workload at OPD5.

The coursework covered a wide range of topics, including team dynamics, time management, stepping into a supervisory role, understanding the responsibilities of a position, hiring and employee selection techniques, interpersonal relationships and effective communication.

Vallejo said some of the material prompted him to take a closer look at his own leadership style.

“We talked about personality traits and how you are as a leader – if you’re outspoken or more reserved; a dominant personality or more laid back; and so on,” he said. “It kind of made me think a little bit about who I was at that point, and about the traits that I may want to develop or change to be a better leader.”

“It was just a lot of valuable material that has really helped in how I approach things in what I do,” he added.

The training has already proven particularly useful as OPD5 currently seeks to hire a new lineman who will join Vallejo’s Mesquite team. He said the employee selection coursework provided valuable techniques for identifying candidates who will contribute well in the organization.

“It has helped me with techniques in the interview and selection process for determining the right employee who will be a good overall fit for our organization,” Vallejo said.

OPD5 Line Operations Manager Kyle Leavitt said the district is proud of Vallejo’s accomplishment and expects the benefits of this training to extend beyond his own team.

“We are proud of Omar for completing this rigorous program,” Leavitt said. “He is the first employee from OPD5 to have done it. So we expect him to share the leadership training and techniques he has received to enrich our whole organization.”

OPD5 CEO/General Manager MeLisa Garcia was enthusiastic about Vallejo’s achievement and the benefits it would bring to the organization. 

“This is a huge accomplishment, and it really deserves to be recognized and celebrated,” Garcia said. “We appreciate Omar for his commitment to being an outstanding leader and bringing the highest quality to the table. But this also reflects OPD5’s commitment to invest in our employees and provide opportunities for them to develop the skills needed to strengthen our workforce and our future leadership.”