Industry experts and policymakers gathered in Washington, D.C., this week, following TVPPA’s Valley Rally, to highlight the increasing impact women are making on the electric utility industry.
TVA’s Lori Stenger, Director, TVA Enterprise Forecasting and Financial Planning, leveraged TVA economic and demographic data and research to give an overview of the economic impact made by women in the Valley. Panelists including TVPPA EVP Danette Scudder, and TVPPA members Erin Gill, VP Sustainability & Government Relations, Knoxville Utilities Board and Brittany Davis, General Manager, McMinnville Electric System, among others, discussed subjects ranging from reliability and load growth issues to ensuring energy affordability and investing in innovation.
Deep dives included ways the sector is working to meet reliability challenges, and how distributors, generators, end-users and policymakers can partner to help. A discussion on providing opportunities for women in the energy economy centered on the best ways to engage in communities to inform the creation of strategies and programs, and how STEM education and supplier diversity initiatives are key to developing the future workforce the industry needs.