
Empowering New Generations
5 Takeaways From the Tennessee Valley Women’s Policy Summit
At the public power table, it’s an age of exciting new perspectives, new opportunities and new voices.
Consider this: Three women now serve as Tennessee Valley Authority Board members, and a growing number of local power companies are led by women.
And in skilled trades, the number of women working as apprentices more than doubled from 2014 to 2022.
As these trends continue, it’s more important than ever to spotlight the power of partnerships, workforce opportunities and empowerment.
In Washington, D.C., TVA recently co-hosted the Tennessee Valley Women’s Policy Summit, drawing insights from federal and state officials, local power company leaders and policy experts.
“The first-ever Tennessee Valley Women’s Policy Summit offered an opportunity to elevate female leaders in the energy space and have robust discussions around how we create pathways for more women to join,” Jeannette Mills, TVA’s Executive Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer, said. “The panels were informative and there was a terrific energy in the room. I’m excited about the path ahead for women in the Valley.”
“This summit brought kitchen table issues to the policymaking table,” Jessica Hogle, vice president of TVA Federal Affairs, said. “Women’s empowerment and the future of the energy industry go hand in hand, as affordable, reliable, resilient and clean energy has a direct tie to ensuring economic opportunities for women and managing energy burdens on families.”
The Women’s Policy Summit inspired key takeaways that can help serve as a roadmap for industry leaders and policymakers as they work to ensure women remain a driving force in the energy industry’s path forward.
1. Energy is Security
Families and businesses depend on energy to power their homes and jobs. This is fundamental to economic security and safety.
The public power model is uniquely positioned to meet those needs.
“Our main goal is affordability and reliability for our customers,” said summit speaker Brittany Davis, general manager of McMinnville Electric System in McMinnville, Tennessee.
TVA’s diverse energy portfolio is a selling point for companies deciding where to locate a plant or office. It’s borne out in the data, as the Valley region is growing at three times the national average.
And that’s great news for anyone looking for a good-paying job.
“Reliability is not a partisan issue,” said Ashley Slater, vice president of regulatory affairs at the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association. “We are in a situation where demand is growing through the roof. And it’s exciting, because it’s economic development. But you have to have the power supply to meet the demand.”
2. Partnerships Ensure Affordability
To ensure access to programs that help manage energy burdens, partnerships are paramount.
TVA Board Director Michelle Moore – CEO of a nonprofit that builds community power to reduce energy burdens and expand economic opportunity – summed this up neatly for summit guests as she led a panel on affordability and innovation.
“Partnership is leadership,” Moore said.
Paula Glover, president of the Alliance to Save Energy, elaborated on the management of energy burdens.
“Affordability is actually made of two things: How much something costs, and how much you have,” Glover said. “How can you reduce costs for customers? Energy efficiency is really the way that you get there. The bill gets lower because you use less.”
As the nation’s largest public power provider, TVA works with local power company partners on a robust energy efficiency program aimed at lowering energy bills.
“(Knoxville Utilities Board) has been a champion, along with TVA, for the robust weatherization resources we have,” said Erin Gill, vice president of sustainability and government relations at Knoxville Utilities Board. “Since 2015, we have helped close to 3,000 homes in the Knoxville region become more energy efficient.”
3. Women’s Perspectives are Vital
Women’s economic security has a direct tie to TVA’s mission of service.
“Women have a leading role in shaping the energy industry,” Mills said. “And their growing leadership in public power and policy ensures the communities they serve are powerfully represented."
And while there’s still much work to do, there are more women at the table today than ever before.
Danette Scudder, Executive Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer at Tennessee Valley Public Power Association, co-led a summit panel on providing opportunities for women in the energy economy.
“When I started, we only had a couple of local power company CEOs who were women,” Scudder said. “Today, we look over our roster of 153 and there are 14. While that is only 9%, that is exponential growth. And it is very exciting to see.”
Thoughtful strategies that empower women will give rise to yet more opportunities.
“If you don’t have a pipeline that looks different than the leaders in place, you’re not going to have a change in the demographic of leadership,” Scudder said.
4. Workforce Pipelines Create Opportunity
The clean energy economy will require more workers – and that requires a workforce pipeline that creates opportunities for women.
As the nation transitions to cleaner energy sources, it’s a prime moment to build pathways for women who may not have considered careers in the power industry.
Summit speakers emphasized the need to engage girls when they are in middle school, or earlier, to introduce them to exciting careers paths in the energy space.
“How do we convince girls in middle school and high school that they can do something different, that they can try something that might not be what their parents did, or they are able to go into a room that may have more boys than it has girls, and they, too, can succeed?” asked Brandon Gibson, Chief Operating Officer for the state of Tennessee.
“I think one way to do it is by what we’re doing here, which is to say, ‘I look like you—and this is what I’m doing.’”
5. Adopt an ‘All-of-the-Above’ Mindset
Supporting women in energy requires an all-of-the-above mindset that uplifts people of all backgrounds and all experiences.
Many conversations at the summit touched on strategies and support that the power industry can provide to bring more women into the workforce.
Gina Cooper was the first female vice president for the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers. Currently International vice president, Cooper offered the perspective of a worker whose shift may start at 5 a.m.
“A day in the life is getting up, trying to figure how you’re going to get day care,” Cooper said. “Trying to figure out what you are going to wear to work, trying to figure out if you get called in for overtime – or, if you have to work overtime, what you’re going to do with your kids and where they can be safely.”
Leaders should consider every element – from child care to the types of clothes and safety equipment provided at work – that can influence outcomes.