Setting the Pace for Progress

Building Tomorrow Together: Cassidy Chandler

A typical day for a combined cycle operations technician is not all that typical. These multiskilled individuals could face a new challenge on any given shift – an aspect of the job that requires them to be nimble and perceptive.

“I’ve been doing this for 18 years, and I still manage to learn something new every outage,” said Cassidy Chandler, operations technician at Southaven Combined Cycle Plant in northern Mississippi. “In this job we are constantly studying. And once you get comfortable, equipment gets upgraded. This is a learning environment.”

Chandler’s family tree is decorated with TVA employees, specifically women in the machinist and boilermaker fields, but she didn’t set out to work for TVA in the beginning – even though it’s in her blood. With degrees in biology and chemistry, her original plan was to continue her research in molecular genetics with sights set on medical school.

“The reason I ended up here was because I needed money to start paying my student loans,” Chandler laughed. “Then it ended up being a great fit.”

And she never left.

“I have so much respect for the people all over the valley who sacrifice so much to do these jobs. It’s not just a job for us,” Chandler said. “We all take it very seriously. We are coworkers, but we have relationships beyond that for safety reasons. We take care of each other to make sure that we all go home the same way that we came in.”

Consistency and preparedness are traits that follow Cassidy into the world outside of work. Newly dedicated to a more fit lifestyle, she knows the value of showing up and sticking with it.

“I lift weights and do rope work,” Chandler said. “I’ve also started tolerating jogging!”

Her job requires physical strength as well as mental dexterity.

“This position does require a lot of strength. One challenging moment from when I first started was trying to hook two hoses together. If the rubber grommets are warped, it proves to be a difficult task. I didn’t want to ask for help. I wanted to prove myself,” Chandler said.

“But then one of my coworkers noticed me and said, ‘This is hard for me sometimes, too. Don’t do this alone and tire yourself out. Anytime you need help, just ask.’ That was a memorable moment for me.

“When I see a unit fire up after an outage, I can say, ‘yeah I helped do that.’ That’s the most satisfying thing to me,” Chandler said.

To her friends, Chandler is the one they call if their dryer is broken. For the 10 million residents of the TVA service area, she’s the one who keeps the lights on. The plants in the Valley region deliver reliable power because of people like Chandler. At TVA, we keep things running. And we’re doing it together.