Utility’s lone female Indiana line worker explains journey

AR-304199961KOKOMO, Ind. — Growing up with a “mad scientist” as a father, Karrie Welker began bucking stereotypes from a young age, falling in love with electricity as girls her age were starting down far different, and more expected, roads.

Not surprisingly, Welker’s road led to a unique position, one not often traveled by her female counterparts. And it’s a position she hopes to open to more women like herself, a line of work she says they simply don’t think about joining.

It is that position – an apprentice line worker for Duke Energy’s Kokomo branch – that has reinvigorated Welker and brought her back to her roots, where she confronts electricity daily and solves the physical puzzles she’s always enjoyed.

In fact, Welker, 41, is soon to be the only active female line worker employed by Duke Energy in Indiana. Currently, she is a second-year apprentice, nearly halfway through the process that will make her a fully qualified line worker.

In part, line workers are responsible for building, maintaining and restoring electrical service, most often during inclement weather or following an accident that has destroyed a power line. Duke Energy supplies electrical service to 69 Indiana counties, according to a press release.

That isn’t to say, however, that she hasn’t already experienced the oddities that come with being a woman in a field long dominated by men.

“Sometimes it’s a freak show, because everybody looks twice,” she said. “I know I’m not a freak show, I know it’s more because it’s an oddity, but that’s how it feels sometimes.

“I don’t like being the center of attention, so I probably picked the wrong thing to do,” added Welker, laughing.

However, it is those double takes, those obvious looks of doubt that have motivated Welker to be at the top of her field and show her co-workers that the job is, in fact, a gender neutral one.

“Determination, the more people tell me, ‘This is a man’s field, how are you going to do it?’ the more determined I am to do the best I can so they respect me for doing a good job,” she said. “And not just because I’m a woman, the company wants me to do well, so they’re going to push me through. I want the guys to know I’m trying.”

After taking some “basic electricity classes” directly out of high school in an attempt to continue her adolescent hobby, Welker’s life took an extended detour, which included five years as an employee at BioLife and 15 years at a dental lab.

It was about three years ago, though, that Welker heard about the Southeast Lineman Training Center in Georgia, and saw the opportunity to cure her professional unhappiness. While she had in the past tried unsuccessful to apply at Duke, Welker was finally seeing the door open.

There was only one obvious hurdle – Welker didn’t even know if the school accepted women. After learning SLTC would make special accommodations, Welker traveled to Georgia, ready to delve back into an area she already knew well.

Her initial experience, however, would be different from that of her classmates.

“It was very intimidating. The first day I walked into the room full of guys, one big gymnasium room,” explained Welker, who was the only woman in a class of 180. “I got there early enough I thought I could get a seat high in the corner, but the room was already full.

“I walked in and of course everybody just looks at me, and I felt like I was going to throw up. I just kind of smiled and looked for an empty chair.”

As the classes began and the hands-on work started, Welker says she was widely accepted as an important, and talented, member of the team – even if the men sometimes did offer to carry her bags.

“It was very sweet, but I said, ‘No, I want to carry my own bag,'” she said. “I think that’s the only way they treated me different, was to be respectful that I was a woman in that way, to hold the door for me as we were going through the line. Just nice little things, gestures.”

After completing school and being hired at Duke, Welker has seen much of that same respect, but she does wonder why more women aren’t working by her side.

One explanation she has found is that women simply aren’t aware of the opportunity. Another is the aspect of electricity, which she says keeps both men and women away from position.

“Somebody mentioned it to me, or I would never have thought about working on power lines,” she said. “I would think when I had classes at the community college right after high school about electricity that this would have stood out to me, but it didn’t. I don’t know if it was mentioned at that time.”

And while Welker doesn’t believe the line worker community is consciously holding a stereotype in place, she does see the physical aspect of the job possibly driving some woman away from the profession.

“They’re crazy, or I’m crazy,” she said, laughing again. “It is an extremely physical job; you’re climbing up and down off trucks, you’re climbing poles, you’re lifting very heavy objects. You have to keep control of heavy wire as you’re untying it or moving it.

“And I don’t know of many women that are as physical as I am.”

Even with that said, Welker is sure to point out that any woman interested in the position’s physicality is equally qualified as the men applying, a fact she has proven since her career began in Georgia.

“Any stereotypes that someone might have, I’m happy to squash them and explain how, while it’s still physical, it’s not impossible.”

To help promote that fact, Welker believes further female participation in job fairs or female pictures on promotional material could help raise the number of female line workers.

She also sees the opportunities for schools and other educators to increase their focus on females, similar to a man in Texas who started a line worker school and has been traveling to high schools and various locations to recruit women.

One of his tactics, in fact, is to give interested women Welker’s phone number. And while she hasn’t yet received a call, she is eager to promote the profession to young women.

“If any girl had come to talk to me . we could go out to some pole, and just step on the pole, not climb the pole or anything, just feel it and see if that’s anything that (they would) be comfortable with,” she said. “And I would just explain the different things that you do.”

___

Source: Kokomo Tribune, https://bit.ly/1qCziyJ

Women 24 percent of solar workforce; diversity still lacking

shutterstock_solar_jobs_kstudijaThere are nearly 50,000 women working in U.S. solar jobs of all types, the Solar Foundation reports, accounting for nearly a quarter of the workforce in the sector. That’s an improvement, but the statistic also belies a broader lack of diversity.

Many think tanks, academics and activists have pointed to a green jobs gap in solar and other clean technologies, where economic gains linked to renewable energy go mainly to white men. Take solar installer demographics as an example of that criticism.

Women account for 21 perent of solar installers, which pencils out to 25,305 jobs. African Americans hold 5,877 solar installation jobs (5 percent), while Latinos hold 16,191 of those jobs (13 percent) — roughly on par with minority representation in oil and gas extraction jobs.

“The industry has made numerous proclamations that they intend to be more diverse,” Luecken said. “Compared with other energy sectors, we’re doing OK. Compared with the overall economy, we have a lot of work to do.”

Read the full article »

 

Utility's lone female Indiana line worker explains journey

AR-304199961KOKOMO, Ind. — Growing up with a “mad scientist” as a father, Karrie Welker began bucking stereotypes from a young age, falling in love with electricity as girls her age were starting down far different, and more expected, roads.
Not surprisingly, Welker’s road led to a unique position, one not often traveled by her female counterparts. And it’s a position she hopes to open to more women like herself, a line of work she says they simply don’t think about joining.
It is that position – an apprentice line worker for Duke Energy’s Kokomo branch – that has reinvigorated Welker and brought her back to her roots, where she confronts electricity daily and solves the physical puzzles she’s always enjoyed.
In fact, Welker, 41, is soon to be the only active female line worker employed by Duke Energy in Indiana. Currently, she is a second-year apprentice, nearly halfway through the process that will make her a fully qualified line worker.
In part, line workers are responsible for building, maintaining and restoring electrical service, most often during inclement weather or following an accident that has destroyed a power line. Duke Energy supplies electrical service to 69 Indiana counties, according to a press release.
That isn’t to say, however, that she hasn’t already experienced the oddities that come with being a woman in a field long dominated by men.
“Sometimes it’s a freak show, because everybody looks twice,” she said. “I know I’m not a freak show, I know it’s more because it’s an oddity, but that’s how it feels sometimes.
“I don’t like being the center of attention, so I probably picked the wrong thing to do,” added Welker, laughing.
However, it is those double takes, those obvious looks of doubt that have motivated Welker to be at the top of her field and show her co-workers that the job is, in fact, a gender neutral one.
“Determination, the more people tell me, ‘This is a man’s field, how are you going to do it?’ the more determined I am to do the best I can so they respect me for doing a good job,” she said. “And not just because I’m a woman, the company wants me to do well, so they’re going to push me through. I want the guys to know I’m trying.”
After taking some “basic electricity classes” directly out of high school in an attempt to continue her adolescent hobby, Welker’s life took an extended detour, which included five years as an employee at BioLife and 15 years at a dental lab.
It was about three years ago, though, that Welker heard about the Southeast Lineman Training Center in Georgia, and saw the opportunity to cure her professional unhappiness. While she had in the past tried unsuccessful to apply at Duke, Welker was finally seeing the door open.
There was only one obvious hurdle – Welker didn’t even know if the school accepted women. After learning SLTC would make special accommodations, Welker traveled to Georgia, ready to delve back into an area she already knew well.
Her initial experience, however, would be different from that of her classmates.
“It was very intimidating. The first day I walked into the room full of guys, one big gymnasium room,” explained Welker, who was the only woman in a class of 180. “I got there early enough I thought I could get a seat high in the corner, but the room was already full.
“I walked in and of course everybody just looks at me, and I felt like I was going to throw up. I just kind of smiled and looked for an empty chair.”
As the classes began and the hands-on work started, Welker says she was widely accepted as an important, and talented, member of the team – even if the men sometimes did offer to carry her bags.
“It was very sweet, but I said, ‘No, I want to carry my own bag,'” she said. “I think that’s the only way they treated me different, was to be respectful that I was a woman in that way, to hold the door for me as we were going through the line. Just nice little things, gestures.”
After completing school and being hired at Duke, Welker has seen much of that same respect, but she does wonder why more women aren’t working by her side.
One explanation she has found is that women simply aren’t aware of the opportunity. Another is the aspect of electricity, which she says keeps both men and women away from position.
“Somebody mentioned it to me, or I would never have thought about working on power lines,” she said. “I would think when I had classes at the community college right after high school about electricity that this would have stood out to me, but it didn’t. I don’t know if it was mentioned at that time.”
And while Welker doesn’t believe the line worker community is consciously holding a stereotype in place, she does see the physical aspect of the job possibly driving some woman away from the profession.
“They’re crazy, or I’m crazy,” she said, laughing again. “It is an extremely physical job; you’re climbing up and down off trucks, you’re climbing poles, you’re lifting very heavy objects. You have to keep control of heavy wire as you’re untying it or moving it.
“And I don’t know of many women that are as physical as I am.”
Even with that said, Welker is sure to point out that any woman interested in the position’s physicality is equally qualified as the men applying, a fact she has proven since her career began in Georgia.
“Any stereotypes that someone might have, I’m happy to squash them and explain how, while it’s still physical, it’s not impossible.”
To help promote that fact, Welker believes further female participation in job fairs or female pictures on promotional material could help raise the number of female line workers.
She also sees the opportunities for schools and other educators to increase their focus on females, similar to a man in Texas who started a line worker school and has been traveling to high schools and various locations to recruit women.
One of his tactics, in fact, is to give interested women Welker’s phone number. And while she hasn’t yet received a call, she is eager to promote the profession to young women.
“If any girl had come to talk to me . we could go out to some pole, and just step on the pole, not climb the pole or anything, just feel it and see if that’s anything that (they would) be comfortable with,” she said. “And I would just explain the different things that you do.”
___
Source: Kokomo Tribune, https://bit.ly/1qCziyJ

HBJ reveals first-ever Women in Energy Leadership honorees

Screen Shot 2015-10-06 at 4.15.27 PM

When someone mentions executives in the energy industry, a female executive is probably not the first image that pops into your mind.

That stigma doesn’t ring true in Houston, where there are hundreds of women in executive positions at energy companies of all sizes. Hence, Houston Business Journal’s first-ever Women in Energy Leadership Awards were born to honor these accomplished and deserving professionals.

A panel of judges have selected HBJ’s inaugural Women in Energy Leadership honorees. The 26 women were judged on their career achievement in energy, contribution to company success, community involvement and leadership.

Applicants had to be based in the Houston area and employed in a leadership position at an energy company.

The judging panel included Crystal Ashby, former executive vice president of government and public affairs for BP; John Hofmeister, former president of Shell Oil Co. who is on numerous boards, including Lufkin Industries; Becky Klein, principal at Klein Energy LLC and chair of Power Across Texas; Katie Mehnert, the founder and CEO of Pink Petro; and Peggy Montana, who just retired as CEO of Shell Midstream Partners. Judges recused from voting on an executive if there was a conflict of interest.

The women will be honored at an event on Oct. 20 at the Houstonian Hotel and in a special section of HBJ on Oct. 23. Click here to register for the event.

Think you know a Women in Energy Leadership who should be nominated for next year’s awards? Click here to read the eligibility requirementsAnd click here to nominate.

Top 6 Most Powerful Women In Oil And Gas

vicki_hollubWhen it comes to glass ceilings, there is probably none tougher to crack than the oil and gas industry. For decades the corner office has been the preserve of alpha-male CEOs with a high tolerance for risk.

Today, the maxim still holds true. In Oilprice.com’s list of the 12 richest oil and gas tycoons, not one is a woman. Recently though, Vicki Hollub, a 33-year veteran with Occidental Petroleum, made American corporate history by becoming the first female CEO of a major U.S. oil company.

Hollub, 55, will assume assume control of Occidental’s global oil and gas business, replacing current chief executive Stephen Chazen who will step down at the 2016 AGM.

Read more at OilPrice.com

Rainer reigns at Entergy Texas

Part of the women-in-energy article series

Kathleen Wolf Davis | Jun 18, 2014

sally rainer 2Sallie Rainer, president and CEO of Entergy Texas, tells outsiders that her role is all about value. Top value: delivering power to 420,000 customers in Southeast Texas. But, there are others at play as well, including creating value for shareholders, employees and communities.

But, certainly, creating value through power delivery wasn’t Rainer’s dream job as a kid. It wasn’t what she always wanted to be, though, even as a kid, it sounds like she had the executive-level drive.

“I dreamed of being successful in whatever I did,” she said. “But I had no idea that I would ultimately become CEO of an electric utility. As a kid, I didn’t even know what an electric utility was. As I went through college and studied management and engineering, I began to develop an interest in the energy industry. It was during my first entry-level position at Entergy when I began to understand what impact the industry had in our day to day life. Today, I feel honored to be leading Entergy Texas in this very challenging industry.”

To do all that leading, Rainer’s day is a long one. It takes a lot of hours to juggle responsibilities that include everything from distribution lines to customer service, from government discussions to community contributions—along with the financial aspects. And all of that boils down to something else no kid thinks of when dreaming of the future—namely, lots and lots and lots of meetings: with employees, with community leaders, with officials (to keep them informed about issues), with her direct team and with other employees “to ensure they understand the vision and mission of the company and how they fit into the company’s success,” she said.

“Listening to the ideas and feedback from our employees is an excellent means of identifying solutions to improve how we do business,” she added. And she sometimes enjoys all those meeting—especially if they include participating on her favorite volunteer boards for area nonprofits. (So meetings aren’t always so bad.)

And her skill with all those meetings may come from one underlying realization: She really loves gaining insights into her company from outsiders and employees alike. “What I enjoy most about my job is talking to our front-line employees to understand how things are going in their local offices and to help them understand what is going on in areas of the company outside of their day to day job duties,” she said. “The men and women who keep the electricity flowing are dedicated to serving our customers, working in a very dangerous field, often in dangerous weather conditions. Their commitment to serve our customers is inspiring to me.”

Rainer’s commitment to serve both customers and employees blends seamlessly into a utility’s with a service business that, she believes, has the potential to grow by leaps and bounds over the next few years.With industries looking to expand or locate in the Gulf South, Rainer and Entergy Texas are focused on bringing those businesses into the communities they serve. “Over the next few years, we will be adding new transmission lines and other infrastructure to ensure that we can reliably meet the growing demand for electricity this creates,” she added. She admits, though, this focus may be a bit unique to Entergy Texas and depends, entirely, on high-levels of growth, which isn’t the norm for most American utilities. In this area, Rainer and Entergy Texas are facing a unique opportunity.

And speaking of unique opportunities, Rainer would like to encourage more women to join the energy industry and get into this business of creating value and serving a community, from technical areas to regulatory accounting, human resources, communications and even meter reading. “My advice for anyone entering the field would be to set goals, build strong relationships and don’t be afraid to take a position outside of the traditional career progression,” she said. “When I began my career at Entergy 30 years ago, I did not expect to be in the position I am in today. I have found every step along the way to be very challenging and rewarding.”

UT Austin graduate student takes first prize in Pike Powers Research Fellowship Competition

Pecan-Street-staff-join-winners-of-the-Pike-Powers-energy-research-fellowshipUT Austin graduate student takes first prize in Pike Powers Research Fellowship Competition

UT Austin’s Krystian Perez, a Ph.D. student in chemical engineering, was awarded first place in the Pike Powers Research Fellowship Competition, sponsored by the Pecan Street Research Institute. The fellowship was awarded to a student or faculty member of the research consortium that developed the most impactful research using Pecan Street’s unique dataset to answer a question of critical importance to industry. The first place award came with a $10,000 cash prize.

Krystian’s work is supported by a fellowship from the National Science Foundation and is co-sponsored by Dr. Thomas Edgar and Dr. Michael Baldea, professors in UT’s Department of Chemical Engineering.

Krystian’s research, titled “Meters to models: Using smart meter data to predict and control home energy use,” centered on developing simplified, dynamic models of air-conditioning use in residential houses, which account for a large and variable load on the electric grid. Employing controls strategies developed for the chemical industry, Krystian used a centralized controller to adjust thermostat settings for a community of houses to spread energy use throughout the day.

Competitors for the Pike Powers award submitted a research proposal in December 2013. The Industry Advisory Council (IAC) reviewed proposals and 10 competitors were selected to complete and submit a draft of their research papers to the Pecan Street Institute prior to a March 2014 technical workshop. Draft findings of the finalists’ proposals were presented to IAC members for industry review (similar to peer review), and award winners were announced June 2014.

Study: Duke Energy tops among world power companies for women in key posts

John Downey
Senior Staff Writer-
Charlotte Business Journal

A new study on women in the power and utility industry ranks Duke Energy Corp. (NYSE:DUK) first among the 100 largest power companies internationally for women in decision-making positions. The report — released by international consulting firm EY, formerly known as Ernst & Young — is titled “Talent on the table: index of women in power & utilities.” It is the first attempt by EY to evaluate the industry’s record in tapping women for important board, executive and management posts.

Charlotte-based Duke’s CEO is Lynn Good, and the CEO of the second-ranked company, San Diego-based Sempra Energy, is also a woman. But more important for EY’s analysis is that each are members of their company’s board of directors.

The EY report finds the power industry as a whole “fared better for gender diversity than other infrastructure-specific industries such as telecommunications, oil and gas (and) mining.” But it lags behind less technical industries such as consumer services.

Other U.S. companies
Among power companies, Duke scores well because, beyond Good, there are two other women on the senior management team, two other women on the board of directors and at least half a dozen women in business unit and audit leadership positions.

The report profiles one of them: Chief Customer Officer Gayle Lanier. She told EY that diversity is a key for successful companies.

“At Duke we need diverse teams more than ever as we get more personal with customers and move from the meter into the home,” she told EY. “One of the reasons I joined Duke five years ago was to bring diversity of thought.” Duke and Sempra are the only U.S. companies EY ranks in the top 10 worldwide. New York based-Consolidated Edison, Virginia-based Dominion Resources and the Tennessee Valley Authority rank in the top 20 at 14th, 15th and 19th, respectively.

John Downey covers the energy industry and public companies for the Charlotte Business Journal.

TIME shows how attitudes toward conservation may be guided by gender

A new global survey for TIME shows how attitudes toward conservation may be guided by gender.

More women than men worldwide say energy conservation is a “very important” issue, while men report greater personal concern about global warming, according to the results of a new global energy survey conducted for TIME.

The survey polled online respondents in six countries—the U.S., Germany, India, Turkey, Brazil and South Korea—on their attitudes toward energy. It revealed that conservation habits and perspectives about energy challenges differ along gender lines, and not always in the ways you might expect.

Silhouetted electricity pylon grid
Source: Getty Images

Nearly 70% of women said energy conservation was a vital issue, compared with less than 50% of men. At the same, 65% of males reported that global warming was a very important issue to them, far outpacing the 37% of females who said the same.

The survey suggests that women are more leery of nuclear power (by a 48% to 40% margin), slightly more convinced the earth is warming (60% to 56%) and more likely to report high degrees of concern over rising sea levels, pollution and gas prices. By a couple of percentage points, women also took a more favorable stand on the oil-and-gas industry’s role in the issue.

Men, on the other hand, were more likely to say that rich nations should take the lead in the fight to reduce emissions (50% to 46%), and more likely to lay blame for the global warming crisis at the feet of the United States (45% to 38%), which has long held the ignominious title of the world’s largest carbon emitter.

The sexes were also split in their assessment of their home country’s role in the climate crisis. Sixty-three percent of women say their nation is part of the problem, compared with 54% of men. Men were more likely to say their country was part of the solution, by a 46% to 37% margin.

The survey was conducted among 3,505 online respondents equally divided between the U.S., Brazil, Germany, Turkey, India and South Korea. Polling was conducted from May 10 to May 22. The overall margin of error overall in the survey is 1.8%