Green Mountain Power President-CEO Mary Powell was recently named one of three national finalists for the Power-Gen 2014 Woman of the Year Award.
The Woman of the Year nominees were judged in three categories, with the most weight given to how the nominee advanced the power generation industry. In addition, judges considered the impact that the nominees made on their communities and their ability to lead.
“I am so honored to be among two other great women energy leaders as a finalist for this award,” said Powell. “I am proud to represent the great work that is being done in Vermont. GMP is working hard to partner with customers to accelerate the pace of change in our industry by offering new energy products and services that will allow our customers to save money, use less energy and be more comfortable.”
The finalists were selected from nominations received from members of the power community and represent diverse facets of the industry. The other two finalists are Diane Drehoff, director of maintenance marketing at Siemens Energy, and Colleen Layman, P.E., associate vice president and Resources Business Group Water principal at HDR, Inc.
In an effort to encourage more women to enter the power industry, PennWell Corporation decided to recognize and award female trailblazers in the power industry. “If the accomplishments of the ‘early adapters’ are not recognized, the growth of women in power could be jeopardized,” said Rich Baker, senior vice president with PennWell.
Each of these finalists has dedicated her life to working in the traditionally male-dominated field of energy. Estimates of the percentage of women working in the power industry vary, but in general the number hovers around 25 percent, or a 1:4 female to male ratio. And as the ranks move up, that percentage of women in leadership roles gets smaller.
“We hope that these women will serve as examples to young women considering careers in power that amazing accomplishments can be achieved through hard work and dedication,” said Jennifer Runyon, chair of the Women in Power Committee.
A winner will be named the 2014 Power-Gen Woman of the Year at the awards dinner on Monday, Dec. 8, in Florida.
“My message to all women out there, especially young women who are working in industries dominated by men, is to work hard and advocate for yourself. We need more strong women in positions of power in the energy industry,” Powell said.
Green Mountain Power serves approximately 265,000 residential and business customers in Vermont. In 2014, Vote Solar named GMP a Solar Champion.
