Celebrating women in energy

International Women’s Day is March 8. It’s a great occasion to celebrate the accomplishments of the many women who are transforming electric co-ops and how they serve their local communities. It’s hard to imagine a better career field for women with an interest in making their communities better places to live and work.

Today, women represent an increasing share of the electric cooperative workforce, and not just in traditional roles of the past. As you look around Oklahoma’s electric co-ops, you’ll find women in every imaginable role—from lineworkers to engineers, from financials managers to information technology and top leadership roles.

The National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) recently reported that nearly 90 electric co-ops are headed by female CEOs, adding that strengths like teamwork, problem-solving and communication that women often bring to leadership are particularly important to the industry’s future.

Mentorship programs and networking opportunities create platforms through which women can connect and share their experiences. The recently launched Women in Power mentoring program for the electric co-op community provides mentorship and resources to support and guide women in their careers.

As nearly 20% of the nation’s co-op workforce nears retirement age within the next five years and local cooperatives struggle with an increasingly competitive job market, expanding the pool of potential workers is an effective solution. At the same time, there are many reasons women who are entering (or reentering) the workforce should consider finding a place in the electric co-op world.

By Chris Meyers

General Manager | Oklahoma Association of Electric Cooperatives