The Power-Gen 2014 Women in Power committee has announced that Green Mountain Power's Mary Powell has been named a finalistfor the Power-Gen 2014 Woman of the Year Award.The finalists were selected from nominations received from members of the power community and represent diverse facets of the industry.Along with Powell, the finalists areDiane Drehoff, Director of Maintenance Marketing at Siemens Energy, a global technology company that is active in more than 200 countries, focusing on the areas of electrification, automation and digitalization; and Colleen Layman, PE, Associate Vice President and the Resources Business Group Water principal for HDR Inc., anarchitectural,engineeringand consulting firm with 8,500 employees in more than 200 locations around the world.Powell is president and CEO of GMP, an electricity utility based in Colchester, Vermont, that serves approximately 265,000 residential and business customers.
Mary Powell photo courtesy of PRNewswire
“I am so honored to be among two other great women energy leaders as a finalist for this award,” said GMP President & CEO Mary 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 Woman of the Year nominees were judged in three categories with the most weight being given to how she advanced the power generation industry. In addition to advancement of the power industry, judges considered the impact that the nominees made on their communities and their ability to lead.
In order to encourage more women to enter the power industry, PennWell Corporation decided to recognize and award female trailblazers in the power industry, like these 2014 Power-Gen Woman of the Year finalists.
“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 added.
"If the accomplishments of the 'early adapters' are not recognized, the growth of women in power could be jeopardized," saidRich Baker, Senior Vice President with PennWell.
Each of these finalists has dedicated her life to working in the traditionally male-dominated field of energy and each woman has exhibited determination to get where she is today. Estimates of the percentage of women working in the power industry vary but in general the number hovers around a 1:4 female to male ratio. And as you climb the ranks, 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," saidJennifer Runyon, Chair of the Women in Power Committee.
One of these three finalists will be named the 2014 Power-Gen Woman of the Year at the Annual Gala Awards Dinner onMonday, December 8, 2014inOrlando, Florida. The Gala will be held atDisney'sOdyssey Pavilion, located at EPCOT and kicks off Power Generation Week.
The 2014 Power-Gen Woman of the Year will give a keynote speech during the Women in Power Luncheon on Tuesday, December 9th in Orlando, Florida, at theOrange CountyConvention Center.
Registered attendees may attend either or both the Banquet and the Luncheon by purchasing tickets to the events. More information may be obtained by visiting thePower Generation Weekwebsite or the conference websites:POWER-GEN InternationalConference and Exhibition; the co-locatedNUCLEAR POWER InternationalConference and Exhibition,Renewable Energy WorldConference & Exhibition,North Americaand theFinancial Forum.
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SOURCE TULSA, Okla.andNASHUA, N.H.,Nov. 13, 2014/PRNewswire/ --PennWell Corporation