As Women’s History Month comes to a close, EPSA is wrapping up our Women in Competitive Power series by giving a behind the scenes look at what it means to advocate for competitive power every day.
Throughout Women’s History Month, EPSA has shared the stories of women across our member companies. With fifty percent of EPSA employees being women, we’re wrapping up our Women in Competitive Power series with a focus on our staff who are advancing the ball for competitive electricity from Capitol Hill to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to state commissions and legislatures.
Nancy Bagot and Sharon Theodore bring a wealth of knowledge and 60 years of collective experience to our organization. Their can-do attitude pushes the team and member companies to find durable, innovative solutions.
Plus, hear from the two women behind the scenes of EPSA’s communications shop, as Christina Nyquist and Sarah Krieger blend the technical aspects of competitive markets with telling our member companies’ stories – helping share the benefits competitive markets bring to consumers, the grid and the environment.
Nancy Bagot, senior vice president, EPSA
Q: What does a typical day look like for a senior vice president of a trade association?
A: A typical day is one dictated by our priorities and the discussions going on at government agencies, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) in particular, and across the industry. I work with the regulatory and policy teams to manage our participation in those discussions – formally by ensuring that the views of competitive suppliers are fully represented in the record, and informally through dialogue and coalition work with the energy community.
Q: Can you tell me a bit about your career path and what led you to the role you’re in today?
A: I randomly got my first job as an administrative assistant in the Washington office of a major Canadian natural gas pipeline company (at the time I thought that natural gas was what I put in my car at the Shell station!). With an amazing mentor, I soon moved from answering phones to following activities at FERC of interest to our company and representing the company at trade association meetings. I came to EPSA largely based on my respect for and interest in the work of a trade association – building consensus on issues of substance and developing coalitions to work together towards the most effective and efficient markets for our products – the competitive supply of electricity.
Q: What do you like most about your work?
A: I love working with members and industry partners to develop clear, substantive positions. This is most rewarding when it’s difficult – bringing folks together to find their common ground and end with a position that is not watered down or neutered but offers viable options to improve competitive markets and business environment. We’re here to listen to policymakers’ and customers’ concerns, and share how competition and our member companies can best bring about the economic, environmental and energy system benefits that America needs.
Q: How do competitive power markers benefit the country?
A: Competitive companies are motivated to develop and supply the best product in the most efficient and cost-effective manner possible. This leads to real ingenuity and is why our companies were at the forefront of the innovations that enabled the competitive markets at their inception, brought unimagined benefits to consumers at costs that have in fact decreased over time, and will move us forward into a very different future. Competitive suppliers really are the champions of innovation, and we do it more nimbly and with a lot less than big, bloated vertically integrated companies.
Q: Are there any current issues or trends you see emerging in competitive power?
A: With three decades in this industry behind me, what is most fun is that there are so many things you can imagine will happen – but you rarely know which avenue becomes the industry’s Main Street ten years down the road. In large part this is due to technology change and which solutions address the priorities of our day in a manner that is commercially feasible for full deployment. Will that be some new long-duration storage, will that be offshore wind resources, will that be the participation of new electrified customer-side resources, will that be the thing I’m not imagining at my desk in Washington, D.C.? Heck, it may be all of them. Whichever it is, I know our companies will be involved at the forefront of the new wave.
Q: What’s one piece of advice you would give to young women entering the workforce?
A: Listening to people may be one of the most important skills you can develop, no matter your role or job – you can’t overestimate the impact on a person when they are heard. That noted, as a woman in the workforce you also need to speak up and speak on your own behalf. You are there to engage and contribute – the best work products and ideas are developed by a multitude of voices, and each is critical to the process. That includes yours – so share it freely, often and respectfully.
Q: Is there anything else you’d like to share?
A: Just a note on working in Washington, D.C. This is a great city for women in many industries. About a decade ago I looked around and realized how many energy industry D.C. offices were headed by women. Even in industries that are historically male-dominated, D.C. offers opportunities for leadership and achievement. That’s no small thing.
Sharon Theodore, senior director of Regulatory Affairs, EPSA
Q: What is your role at EPSA?
A: I am EPSA’s senior director of Regulatory Affairs. As part of the Regulatory Affairs team, we advocate for continued development and refinement of competitive wholesale electricity markets through policy advocacy efforts at both the federal and state levels, with primary focus on the FERC and the Eastern ISO/RTO regions. I also coordinate our advocacy efforts on the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) and energy trading matters. A “typical day” may involve reviewing and coordinating our response to an RTO or FERC policy proposal with EPSA members, outside counsel, regional partners, or other energy trades/industry stakeholders; interfacing with FERC on key issues; attending and reporting on various FERC meetings; monitoring RTO stakeholder meetings on market issues; drafting policy comments or talking points documents; or other industry outreach on behalf of members. The job involves a high degree of internal and external communication and collaboration.
Q: How did you first enter the competitive power industry?
A: I worked for years on the natural gas side of the business for three different companies in their respective federal government affairs offices. I served as a lead company representative for federal agency, trade association and other collaborative industry efforts and also actively participated on major natural gas pipeline and storage project teams. When I joined EPSA, there was so much happening on the competitive power side of the industry – the capacity markets had recently been established, for example, and it was a wonderful opportunity to transition, apply my prior experience (and the gas and electric markets are increasingly intertwined), and learn something new every day in this ever-changing industry!
Q: What do you find most rewarding about your work?
A: In the broad sense, I find it very rewarding to work in an industry where the issues are so critical to the overall safety, security and economic well-being of our nation. I also enjoy the process of educating, advocating for and working towards successful solutions on challenging market or policy issues that impact our members’ businesses. And, I really enjoy all the outstanding people that I have the opportunity to work with. There are so many others across the industry doing great work that I admire.
Q: How do you think competitive power benefits the country?
A: Competitive power suppliers – through billions of dollars invested in infrastructure at their own risk – have been and continue to be leaders in driving efficiency and innovation in the competitive electricity markets that have benefitted consumers. The benefits include reliable service, cost savings and significantly reduced emissions. As we work to address the challenges posed by climate change, competitive electricity markets will provide the framework needed for a sustainable, reliable and affordable transition to a lower-carbon economy.
Q: What trends do you see emerging in competitive power?
A: There is an increasing focus on sustainable electrification across energy sectors to achieve decarbonization goals, and given recent events, there is also a focus on changes that may be required in light of climate change and extreme weather to ensure reliability and resiliency of the evolving grid. FERC has conferences scheduled on both topics and the issues will likely remain at the forefront of discussions and our work in the coming months.
Q: What’s one piece of advice you would give to young women entering the energy industry?
A: Be proactive and take the initiative, and take advantage of opportunities to work on new issues or projects. Beyond professional growth, this may help to further identify core areas of interest for career focus. Build strong working relationships within and outside of your organization; you never know when you will end up working directly with someone! There are many excellent industry organizations, including some focused on professional development and networking for women in the energy industry, such as the Women’s Energy Network (WEN), which has chapters across the United States.
Christina Nyquist, communications director, EPSA
Q: What does your typical day look like?
A: As communications director, I help share EPSA’s message and the exciting work our member companies do with the wider energy policy community and the general public. Every day is different (although of course I’m spending a lot of time in front of the computer and on Zoom these days) – whether it be meeting with member companies, policy staff or outside partners and stakeholders, writing blog posts and press releases, pitching media, or finding ways to use emerging communications tools. We’re a small team so I wear a lot of hats – which I love.
Q: Can you tell me a bit about your career path and what led you to the role you’re in today?
A: I began my career planning to work in journalism, but I also had a strong interest in public service, policy and advocacy. I had the great fortune to get hired at the U.S. Geological Survey soon after graduating college, which was an excellent opportunity to be directly involved with a government agency and critical science research that protects the public and benefits society. I then joined the American Gas Association – which helped build my knowledge of the overall energy policy landscape – before moving to the Pew Charitable Trusts, and now am in my role at EPSA. I’ve built helpful connections and learned from and developed skills at each job that inform the work I do today.
Q: What do you enjoy about your work?
A: I truly learn something new every day – and get to be involved in work that directly impacts Americans’ daily life, our economy and our environment. I am passionate about helping the public understand technical and policy issues that may not otherwise get attention – and you can’t get much more technical or niche than competitive power market design! I also enjoy the opportunity to be creative – whether writing, collaborating on graphic design projects or even mixing audio for EPSA’s new podcast, Energy Solutions. And of course, I have been able to meet and learn from some of the smartest, most talented people around who care deeply about the issues they work on.
Q: What’s something you wish everyone knew about competitive power suppliers and in general, competitive electricity markets?
A: I have to admit – I knew very little about competitive power markets before joining EPSA, and I think that’s the case for most people. I’ve since learned that competition is essential to “building the grid of the future” and achieving many of the challenging energy and environmental goals we have to address both in the U.S. and across the globe – efficiently and more affordably. I’d love for those who are concerned about clean energy and new technology to understand how competition helps advance progress on that front. I also hope to help raise awareness about how power generation is selected, and why that matters for customers, the strength of our infrastructure and economy, and our environment.
Q: What’s one piece of advice you would give to young women entering the industry (or workforce to keep general)?
A: Learn everything you can no matter what your designated role is, keep your eyes open for new opportunities and pursue work you find interesting. And have fun! It will all fall into place.
Sarah Krieger, communications associate, EPSA
Q: What does a typical day for a communications associate look like?
A: What’s fun about my job is that no day looks the same! At a small organization like EPSA, teamwork and collaboration are a big part of what we do. Some days, I am more focused on projects like our external newsletter, or pulling together social copy and creating digital graphics. Other days I listen in to the weedy, technical calls of the Regulatory Affairs committee, which inform me on current issues we’re tracking and how to best relay our message to our target audiences.
Q: What do you like most about your work?
A: While I have only been working at EPSA for just shy of a year, I have come to enjoy a lot of different aspects of the job. First and foremost, I like working with an incredibly talented team that is constantly looking for solutions. The people we work with at our member companies are also fantastic, and I have enjoyed communicating with many of them on a regular basis. Another aspect I like about the work I do is that it requires a balance of technical and weedy information with the creative, more traditional side of communications. Although this can be a challenge, it’s very rewarding when you strike the right balance.
Q: What’s one piece of advice you would give to young women entering the energy industry?
A: It’s okay if you don’t know much at the start of your career – just be ready to ask questions, engage with team members and constantly be learning all that you can about the industry! And be ready to help out wherever you can – even if the task isn’t necessarily a part of your job. You never know how that experience could shape your future.
Learn more about women in competitive power:
Competitive Power Ventures’ Virginia Fuller and Energy Capital Partners’ Alexandra Witteveen
Jill Davies, Shell Energy’s Senior Vice President of Trading
