Energy news from Omaha Public Power District
Energy news from Omaha Public Power District
February is Black History Month, and as part of the celebration, we asked OPPD employees to share their accomplishments, inspirations and advice. Read on for a sampling of their responses.
Accomplishments
Alesha Walker
Question: What is your job title and what do you do in your role?
Answer: Supervisor, Support Operations – Technology & Security. I oversee the Security Operation Center, supervising a team of operators responsible for systems and physical environment monitoring, alarm/alert response. and access management.
Q: What are you most proud of accomplishing personally or professionally and why?
A: I am proud of managing a successful operation support team at OPPD for three years. As I stepped into this role, the team had experienced a recent move from one department to another, tasked with more and different work than they had before. My team worked diligently to develop new skill sets and continuous improvement mindsets, and really stepped up to provide seamless service positively impacting OPPD’s security and overall productivity. I am proud of my own unique talents and skills used to influence, inspire and lead for positive change.
Fonda Cross
Q: What is your job title and what do you do in your role?
A: Branch Customer Service Representative. My job consists of serving our OPPD customers. This would include billing, service orders and business solutions.
Q: What are you most proud of accomplishing personally or professionally and why?
A: I’m proud of the longevity I’ve had with OPPD. The opportunity to have compassion, build lasting relationships, and offer solutions to our customers. I understand what it means to serve. You must serve before you can become a good leader. I’ve grown in offering my best professionally and interpersonally.
Joyce Cooper
Q: What is your job title and what do you do in your role?
A: Director – Diversity & Inclusion. In my role, I am responsible for developing a holistic DE&I Strategy for OPPD that is aligned with its strategic directives, mission, vision and values. Then, my team and I collaborate with other departments, as well as employees on every level throughout the district, to execute on the strategy.
Q: What are you most proud of accomplishing personally or professionally and why?
A: I am proud to be a part of a national effort to create a DE&I Roadmap for Industry Change. I am proud of this because the effort will change the energy industry to be more inclusive and equitable. It can increase the probability of the industry attracting and retaining the talent it needs today and well into the future. It will also shape the employee experience through their entire employee life cycle.
Maurice Kimsey II
Q: What is your job title and what do you do in your role?
A: Distribution Planning Engineer (Engineer III) – I design circuits to improve reliability in our electrical distribution system. My designs also result in serving customers with sufficient power that lies within ANSI (American National Standards Institute) standards and OPPD’s loading standards.
Q: What are you most proud of accomplishing personally or professionally and why?
A: Professionally, I am most proud of founding AAN (OPPD’s African American Network). AAN is about recruiting, retaining, and promoting African Americans at OPPD. AAN creates an opportunity for African Americans to share our perspective so our value can be seen through multiple perspectives. Personally, I am most proud of earning my Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering and my Master’s in Business Administration with a focus in leadership. I am proud of my degrees because I was the first one on my dad’s side of the family to graduate college. My dad cried at my graduation (even though he doesn’t want to admit it) and my grandparents were able attend their first college graduation by supporting me.
Mecia Augustine
Q: What is your job title and what do you do in your role?
A: My job title is a Customer Service – Branch Representative. I handle all of the payments, billing/service order requests, and customer questions for walk-in customers. I process all walk-in payments, pledge payments and drop-box payments in the office.
Q: What are you most proud of accomplishing personally or professionally and why?
A: I am most proud of coming out of my shell and growing confident enough to believe in myself to make the changes I have made within the company and community. I have been on the African American Network Board for the past 5 years and have made an impact to the company and community in multiple ways within my role.
Shari Thompson
Q: What is your job title and what do you do in your role?
A: Lead Auditor. I assist the director of Corporate Audits in reviewing audit work papers, controls documentation, suggesting improvements in process or documentation, and participating with the team in continuous improvement efforts for the department’s framework.
Q: What are you most proud of accomplishing personally or professionally and why?
A: Personally, I volunteer on local nonprofit boards that help give me insight into social needs, while also allowing me to give back via my accounting/audit experience.
Steven Neal
Q: What is your job title and what do you do in your role?
A: Alarm Station Operator. I monitor the status of installed systems which include fire alarm, suppressions, automated access, intrusion and duress activation, television and monitors, building environmental systems and communications.
Q: What are you most proud of accomplishing personally or professionally and why?
A: Family. They help me become a better man.
Inspirations
CJ Jackson
Q: What is your job title and what do you do in your role?
A: My job title is Manager, Quality Assurance and Release Services. I am responsible for leading our quality assurance (testing) and release services (code management, migration and deployment) functions in the technology and security space. My team partners with business partners and stakeholders across technology to ensure we are delivering quality software products in a safe, secure and reliable manner.
Q: What is something that inspires you to overcome challenges when you encounter them?
A: I understand that adversity is a part of the growth process! I try to find the “lesson” in every challenge that I encounter and I remember that with everything that I have already been through, the present challenge in front of me isn’t going to be the thing that makes me throw in the towel.
Eddie Clark
Q: What is your job title and what do you do in your role?
A: I am Product Manager. I manage products that serve our low to moderate income customers in the Product Development and Marketing Department. These programs include the Energy Assistance Program (EAP), Energy Efficiency Assistance Program (EEAP), and our new Customer Assistance Program (CAP) Pilot.
Q: What is something that inspires you to overcome challenges when you encounter them?
A: A Frederick Douglass quote: “I prayed for freedom for twenty years but received no answer until I prayed with my feet.” Challenges are part of life, but your response is a product of your attitude.
Francois Ngudia
Q: What is your job title and what do you do in your role?
A: Senior Corporate Accountant. As a Senior Corporate Accountant, I work with my team to ensure that the financial transactions are tracked, recorded and presented accurately, completely and timely for internal and external use.
Q: What is something that inspires you to overcome challenges when you encounter them?
A: History. In fact, the knowledge of my (our) history is very inspiring. When one knows the road traveled by people before us, and sometimes by people with us, their challenges, as individuals or as a community, there is no way to give up. The idea that we benefit from the challenges overcome by others gives me strength to move forward for me and for future generations.
Bert Adams
Q: What is your job title and what do you do in your role?
A: Lead Utility Coordinator
Q: What is something that inspires you to overcome challenges when you encounter them?
A: My Mom and Dad, who taught me that I could do anything. And knowing that my kids are watching and hopefully learning the same from me.
Patricia Tooles
Q: What is your job title and what do you do in your role?
A: Continuous Improvement Coordinator, and in this role, I am responsible for providing internal support and will assist the department in the coordination of continuous improvement reporting, programs and projects.
Q: What is something that inspires you to overcome challenges when you encounter them?
A: What inspires me to overcome challenges is that there are other individuals who look up to me. I find ways to reflect, pray and find solutions to push through any challenges that come my way. It encourages others to do the same.
Advice
Anthony Armstrong
Q: What is your job title and what do you do in your role?
A: Business Intelligence Analyst. I help business partners understand and utilize their data to improve process and performance efficiencies and make better decisions. This involves maturing existing reports, creating new reports, assisting with analytics and presentations, as well as partnering to make better use of business intelligence tools.
Q: What advice would you give to your younger self?
A: Always strive to stand out. It’s not always easy. Sometimes, standing out can be downright scary. However, more often than not, when you take the initiative to try something new or do something that hasn’t been done before, you’ll discover you’re not alone. Sometimes others need to know they’re not alone as well. Not being afraid to stand out is how you can help everyone (yourself included) make a difference.
Bruce Greene
Q: What is your job title and what do you do in your role?
A: Metering Crew Leader, I help with training and making sure my team understand their assignments they are doing and most importantly they remain safe.
Q: What advice would you give to your younger self?
A: Just to calm down and don’t take yourself so seriously. Relax and stop trying so hard to please everyone. Slow down and think.
Garry Floyd
Q: What is your job title and what do you do in your role?
A: Support Services Supervisor overseeing the production printing, districtwide mailing, and TS Unit administrative assistant services.
Q: What advice would you give to your younger self?
A: Stop trying to control everything that happens. Accept that everything happens for a reason and be patient! Be intentional about your plans and meaningful about your engagements – leaving people, places and things better than you found them.
Reno Jamison
Q: What is your job title and what do you do in your role?
A: Senior Safety & Technical Specialist. Responsible for the development, administration and evaluation of safety and technical training, human performance, and psychological safety.
Q: What advice would you give to your younger self?
A: The advice for my younger self would be – never shrink back due to age and experience to fit yourself into the mold of others. Always show up authentically. You have a power message and voice – share it with the world!
Denice Sartor
Q: What is your job title and what do you do in your role?
A: Customer Operations Technology Specialist. I support the User Acceptance Testing piece of system enhancements, integrations and upgrades. I am the vendor relationship partner between COT and PDM team for AEG.
Q: What advice would you give to your younger self?
A: Stay in college no matter how hard life gets. You are stronger than you think. So press through so that you can reap the benefits of that degree at an early age.
Randy Marks
Q: What is your job title and what do you do in your role?
A: Distribution System Operator. It is my responsibility to oversee the daily operation of the OPPD Distribution system and manage personnel and coordinator with customers/911 fire and rescue and all other entities, etc.
Q: What advice would you give to your younger self?
A: To just wait and listen and observe. Don’t feel intimidated by the size of the problem, just breathe and think about how your mother will feel when she hears of your accomplishments.
