Women's History Month Spotlight: Katie Mauer Loves Fast Cars and Harnessing Analytics for Wildfire Mitigation

03/28/2024

As Women's History Month comes to a close, we're spotlighting Katie Mauer, whose 14-year journey with the company exemplifies dedication, innovation, and the pursuit of excellence. Katie currently serves as the Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) Project Manager in Wildfire Mitigation.

"I started at SDG&E as an Operations Assistant at the Metro operating district and then became the administrative assistant to the Director of Electric Regional Operations," says Katie. "Eventually, I moved over to the Reliability team where I was an Engineering Analyst and a Business Systems Analyst, and now I am in Wildfire Mitigation with my hands in everything and anything related to Public Safety Power Shutoffs."

Wildfire Mitigation is a critical focus area for SDG&E, particularly in light of California's challenging wildfire landscape and Katie's team plays a vital role. "My department uses data from all across the company to do complex risk modeling for wildfire and PSPS predictions to determine the best areas of the service territory to focus our grid hardening efforts to optimize effectiveness and cost. We're also focused on creating a repository of data that anyone in the company can access, where the data is clean, organized, and thorough."

Katie's enthusiasm for delving into data to inform future predictions and projects remains undiminished. "I get excited when one of my tasks includes digging into data for answers. I love looking at historical data to help inform future predictions and projects."

Another passion of Katie's is Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. "I love attending the DE&I events, especially the ones with guests from outside the company. It just brings a new perspective to my world that I find really valuable. I also like to keep in mind that every person I interact with is an individual with their own lives, perspectives, concerns, ideas, and interests. We're all unique and we all bring something to the table."

Katie says one thing that people might be surprised to find out her is: "My first two cars were a 1995 Dodge Neon and a 1969 Chevy Camaro. At 16, I would drag race the Camaro down a straight stretch of sparsely traveled highway in rural Iowa every chance I got, but it was the Neon that got me into the most trouble. These days I am a very responsible driver."

Katie's Advice

"My advice for anyone interested in pursuing a career in analytics is to be curious! I have found that I have grown the most and learned the most when I have allowed myself to explore my curiosities."

Katie's story serves as an inspiration to all, highlighting the transformative power of analytics and the vital role it plays in shaping SDG&E's future.

During Women's History Month and throughout the year, we will continue to celebrate pioneers like Katie, whose passion, expertise, and dedication are shaping the landscape at SDG&E.