Meet Some of the Women Leading PG&E’s 10,000-Mile Electric Distribution Line Undergrounding Project

(Pictured [left to right] Bottom Row: Gina Stauffer, Matt Pender and Alex Alaga. Top Row: La Keisha Stewart, Linda Tripp, Jamie Martin, Megan Ardell and Vanessa Bryan.)

Alex Alaga remembers her reaction when she heard about PG&E's bold and innovative program to underground 10,000 miles of electric distribution lines in high fire-risk areas.

"My mind jumped to the many reasons why we can't get this project done," said Alaga, now PG&E's Director, Underground Regional Delivery.

Alaga wasn't the only one.

"I was skeptical," said Megan Ardell, now Senior Director, Undergrounding. "We had never undergrounded anywhere near the scale necessary to achieve the goal of 10,000 miles."

But after their initial skepticism, both decided to leave behind their old assumptions and imagined what's possible-a mindset shift called "breakthrough thinking" that leaders throughout PG&E are incorporating into their work to serve PG&E's customers. Within months, both decided to step into opportunities to lead the effort.

"It's about changing your mind to stop looking for all the closed doors and instead investing that energy in looking for the open one," said Alaga.

"I wanted to be part of achieving something that seemed impossible," said Ardell. "By taking a stand to make it a reality, we certainly would learn new things and achieve more than we had in the past."

Alaga and Ardell are now part of a group of leaders-most of whom are women-entrusted with completing the largest effort in United States history to underground powerlines to reduce wildfire risk.

"The women on our team reflect the diversity of PG&E and the hometowns we serve," said Jamie Martin, Vice President, Undergrounding. "We have women with operations, engineering, customer, construction, regulatory, finance, supply chain, compliance and IT experience. It's a privilege to work with such smart, dedicated women."

"To me, women are leaders who carry a different voice, energy and perspective," said Senior Manager, Regulatory Proceedings Julie Cerio. "We offer diversity of thought and balance in decision making. We belong at the table."

"Women are intuitive by nature. We nimbly shift priorities to meet the operational objectives and empathetic needs of customers and employees," said Senior Manager, Strategic Innovation and Partnership Gina Stauffer.

"It's important to have a diversification of viewpoints and opinions in any company to achieve the best results," said Undergrounding Contracting Director Linda Tripp.

Senior Manager, Community Rebuild Program LaKeisha Stewart appreciates having female leaders working on an important project like undergrounding. "It confirms that PG&E supports, respects and most importantly, appreciates the unique perspectives and the level of quality that women bring," she said.

"Women around the world are leading Fortune 500 companies and remain at the forefront of innovation," added Stewart. "Supporting women strengthens the future of any company by taking advantage of a phenomenal talent pool with a track record of success, while inspiring legions of young women to follow similar paths."

Senior Manager, Undergrounding Customer Experience Vanessa Bryan is proud to work with the other women on her team. "It's important for every coworker to see our diverse backgrounds represented in our leaders," she said. "This reinforces belonging and the motivation to achieve more."

Other team leaders said they also appreciate the perspectives the team's women bring to the program.

"I couldn't be more proud to be part of this incredible undergrounding team, which includes a number of excellent women leaders," said Senior Director, Undergrounding Matt Pender. "While women have traditionally been underrepresented in construction and infrastructure functions, there are many women with excellent experience, knowledge, innovative approaches and cross-functional skills who are helping lead this important program."

As for the legacy the female undergrounding leaders want to leave …

"I want to be at the forefront of showing how women leaders can successfully complete one of the largest projects in utility history," said Alaga.

"Together, we can achieve incredible goals," said Bryan.

"If you can change the way you feel, you can change the way you think. If you can change the way you think, you can change the way you operate. If you can change the way you operate, you can change culture," said Stauffer. "We embrace our small role in helping change the culture at PG&E."

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