Female utility pros recharge their battery

When Danette Scudder joined the Women's International Network of Utility Professionals in 2007, the East Tennessee chapter of the organization had just one other member.

Since that time, enrollment has grown 500 percent and Ms. Scudder, 35, training administration manager at the Tennessee Valley Public Power Association, has been elected as chairwoman to the now five-member local chapter.

"I liked what the organization stood for in terms of women in the utility industry networking with one another and getting information for personal and professional development," she said.

Increasing membership and awareness remains her primary goals.

"We are still in that revitalization effort," she said.

Anne Allen, the organization's former chairwoman and the lone member when Ms. Scudder joined, said the chapter used to be very active and even once hosted the national convention, but a large number of people have retired from the industry and cuts at TVA caused participation to dwindle.

Ms. Allen retired from the Tennessee Energy Education Network earlier this year and passed her leadership post on to Ms. Scudder.

"Retiring and leaving has been easier because I know the chapter is in good hands," Ms. Allen said.

Ms. Allen said she is confident in Ms. Scudder's ability to boost enrollment and feels the organization offers vital assets for many women in the industry.

Secretaries and administrative assistants in the utility industry often don't get a lot of tools for professional growth, but Ms. Allen said the Women's International Network of Utility Professionals, or WiNUP, provides that.

Ms. Scudder, who has been serving as chairwoman since Ms. Allen's departure in July, begins her yearlong elected term in January.

She sent a letter this week to the group's members as well as potential members pleading for more active participation.

"If no one comes to the meetings, it doesn't matter how dynamic the speaker is or how timely the information is," she said. "We have to work together to come up with a strategy and a marketing plan to reach the people who might benefit most from membership in the organization."

Personal Glance

Name: Danette Scudder

Age: 35

Position: Training administration manager, TVPPA

Education: Bachelor's degree in political science from University of Evansville, (Ind.), 1996; masters in public administration, Texas Tech University, 1998

Family: Husband, Michael Reynolds, and 2-year-old son, Holden Reynolds